Keep Your Garden Tidy And Learn How To Clean Your Decking

Keeping a garden tidy is a major task for all garden owners. But also having a decking in the garden, requires much more effort to clean! Think about it! If you want to keep both your garden and decking in tiptop condition, especially during spring, you need to try a little harder.

A white wooden bench on a wood decking, great for relaxing during summer

Decking is the outdoor space you’re about to spend most of your time in during spring and summer. And actually, you might have build it on a slope, which makes it even more difficult as a case! You don’t want to spend your evenings on a stained deck covered with leaves, dirt or mould. Thus, if you want to learn how to clean your decking, keep reading!

When is the best time to clean your decking?

The best time to clean your decking is in spring and autumn. However, if it isn’t possible to clean it twice a year, you should do it at least every spring. It’s the best time to clean it and repair any damages that might have occurred during winter. That way you’ll be able to enjoy it.

In any case, spring is the best time to take care of and upgrade your patio and your garden in general. It’s the ideal time to plant or prune roses, to clean your wooden garden furniture and paint them, or take care of your metal ones. Therefore, it’s the perfect time to take overall care and improve your garden, decking and patio.

A broom and a plastic canister used for cleaning a wooden decking

When we talk about improvements, cleaning is the first to come to mind. Several DIY cleaning ways can be used to clean wooden or composite decking. Plus, there are different deck cleaning products and homemade remedies that can work well and help you get rid of stubborn stains, build-up grime and mildew, and bring your deck to its pristine condition. Let’s discover them!

How to clean decking using a deck cleaner

Prior to all, you’ll have to remove pots, garden furniture or even BBQ appliances, which you will also have to clean at some point. If you don’t know how to do it, read our article and learn how to clean your BBQ the right way.

You need to gather the below materials and tools:

A man with blue jeans shorts is cleaning the decking with water, a broom and a deck cleaner

Now, you can do as follows:

  1. Sweep the deck or use the garden vacuum to clear all debris gathering around and into cracks during winter. An eco-friendly option would be to use garden waste bags to throw away the debris without worrying about them being ripped apart.
  2. Next, grab the cleaner. First, read the manufacturer’s instructions and then apply them to the wood deck.
  3. After pouring the deck cleaning solution, scrub with the brush.
  4. Then, let it stay on the deck for as long as it’s labelled on the product.
  5. Finally, rinse with water.

Using soapy water

If you don’t want to use chemicals, you can make your deck spotless using soap and water. Again you need to sweep the deck first and then clean it using soapy water.

You need:

  • A large bowl or a bucket
  • Washing up liquid
  • Warm water
  • A sponge or a brush

A man washing his wooden decking with a brush and washing up liquidThen:

  1. Fill the bowl or bucket with water and add some washing-up liquid.
  2. Next, wet a sponge with soapy water and scrub along the wood grain. Don’t scrub against the grain to prevent any marks.
  3. Rinsing with clean water is the final step.

Using soda crystals

Soda crystals can be used on any cleaning task. They’re non-toxic, and they can soften water, dissolve grease and oily stains and combat dirt. You can also use it as a wood deck cleaning solution.

You’ll need:

  • 3 tablespoons of laundry starch
  • Lukewarm water
  • A pan
  • 100g soda crystals (sodium carbonate)
  • A stiff brush

These are the steps to clean successfully:

  1. Fill a bowl with 500ml lukewarm water and add three tablespoons of laundry starch. Stir to create a paste, ensuring that there are no lumps left.
  2. Next, get a large pan and fill it with 5l lukewarm water. Add 100g soda crystals and let them boil until it thickens.
  3. Then, apply the thick paste on the boards and spread it equally with a brush.
  4. Let the paste sit for a few hours and rinse afterwards with water.

Using a pressure washer

Cleaning with the pressure washer might be the easiest way to get your decking in tiptop condition. However, there are small details you need to pay attention to. You need to be rather careful while using the washer not to damage the surface.

A man washing his wooden decking with a pressure washer

  1. Use cold water to rinse the decking. Bear in mind that you must keep a distance from the deck while using the machine to avoid damages to the area.
  2. Divide it into sections, and using the sprayer, spray the entire area. You can also use the wash brush attachment for better results.

That’s all! Whichever way you are going to use, you’ll get super clean decking. Many sealants may protect the surface of mildew or might be waterproof. You can also use deck stain or oil to protect it from rain and moisture. If you intend to use any of them, you need to let the surface dry completely and then apply either a sealant or oil.

How to clean a composite decking

The safest way to clean a composite decking is to avoid harsh chemicals that can damage it. There are several composite deck cleaners available in the market. However, you can make yours easily, just by using soap, water, vinegar, and baking soda (in case of mould growing on your deck), and along with a power washer and a bristle brush, they can work wonders and make the boards shine bright like new.

Cleaning composite decking stains

The process for cleaning all stains differs in case there’s mould and mildew growing or not.

Simply cleaning

These are the needed materials and tools:

A spacious composite decking in a house with brown boards

Now, you can continue as follows:

  1. Start by cleaning the decking using the washer. Pressure washing will remove all the debris from the deck surface.
  2. Next, pour the soap and scrub gently with the brush. This step requires a little elbow grease from your side.
  3. After scrubbing, power wash again to rinse the deck, ensuring that no dirty water and soap residue are left.

Cleaning composite decking from mould

In case of mould development on your deck boards, here’s the way to get rid of it.

You are going to need:

  • Pressure washer
  • A bucket
  • White vinegar
  • Water
  • Baking soda
  • A bristle brush

Then, follow these step-by-step instructions:

  1. Power wash to remove as much mould as possible. If you don’t have a power washer, you can use a garden hose.
  2. Afterwards, combine two parts vinegar with one part water into a bucket and stir very well to mix them. Pour the vinegar solution on the affected area.
  3. Next, sprinkle some baking soda on the vinegar and let them soak for 20 minutes.
  4. After that, scrub with a brush to remove any residues.
  5. Finally, rinse the area very well with clean water.

A small kid wearing jeans and red socks sits on a wooden decking

That’s all! Piece of cake! Don’t you think? Cleaning the decking shouldn’t trouble you from now on. It would be a walk in the park. Follow our above methods, and we promise you’ll enjoy your decking for many years to come!

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