I’m looking for advice on cleaning unfinished wood that’s been sitting outside for awhile prior to finishing it. It’s a piece of garden furniture in one of those tropical hardwoods like eukalyptus.
Steve
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A little soap and water works fine to remove dirt.
But, if it has been outside for a while it may have begun to turn grey. That can be remedied with oxalic acid, followed by some sanding to smooth out the surface. Frankly however I just leave such furniture untouched except for cleaning, since it is massive amount of continuing effort to keep it from turning grey again.
The risk of catastrophe is huge, but with caution outdoor furniture can be "renewed" with very judicious use of a pressure washer. It will remove the softer greyed wood, but hesitate and there WILL be a gouge, even with fan tip.
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