Product Care
Before placing cushions on your teak furniture, remove any dust from manufacturing by wiping the furniture with a damp cloth. Teak has oil that occurs naturally in the wood. Expect some of this oil to bleed out following the first few rainfalls. To protect your cushions, bring them inside before the furniture gets wet. Stains from teak oil are not covered under warranty. The only maintenance necessary for your furniture is periodic cleaning. First, hose down the furniture with fresh water. Avoid spraying the teak with a high-pressure hose, as high pressure can erode the surface of the timber. Next, scrub the wet furniture using a soft bristle brush and a solution of 2/3 cup laundry detergent, and 1/4 cup bleach in 1 gallon of warm water. When finished, rinse the entire piece with more fresh water to remove any remaining cleaning solution. We recommend using a teak protector if you prefer to keep your teak wood a golden brown color. This is a purely cosmetic application. The product will remain golden brown for approximately one season and can be reapplied as needed. You should wait two weeks before applying the protector to newly assembled furniture. We strongly recommend you try it on a small area of your furniture first- such as the back of a leg or the underside of a chair- to ensure you like the results before applying it to the entire piece. Teak furniture may be left outside all year round without an outdoor furniture cover. Snow and freezing temperatures will not harm the furniture. If you prefer to store your furniture, we recommend doing so in a dry, unheated garage or garden shed. If you choose to use your furniture indoors, we suggest that you periodically apply a thin coat of paste wax, (i.e., Briwax or Johnson's Wax). Doing so provides the teak with additional protection from natural body oils, dust, and dirt that may come in contact with the furniture. Although teak wood itself will not mildew, mildew sometimes grows on dirt and other foreign substances that are not removed from the wood. This occurs more commonly in warm, humid climates. If this happens, follow the standard cleaning instructions immediately. Do not let the mildew remain on the wood for too long. Doing so could cause stains on the wood that are difficult to remove. We recommend periodically cleaning the surface of your teak to remove environmental deposits that could promote mildew growth.
