Cleaning teak decking

[brians]

The teak decking on my cockpit seats and floor is looking a bit sad and the cleaner I used yesterday was not up to much.

Is there a consensus on the best proprietary cleaner and is it a two stage process? I do not expect it to look like new, just good.

 

[Fergus]

I use "patio magic", available from Robert Dyas

 

[jaakhoebus]

most people use oxalic acid, but citric acid will do as well, you can buy this in the drug store

 

[ccscott49]

For that small amount, buy a two part teak cleaner and teak brightener from the chandlers. Available in 1/2 or litre bottles or similar. They are all pretty much the same stuff.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Much discussed in past. Two points of view seem to prevail.

TCM has published the definitive answer to method one, here.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showflat.php?C...&PHPSESSID=

The other is the Hallberg Rassy mathod, which is essentially do nothing but treat with Boracol a couple of times a year.

 

[PeterGibbs]

It's a bit of a trade off - too harsh a chemical cleaner removes soft material leaving ribs of lignum. Too soft a cleaner and, guess what, you scrub so hard you leave the same ridges...

I use detergent and a moderate brush applied across the grain, not along. Brightens it all up, but the algae are back within a month in the summer...

Watched a bloke last autumn basting awway with a power cleaner - I fancied I could almost see the timber flying off his deck....still he was satisfied with the result...!

PWG

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

WESSEX treatment produces a good result BUT all these treatments tend to take the soft wood out of the teak in much the same way as a pressure wash would.
I try to preserve my 25year old decks with Sikkenns Cetol so that the finish wears rather than the teak.