Can I Keep My Garden Furniture Outside During Winter?

When choosing outdoor furniture for your garden, there are a number of things you will likely be considering such as the style, colour and material. However, the most important consideration should actually be the durability and maintenance of the furniture you choose. 

Anyone who has had to lug heavy furniture indoors, quickly dash outside to cover it at the first sight of rain or found that their furniture has become ruined after a year outdoors will appreciate furniture that has strong durability and requires very little maintenance.

In this guide, we’re going to be taking a look at whether you can keep your teak furniture outside all year round and how best to protect it from the environment to ensure it lasts throughout the seasons.

Can My Teak Furniture Be Kept Outside All Year?

Yes, thanks to the hardwearing properties of teak, you can keep your teak furniture outside all year round, even during the cold winter months. Teak is naturally resistant to the outdoors and is able to withstand the harshest of weather conditions including rain, snow, wind and hail, so your banana bench will be just as sturdy in years to come as it was when it first arrived.

It is worth noting that over time, teak naturally loses its golden colour, fading into a beautiful silvery grey and leaving your furniture outdoors all year round may speed up this process, however, this ageing process does not affect the quality of the product and is simply created by the bleaching effect of the sun and weather.

Another thing to note is that whilst the teak itself doesn’t become mouldy, mould and mildew can grow on top of the furniture. However, this can be removed easily with some light maintenance and shouldn’t have any long lasting effects on your furniture so long as it isn’t left untreated.

Whilst teak can withstand the most extreme weather conditions, it may become slightly dirty over time, though this is nothing a quick clean can’t fix. 

How to Protect and Maintain My Teak Furniture All Year Round

Cleaning Teak

Cleaning your teak furniture is incredibly simple. All you need is a bucket with some warm water and non- abrasive washing up liquid, a scrubbing brush or scouring pad & some elbow grease.

Make sure to give the furniture a good scrub, ensuring that you remove all the mould and mildew that may have grown on top of the surfaces and then allow it to dry thoroughly.

If this hasn’t quite done the job, then you can use alternative teak cleaning products to help. These are formulated to kill the mould and mildew, restoring the natural colour of the wood. However, it is worth mentioning that they are more abrasive and can cause damage to the wood if used incorrectly, so please make sure you follow the guidelines of the manufacturer to properly protect your furniture.

Teak Oils And Sealants

One way to maintain your teak and keep it looking smart is to treat it with oils and sealants, though please note that teak sealants & oils shouldn’t be applied until the furniture has fully weathered (turn a silvery grey), as the timber has already been treated and this may cause damage the furniture.

Please also note that the application of sealants or oils will invalidate your rights to return your product, please see our terms and conditions.

Storing Your Teak

Teak wood is strong, durable & can withstand harsh weather conditions which is especially desirable when living in the UK, where the weather can be so unpredictable. This means your furniture can be left outside all year round, however, you may wish to take some extra steps to protect it when not in use.

Using covers is a great way to add an extra step of protection for your teak furniture and helps to reduce mould and mildew. We would always recommend using breathable covers to prevent the furniture from sweating.

It is also essential to ensure your furniture has been thoroughly dried out before putting a cover over it, otherwise you risk the furniture sweating, leading to an increase in mould and mildew growth over the products.

Why Choose Mr Teak?

Mr Teak is a family run business established in 2000, working hard to deliver a fantastic range of outdoor furniture to suit every garden. We pride ourselves for both the quality of our products and also the efficiency of our service, using only sustainably sourced wood.

Check out our fantastic range of tables, chairs, benches and dining furniture that come in a range of different styles such as banana, classic & lutyens teak benches.