NOT to clean teak…
- With a power washer – Power washers just blast away dirt and expose raw wood. Not only is this rough on your teak, it also doesn’t kill the mold and mildew spores in the wood.
- With household bleach – Bleach is not strong enough to kill the mold and mildew spores in the wood.
- With tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) – As with bleach (see above), TSP isn’t going to kill the micro-organisms living in the wood.
THE RIGHT WAY to clean teak…
To clean teak, all you really need is a bottle of “teak cleaner”. These products are formulated to kill the mold and mildew and restore the natural wood color. There are generally two types of teak cleaners, one-part and two-part cleaners.
One-part cleaners come in a single bottle and use a mild chemical to clean the wood. We prefer one-part cleaners because they are much gentler on both the teak wood and won’t damage your boat gel-coat or paint. Because they are relatively mild, you need to work the cleaner into the wood with a bristle brush and let it sit for 5-15 minutes before rinsing it off. While rinsing the wood, use bronze wool to rub the surface (in the direction of the wood grain). This opens up the pores of the wood to remove all of the cleaner ensure that the wood is as clean as possible.
Two-part cleaners come in two bottles and typically consist of a harsh acid and a neutralizer. The first part (the acid) chemically cleans the wood, killing the mold and mildew spores and removing the black and gray color. This step works faster and requires less work than for one-part cleaners, but the harsh acid also raises the wood grain (making your wood rougher) and can eat away your gel coat and bottom paint. The second part is a neutralizer which counteracts the acid, allowing you to rinse off the teak safely. We generally discourage the use of two-part cleaners because of the damage they can do to your teak, your boat and the environment.
