Summer is almost here. Ok, in some areas it feels like it already is.
Either way, your pool, the breezy air in your backyard or on your patio, is inviting you to enjoy again outside living.
Where I live in the California desert, it’s pretty much year-round outdoor living. So I keep my teak outside year-round.
And my teak is lovin’ it. My teak shower mat and bench don’t look a day older than the day their wood was harvested.
But even if you live in the northern climes where you can enjoy the four seasons, you can still keep your teak outdoors 24/7/12/365.
I’ll tell you how—so you won’t kill your teak
You should know of course, if you own our teak shower mats or shower benches—they’re multi-functional (or multi-environmental if you want to get fancy).
For example, you can use our teak shower mat as a doormat, mudroom mat, a deck mat for your pool, a shower mat for your outside shower.
And, you can use your teak shower bench as a garden bench, a side table next to your pool chaise lounge—or as a bench, or as side table anywhere you can think of.
Whether you want to have 2 of each, one for only indoors and one for outdoors is entirely up to you (which sure beats carrying them inside and out all the time).
Regardless, let’s talk about keeping your teak, when it’s outdoors, looking like indoor teak, and not something to get rid of at your next garage sale.
But first, let’s get a few teak facts straight…
Teak, because of its high oil and silica content, is the tree version of your favorite mailman.
In other words, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will hurt your teak—if you dress it right.
That’s why teak is the preeminent wood for outdoor furniture.
But teak ain’t a set it and forget it thing.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to keep your teak in the pink of health in the summer heat and sun.
And this is how you do it...
First off, teak will not dry out in the sun (even in the desert sun).
It will not become brittle. It will not splinter. It will not disintegrate, evaporate, or melt.
Teak will “weather”
What does that mean?
It’ll change color. It’ll naturally develop a silver/gray patina over time.
Many people actually like that look – it’s been trendy for a while.
Some homeowners will actually purchase outdoor teak furniture that already has that silver/gray patina.
However, if you’re not crazy about that look, the way to prevent teak from weathering is to seal it.
You can read more about teak sealers in our teak care guide.
Patina aside, unless your teak is kept inside a glass bubble, it’ll weather in different and albeit unattractive ways.
Dust, rain, sand, dirt, and all kinds of other shmutz, will land on your teak over the course of the year.
That’s not problem—if...
You regularly spray off your teak with a garden hose.
Now how easy is that!
Pretty easy if you ask me, but you didn’t, so I told you anyway.
However, (there’s always a “but”, isn’t there?).
Sometimes a quick spritz
with a garden hose isn’t enough to dislodge whatever found a home on your teak furniture.
That’s why, if you don’t remove the shmutz from the nooks and crannies with a stiff brush or something similar, you’ll begin to see mold and mildew growing.
And your once lovely caramel-honey-gold colored teak will become a gross black/green monster.
Please note: teak does not develop mold and mildew or black/green monsters. It’s the shmutz that you didn’t clean off that does.
So, if you see this happening to your teak, I’ll refer you again to our teak care guide for cleaning and restoration.
Now, I know what you’re going to ask next:
Should I protect my teak with teak oil?
Again, I will refer you to our teak care guide to understand what teak oil is and what it can and what it cannot do.
In the guide, you’ll also find other treatments for your teak, so it’s worth a read, or another read if you read it long ago.
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