If you’re in the market for some professional grade, high potency wood deck cleaner, then you’ve found this important message just in the nick of time…
Here’s what you need to know…
A high potency deck cleaner can be the difference between having a fantastic looking deck that lasts for years or a deck that will peel and fade within the first 6 months…
It really is that important…
That’s why I’m going to show you a couple of the wood deck cleaners that I recommend…
Then I’ll show you some of the things you need to watch out for while using a deck cleaner…
And if that’s not already enough, I’ll also show you a top secret deck cleaner that the pros don’t want you to know about…
But you need to promise to keep it a secret…
Ok, great…
Let’s get into it…
What is deck cleaner?
Deck cleaner is a fantastic cleaning product that will remove mould, algae and any other contaminant from your deck…
There’s two types of deck cleaner…
One is the old school, chlorine bleach based deck cleaner…
These deck cleaners have a tendency to bleach your deck to a white colour…
You know, because bleach strips the colour out of things…
That’s why we have the newer and better option with the sodium percarbonate based cleaners…
Sodium percarbonate is an oxygen bleach which won’t strip the colour from your timber…
This is the same active ingredient that’s in Napisan…
The only problem is, these cleaners have the opposite effect and will darken your timber and raise the pH level of your decking…
But a quick rinse over with a deck brightener will bring your deck back to a normal pH level and enhance the natural colour of your timber…
What you need to take from this information is that you want to make sure that whatever deck cleaner that you use is sodium percarbonate based and not chlorine bleach based…
Don’t worry, I’ll show you a couple of great sodium percarbonate based wood deck cleaners…
A great wood deck cleaner that I recommend…
This is Restore-A-Deck wood cleaner…
This is one of the most popular wood deck cleaners used by the pros…
And the great news for you is that it’s sodium percarbonate based…
You can purchase RAD Wood Cleaner directly from their website for $34.99
How to use RAD Wood Cleaner…
Step 1.
Mix RAD wood cleaner in a separate bucket. The mixing ratio is 1 cup per gallon of clean water…
Step 2.
Spray the surface of the deck with water to make sure the entire surface is damp before applying the wood deck cleaner…
Step 3.
Use a deck scrub brush to work the cleaner into the surface of your deck. Make sure to keep the surface wet throughout the scrubbing process…
Step 4.
Allow the deck cleaner to sit on the deck for 20 minutes. Make sure to not allow the cleaner to dry up whilst on the surface of your deck. Spray a light mist of water to keep it damp…
Step 5.
After 20 minutes, use a pressure washer at the lowest setting to wash the deck cleaner off the surface of your deck…
Step 6.
Follow up with a deck brightener…
That’s all there is to it…
Just a side note…
If you don’t have a pressure washer, don’t panic…
You can easily clean your deck without using a pressure washer…
The deck cleaner will do most of the heavy lifting, so you don’t need a pressure washer, but it is easier to clean with one…
Now, as easy as it is, I must say…
Be careful how you use a deck cleaner…
The thing with deck cleaners is that they are safe to use but if you’re not careful you can destroy your garden real quick…
You see, I’ve accidently splashed deck cleaner on my hands and face and it really freaked me out..
But I quickly rinsed off with cold water and nothing happened…
No burns or skin irritation…
Not even a slight tingle…
But, if I soaked in the stuff for a long period of time, I’m sure my skin wouldn’t be too happy about it…
It’s exactly the same with your plants and grass surrounding your deck…
If you splash any type of wood deck cleaner on your garden, you need to soak them with the garden hose…
Actually, here’s how I guarantee that no plant, leaf or blade of grass is ever harmed in the cleaning of a deck…
- I soak the surrounding garden and grass with fresh water from a garden hose before using any deck cleaner…
- Then whilst scrubbing the deck, I give the plants a light soak again…
- When the deck has been pressure washed and all of the deck cleaner has been washed off, I soak the garden again…
And I’ve never had any garden drop dead on me…
EVER!!
So while a wood deck cleaner is safe to use as long as you use it properly, it can cause devastation to your beloved garden if you’re not careful…
But now you know my “garden saving” techniques, you’ll be more than fine…
You’re welcome by the way…
Anyway…
There’s something else I just thought of…
If you go down to your local hardware store and try to buy a deck cleaner, you’ll notice that there’s a few different deck cleaning products…
Now you have to be careful with this because they all do a different job…
How do I make this easier for you?
Oh, how about I just explain what each one is so you make sure you get the right deck cleaner…
Make sure you get the right deck cleaning product…
When you start to look at deck cleaners, you’ll notice that there’s also a deck wash and a deck brightener…
Don’t let this confuse you…
A deck cleaner and a deck wash are two completely different products…
A deck wash is a gentle soft solution that you use to remove dirt from the surface of your deck…
Whereas a deck cleaner is a potent cleaner that is used to remove mould and other contaminants that sit deep inside the grain of your timber boards…
And a deck brightener…
Well that’s what you use after you’ve used a deck cleaner…
Whenever you use a deck cleaner you always need to follow up with a deck brightener…
So make sure you get yourself some deck brightener too…
I’m not going to go into which brightener you should get…
I’ve already written about brighteners in another post…
So if you click the blue link above, I’ll show you what you need to know…
If not, well we’ve come to the end of this article on wood deck cleaners…
I think I ‘ve covered everything you need to know…
If you can think of anything or you have any questions, please drop me a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer your questions…
I’ll see you on the next one…
Peace,
Jason
Need some Expert Advice?
If you’ve been searching the internet trying to find an answer to a specific deck problem and you’ve found it impossible to get a straight answer…
Why not just reach out and ask me directly for an answer?
I’ve got 10 years of deck knowledge crammed into my noggin. I can pretty much guarantee I’ve got an answer to your problem just rattling around in there…
Come on, don’t be shy…
FAQ’s
Napisan is good for cleaning decks because it contains sodium percarbonate which is the same active ingredient that is found in deck cleaners…
The best thing to clean wood decking with would have to be a wood deck cleaner that contains oxygen bleach or sodium percarbonate. Then you need to follow it up with a deck brightener…
Chlorine bleach can damage a wood deck. That’s why it’s recommended to clean your deck with an oxygen bleach instead.
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