Marija Jovanovic
A composite deck can be a beautiful addition to your home. Many would argue that in order to make a house a home – you need to add a deck to it. But, as is the case with every outdoor build – it will get dirty over time. On that note, unless you don’t want to have your deck looking old and dusty, and if you don’t want to spend money on professional cleaning, we thought it might be interesting to show you how you can clean your composite deck all by yourself. Let’s begin.
1. Cleaning Of Dirt And Debris
First thing first, you’ll want to remove all the dirt and debris build-up on your composite deck. This will arguably be the easiest way to clean your deck, and you can do this as often as you need to. Simply grab a broom and clean the whole thing. You can be as thorough as you like, but don’t waste too much time sweeping the deck because you certainly won’t be able to remove all the dirt just with a broom.
After you’ve finished sweeping the dirt, you can grab a hose and just spray down your composite deck. The water will remove all the stubborn dirt from the gaps in the decking, and you’ll have a squeaky clean deck after you’re done. Also, the water won’t affect the decking material in any way, so you can do this as often as you need to.
2. Cleaning Off Stubborn Stains And Dirt
If there are any stubborn stains you just can’t remove with a broom or a hose – you can use a pressure washer to clean your composite deck. Just make sure you don’t use a pressure washer with a greater PSI than 3000.
A pressure washer can be used with just water, but you can also add some mild detergent or a cleaning solution to it. However, you’ll want to learn more about which chemicals can or can’t be used to clean a composite deck, so you don’t ruin the coating and end up with a ruined composite deck.
Now, if a pressure washer won’t do the job, there’s one more thing you can do. It won’t be as pleasant and easy, but if you just grab a bucket of water, an appropriate cleaning solution, and just get on your knees with a brush in hand – you’ll probably be able to brush the stain off of your composite deck.
3. Cleaning Off Algae And Mildew
If you live in an area where it’s particularly wet, your deck might get infested with mould or algae. That’s a pretty common problem, but you’ll be able to solve it in less than half an hour. You’ll first want to dust off your deck and clean with a hose or a pressure washer, and then you’ll want to apply a mixture of bleach, TSP and warm water to your decking. Mix in a cup of bleach, a cup of TSP with two gallons of water, and apply it over the mouldy areas. Leave it there for about 15 minutes to do its thing, and then wash it off with a water hose. That should do the trick!
Conclusion:
There you have it. Hopefully, you’ve found this helpful and will now get to keep your composite deck squeaky clean for a long time.
