A wooden deck is an excellent investment, and keeping it in good condition is essential in the tasks of homeowners.
A clean deck helps reflect your backspace and prepares the wood to receive the surface coatings necessary to help your deck combat the elements.
First, we will tell you what you should not do when cleaning terraces.
Pressure Washing
It is essential to remove dirt from the deck’s surface; pressure washing should not be the only option. A pressure washer is easily misused when working on soft wood like pressure-treated cedar, redwood, or fir. It is not recommended, as the water jet’s concentrated force can erode the springwood portion’s soft cells and fibers, which is classified among the more brutal, darker bands of summerwood. After washing, the result can be wavy wood with the potential for splintering, which could shorten the life of the wood. A lighter spray of garden wood with a medium bristle broom is usually a better choice.
Household Bleach
These common laundry bleaches are effective at killing mold, but they do almost nothing to remove dirt and can do more harm than good to your deck. What household bleach will cause is that it will remove the natural color of the wood, leaving it with an unnatural and unattractive whitish or grayish color? Additionally, it can make the wood a little blurry, opening up the pores for more dirt to enter. Instead of using bleach, use a specific deck cleaner.
SPECIALIZED DECK CLEANERS
Currently, there are many specialized products for cleaning decks. Most of these cleaners are non-chlorine based, which makes them safer, easier to apply, and more suitable for your wood deck.
Oxygen-based bleach: The components contained in specialized cleaners are designed based on sodium percarbonate; it is a powder that mixes with water to form hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate, which are very effective in removing gray residue from the weather, as well as mold, dirt, and other discolorations. These oxygen-based products, applied correctly, will help restore the original appearance of your wood deck.
Oxalic Acid-Based Cleaners: Another widespread problem with redwood and other species is a natural resin in the wood called tannin. Tannins are water soluble and reddish brown; they can migrate to the surface of the timber and settle there, leaving dark brown discolorations. Tannins can also react to the fasteners that secure the deck boards—resulting in dark black stains that generally damage the appearance of the wood.