Best brush to clean teak with?

The softest one your chandlery sells. Go gently and across the grain, not with it. Rinse with plenty water. Mild soap is acceptable if needed. Don't do it more than once a year. Spray with a bottle of Baufix Fungus and mold killer from Lidl after it's dry (£2.99 at Lidl when on sale, or *£8.99 incl. shipping on eBay when not).
 
Please do not use a brush AT ALL on teak. No matter how gently you use it, it will strip fibres from the teak leading to a high wear rate.
Our deck is 14 years old this year, and has never had a brush near it. All I do at the start and the end of every season is to apply two coats of Borocol with a brush on a dry deck and it stays completely clear of mould and stains, even after a damp dark winter.
Borocol is hard to find now, but for the last couple of years I have used a product from Wessex chemicals which has the same ingredients.
This treatment leaves a light grey finish to the teak which I like. Do not be attempted to try and keep the nice colour of natural teak - this will mean repeatedly stripping off the grey layer - and in the process drastically shortening the life of your teak deck.
 
fearmhuir said:
Please do not use a brush AT ALL on teak.ou use it,

Our deck is 14 years old this year, and has never had a brush near it.

....I apply two coats of Borocol with a brush
Click to expand...

I’m confused by your apparent contradiction?

Once per year I apply Patio Magic, diluted 3:1, with a small brush usually used for painting garden fences. This seems to keep mould at bay for the season.

On my previous boat I used Homebase/B&Q teak deck cleaner and it didn’t perform particularly well, often needing 2-3 repeat applications during the season.
 
If you want your teak deck to have a good life expectancy, don't use a bristle brush on it. Instead, use a sponge and sudsy water. Coat the deck once or twice a year with a floodcoat of Boracol or Patio Magic (or similar) applied with a soft paintbrush. This will stop it going green, and will also kill the tiny black mould spores which people confuse with dirt. The deck will weather to a gentle silvery-grey colour.
 
I use a long haired paint brush to apply the boracol, which is just like water. I have never used any sort of brush or sponge to clean the deck. You apply the boracol, and in a few weeks all the mould and black marks are gone. You don't have to scrub it in - just paint on a heavy coat and leave it.
 
In the past when restoring a heavily neglected teak deck I’ve used scotch-bright pads and soap and water (or the two part system from Wessex Chemicals). Try to avoid scrubbing with the grain even with scotch-bright.

Otherwise use Patio Magic etc as already described.
 
A sponge used sparingly and across the grain. Slop some patio magic on when she comes out- If out for more than 3-4 months then slop some more on just before launching.

I have used proprietary cleaners of different makes and nothing that really stands out but would probably go back to the Wessex system if doing again as it was easy to apply, available and did an OK job.

However, I think keeping that rich yellowy colour involves a lot of cleaning which does wear away your decks, albeit by a tiny amount each time.

Better to live with a grey/ silver deck and just spot treat stains, guano etc. That way your decks will last a reasonable length of time.

If you really want to make your local teak deck installer happy then sand down every spring and keep them clean using a firm broom / pressure washer most weekends. Should need replacing every 3-5 years if you're effective enough.
 
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