How to Clean Wood Deck: Recipe with Laundry Detergent

Clean your wood deck with a mixture of powdered laundry detergent and hot water. To remove mildew stains from your wood deck, use a 10 % bleach solution, and you will have a shiny clean wood deck that is ready…

Is your wood deck looking winter worn? Laundry detergent can be used for more than just colors or whites. Here is a great outdoor use.

As the weather gets warmer, you may want to clean all traces of winter from your wood deck. Powdered laundry detergent and hot water is usually enough to spruce up your winter worn deck. This mixture acts as an abrasive and a cleanser.

Recipe for wood deck cleaner

Using a 5-gallon bucket, mix 3 quarts of water, 1 quart of bleach and half a cup of detergent (NOTE: be sure the detergent does not contain ammonia, as mixing ammonia and bleach can form a dangerous gas).
Mix the solution in the bucket, and then apply to the deck using a stiff floor brush. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly.
Be sure to cover nearby vegetation before using this method as bleach can be detrimental.
For extra cleaning power, its ok to use a power washer or extra cleaning power, but be careful. Use too much pressure and you can damage the soft wood surface. If your pressure washer offers multiple settings, use the selection for washing a car. That’s usually pretty gentle and wont carve into the wood.

When planning your deck cleaning project, try and work in the cooler conditions of the early morning or late afternoon. Cleaning a hot deck is more difficult as the mixture may dry before it has time to work.