Wood decks are beautiful and add value to your property. However, it won’t stay beautiful forever unless you do some proper maintenance. Cleaning your wooden deck is one of the most necessary ways of deck maintenance.
You can hire home improvement professionals to do advance deck care to make sure your deck looks fresh and new all-year-round. However, for beginner-level maintenance, you can do it yourself!
Deck maintenance tips and tricks:
1. How to clean between deck boards
It can be a tedious task, but it must be done for your wooden deck to look pristine. To clean between deck boards, you can insert a hook screw into the end of a broom or wooden stick then drag the hook through the cracks. Alternatively, you can use a plastic putty knife or a handsaw.
2. How to pressure wash a deck
Deck cleaning by using a pressure washer is one of the most popular ways to do wood deck maintenance, next to using a garden hose. However, it can also damage your deck if not done correctly. Be sure to use a fan tip and not aim too close to the deck surface when your deck is being pressure treated. You should also follow the length of the board for a smooth wash.
3. How to make a homemade deck cleaner
After your pressure treated deck maintenance, the debris or dirt will be off cracks but scattered along with the board. To rid of your deck’s dirt, scrub and rinse your wood deck with a mild cleaning solution. You can make a homemade solution to clean the deck by mixing warm water and liquid soap. Moreover, you can also treat mold and algae with disinfectant treatment.
4. How to stain or paint in between deck boards
Before staining or painting your wood deck, you should always check for the weather all week. Your deck shouldn’t be wet before or shouldn’t get rained on a day after a fresh stain or paint. You should also make sure to seal the deck afterward to protect it from cracking or warping.
The stain or paint job will look incomplete if it doesn’t look the same in between. Consider staining or painting in between deck boards. Some materials you can use to get in between deck boards are:
- A pump sprayer – This will spray paint in between the deck boards as you press the handle. Bonus tip: Use a pump sprayer during wind-free days to not get overspray on unnecessary areas.
- Sponge – It’s flexible and soft. It is a simple material to squeeze in between deck boards.
- Paintbrush – For larger gaps, a paintbrush may be an easy tool to use.
Care and maintenance for your wood deck is more than just hosing it down or sweeping the dirt and grime away. There are also other few deck cleaning methods you can to follow, depending on the type of wood you have. Since decks are exposed to so many exterior conditions, from harsh and changing weather to even pollution, regular cleaning and utmost care is needed to perfectly maintain them.
