Almost every year for the past 15 years I have cleaned and applied wood protector to the deck at my mothers house. I have skipped this process probably 3 times in the past 15 years. The first 2 times I cleaned the deck I used a scrub brush and a mixture of TSP and soap. I got most of it clean, but what a job. Then, on the 3rd year, I had heard about using a water power washer to clean it. I borrowed a friends washer and have never gone back to scrubbing. I noticed that the power washer took off a small amount of soft wood each time I washed it. After many years of washing it has the appearance of having been sand blasted. It actually looks pretty cool. About 6 years ago I started using a product called Behr Deck Prep to kill mold and mildew on the deck. Boy-oh-boy, the first time I sprayed this stuff on I thought my power washing days were over. But not so fast, the deck cleaner leaves behind a residue that does not come off easily and so power washing is by far the easiest way to remove this residue. But the cleaner works so well that the results a simply impressive. It takes me approximately 20 hours to complete the job. It can be done a lot quicker if you have a professional power washer. I have a Karcher 520M. It puts out 1300 psi (I think) and I have to hold the wand about 4 inches from the wood to get the proper effect. Consequently, I spend a lot of time power washing; but it's worth it. See the before and after photos in my Projects photo album. This year I used Olympic Deck Cleaner before power washing to kill mold and mildew; and the linseed oil based Olympic WaterGuard to protect and beautify the deck after cleaning.
Thanks for reading. Have A Great Day!
