Top Homemade Cleaners For Your Outdoor Deck
It is highly recommended for homeowners to clean their decks at least twice a year, ideally in the spring and fall. The safest & most environmental way in order to clean a deck is not to clean it at all, completely putting an end to the chance of toxic chemicals being originated into the environment and water. There are numerous homemade cleaners that can be used to clean your outdoor decks & some of the top-rated homemade cleaners are described below. These are the cleaners you should think carefully about using for your deck.
Baking Soda, Vinegar And Dish Soap
These are the best & natural cleaners that can be easily used on the outdoor deck in order to handle mildew and algae problems. Here are some of the recipe:
- Box Of Baking Soda
- 1 Cup Of Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons (T) Of Mild Dishwashing Liquid/Soap
- 1 Gallon Of Water
Pour baking soda on the stain-affected areas of the deck. Make a solution by mixing the vinegar, soap, and water in a bucket before applying to one section of the decking that has been affected by mildew, and then clean & scrub using a brush as long as you see results. You may need to repeat this method many times for a thorough job.
Borax
Just like baking soda and vinegar, borax is also an all-purpose natural cleaner that is able to adapt around the house and yard. Mix one cup of Borax with one gallon of water, & then apply this solution to the small areas of your deck at a time, scrubbing using a brush in order to get rid of algae and mildew.
Bleach
Bleach is not considered the most environmental choice, however, chlorine is one of the best options when it comes to handling standing water, mold, and mildew, if in case you have a swimming pool, you get it. Go through the directions and labels, wear gloves as well as masks, and perform the task at a place having proper ventilation.
WarningVarious types of wood including cedar can get affected by stains or fade away by using bleach on them. Therefore, you need to research your particular wood before applying the bleach.
Pressure Or Power Washer
Pressure or power washer is another homemade cleaner that can be best when it comes to getting rid of the stain from the outdoor deck. If in case you don't have a pressure washer available at your place, then you can simply get it on rent from a local hardware store, usually by the day. You will get an instruction manual along with a pressure washer & make sure to go through the instruction manual carefully, & then start at the middle of the deck and direct the spray to both ends, reaching all the areas. This should be done before applying a cleaner or brightener. Top Pressure Or Power Washer brands include Sun Joe, Karcher, AR Blue Clean & Simpson.
Karcher Deck And Driveway Cleaner
The Karcher Deck and Driveway Cleaner is not a machine that will perform the task for you as a robotic pool cleaner does. This has to be attached to a Karcher pressure washer, which in turn will save you time by cleaning an 11-inch-wide path with each pass. Other attributes include:
- It offers you a streak-free cleaning continuously over a period of time by keeping its two spray nozzles at a fixed height from the surface.
- Two spray nozzles whirl round quickly at a high speed, which makes the attachment "hover" and easy to maneuver.
- It is adaptable & suitable with vertical surfaces as well, like walls, fences, siding, garage doors, etc.
Oxygen Bleach Cleaner
Oxygen bleach products are considered safer for the environment. However, these products may not be able to handle stubborn mold and algae set into wood decks, but if used more often than not, then mildew and algae shouldn't grow quite frequently.
Spray-and-Forget-it Products
These products come with various names and have numerous ingredients, however, the purpose is to a certain extent the same, i.e, to permit you to clean your deck without making much effort. Some of the products appear or claim to get rid of stubborn stains like moss, mildew, and mold. Some claim to be approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and might be composed of environment-friendly ingredients that probably will not be harmful to the environment. Some of these products include:
- Wet And Forget
- Spray And Forget
- Moldex By EnviroCare
- Bayer 2-in-1 Moss & Algae Killer Ready-to-Spray
Tri Sodium Phosphate Or TSP
TSP, or trisodium phosphate, is regarded as a powder-based cleaner that is considered the best at killing mold and mildew. However, TSP is not for the most part an environmental choice and has all kinds of safety measures on the back of its box. If the deck has not been cleaned for a long time and algae is noticeable, it may have to be used from time to time, with care and caution. It's better to maintain the deck at regular intervals, including sweeping, instead of leaving it so that it has to be dealt with in a certain way with something strong like trisodium phosphate.