Welcome to the deck cleaning mini-series! I’ll take you step-by-step through cleaning your decking and restoring it to its former glory. To join me in reviving your wooden decking, you’ll need the following:
- Decking, Driveway & Patio Cleaner
- Wood Reviver
- Decking Oil (clear)
- Anti-Slip Decking Treatment
As many are, I live in a rented house and for the last two years, we’ve simply jet-washed our decking once a year in spring. This year though the algae were particularly bad and I’ve opted to fully clean and treat it.
I started by brushing off any loose material and giving it a quick jet wash before applying the Driveway, Decking and Patio cleaner with a stiff broom. It was really easy to apply and found that giving it a light scrub until it ‘frothed’ a bit gave the best finish. Following the instructions, I left it for 24 hours before hosing it down. The results were fairly impressive and I was pleased that most of the green has now fully gone.
Before
After
Don’t have a jet washer? I also tried a section without the jet wash – and gave it a good scrub and applied the cleaner. I’d say that with a further scrub it was just as effective as the jet wash, but needs considerably more elbow grease. I have quite a large piece of decking (roughly 6m x 5m) so the jet washer is essential for me, but if it were smaller then I’d happily not use a jet wash at all. However, I’d say a hose & stiff brush are essential for a good finish!
Top tip: To make the Driveway, Decking and Patio Cleaner go as far as it can – Don’t slosh it directly onto the decking. Pop some in a bucket and dip your broom in to apply it to the decking before leaving it to dry.
Before
After
Next, I’ll be using the wood reviver to get the colour of our decking back to a beautiful golden brown. I’m super excited to see the results!
