Best cleaner to pressure wash a deck?
Butterfly asked:
I’ll be using bleach for the siding of the house. If I ask at Home Depot or Lowe’s they will just try to sell me something. Wasn’t sure if the bleach would harm the wood.
I’ll be using bleach for the siding of the house. If I ask at Home Depot or Lowe’s they will just try to sell me something. Wasn’t sure if the bleach would harm the wood.
5 Responses to “Best cleaner to pressure wash a deck?”
Glad you asked before doing. Bleach and other deck wash products tend to soften the wood so when you power wash you leave lines or “fur” in the boards. I’ve done at least 100 decks in my time, and I’ve found it best just to use the force of the water for an even smooth finish. Also it is best to use a real power washer, not a home owners special like those found at Home Depot. Go rent a 2500 p.s.i. at your local rental place, there only like $85. You will be so glad you did.
hmmm i’ve cleaned many myself, dont think bleach will soften the wood if power washed also…….might if u left it on a few days…..mix up ur bleach in a 50-50 bleach/water…..spray it on and t it sit about 15 mins and power wash it off…..dont hold the wand to close to the deck and keep it moving cause u can raise the grain in the wood and even make cut marks in it…..
lic. gen. contractor
Definitely don’t power wash–you will ruin your wood as the previous poster says. Just use a hose with a good sprayer–you can get a long sprayer gun that will spray the water right at the deck without you having to bend over. We used Behr’s deck wash and cleaner and the stuff that you scrub with a brush that takes the splinters away without sanding. Then treated the wood with a product called Preservawood that we really like a lot. It’s more natural then the Behr stain and sealer. It was a three-day process–clean one day, treat the next day, stain the last day.
Don’t use a pressure washer on the deck. Pressure washers “fur” the wood grain. Just a scrub brush and bleach solution works great. Wet the whole deck first with a hose. Rinse well afterwards.
i use a power washer, being careful not to hold,the wand too close, with pool bleach through my chemical injector ,on the washer. this works great ,just dont leave the bleach on too long10-20min. tops
professional painter 10 yrs have done 100’s of decks
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