Care & Maintenance

The artisanal nature of our products suggest that each piece may have slight imperfections and unique characteristics. All of our pieces are handmade and appreciate a bit of love when cleaning and caring for them. Here are some tips to love them best:

TEAK
At Murukaka we use Grade A & B teak in most of our ranges. Most items haven’t undergone any excessive protective treatments, as we particularly love the rustic, unfinished look and the ability of the piece to age naturally. The wood has been polished causing high natural oil to rise to the surface, meaning that stains remain on the surface and do not penetrate the wood easily.

A damp (never soaking wet) cloth with a solution of soap and warm water will clean your teak furniture. Dry the surfaces thoroughly afterwards. Regular washing will make the wood increasingly resistant to marks and stains as it absorbs more soap over time. If you need to remove any stains, do it gently.
Always clean in the direction of the wood grain and never use a scouring pad or this might scratch the wood. Scratches could be removed with fine sandpaper. When sanding you should sand along the grain of the wood.

If you wish to further protect your wood, use a teak oil to waterproof your timber and prevent dirty spots. Furniture meant for outdoor use must be protected in order for them to last.

SUAR WOOD
Suar wood only requires basic maintenance to maintain its grandeur. Sponge clean with a mild soap and water solution and dry the surfaces thoroughly afterwards.

LEATHER
You can clean leather using a soft, dry cloth. Or a cloth and soapy water for a bit more elbow grease. To keep your leather looking its best, we recommend you clean it regularly with an uncoloured leather polish.

Leather can lighten if it’s exposed to direct sunlight, so be careful where you place it to avoid this.

RATTAN
Rattan can be cleaned with soapy water. An old toothbrush is especially useful for reaching in between grooves.

While rattan fibres are extremely durable, they are essentially dried-out plant matter. Exposure to constant sunlight, rain or continual changes in temperature or humidity will affect your rattan furniture, even though we treat them with a high-quality sealer containing a UV protectant.

If using rattan outdoors, moving it inside during harsh weather and placing a cover over it when not in use will prolong its beauty and durability. Rattan lasts far longer in protected areas or indoors than it does when left exposed to the elements for long periods of time.

TEXTILES

SMALL DECORATIVE CUSHIONS AND BED COVERS
We recommend dry cleaning linen and cotton throws and cushions. You can use a warm iron (up to 150°C) to press out any creases, ideally by protecting the material with a tea towel or similar.

SOFA TEXTILES – INDOOR
For regular care of your sofas we recommend vacuuming with an attachment on your vacuum cleaner. A gentle vacuum of the fabric should take care of most household dust.

For washing the covers – we recommend dry-cleaning for the best results. For spot cleaning on any of our fabrics we recommend blotting away any liquids or stains and following up with cold water.

SOFA TEXTILES – OUTDOOR
To clean a few small marks from your outdoor sofa, we recommend using lukewarm and mild soapy water, and hand clean it with a cloth or small soft bristle brush.

Instructions for weatherproof fabric maintenance:

1. Machine wash in lukewarm water (up to 40°C, 100°F) at a gentle setting (reduced agitation and spin cycle, if possible)
2. Use diluted laundry bleach if required on light coloured fabrics
3. Iron at low temperature (110°C, 230°F)
4. Do not dryclean
5. Tumble dry low

METALS

Any metal furniture or parts are easy to clean. Washing with soap or a mild detergent and warm water followed by a clean water rinse is usually quite adequate to clean the stainless steel surface.