I like my salads pre-made, my cheese pre-grated in a self-sealing bag and my cleaner pre-mixed. I'm much too busy and important to mix these things myself, so I pay for the convenience and the packaging. Call me lazy.
But most of the new products on the shelves are more than just a Clorox and Cascade concoction.
Bleach is not a good cleaner on materials other than mildew and mold. It tends to whitewash the wood and raise the grain, and it can leave salty deposits if not rinsed completely.
More harm than help
According to the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, there are times when bleach "can do more harm than good" due to premature weather graying after using bleach.
Many people don't like to use bleach for environmental or horticultural reasons as well.
If you take away nothing else from this column, remember to never mix bleach and ammonia! The combination can create toxic fumes.
The new deck cleaners and wood restorers are oxygen-type products (hydrogen peroxide or sodium percarbonate) and oxalic-acid-based products.
First, determine what you want to remove. Yes, much of what we remove is mildew. However, there are old yellowed finishes, dirt and many other contaminants on every deck that do not come off well with bleach.
Oxalic-based products are not overly effective on mold and mildew but are excellent as a general cleaner for cedar. Staining from nails and natural brown/black oil stains (tannin) in the cedar come out extremely well, and they work well at restoring original color and texture to wood.
Hydrogen-peroxide-based cleaners are probably the best all-around deck cleaner. They're not as good as chlorine bleach on mildew, but certainly better than oxalic.
The hydrogen-peroxide products will be somewhat effective on dirt, sap, tannin and iron staining as well, but not like oxalic. They will be effective on mold, but not like chlorine bleach.
Baseball analogy
Truth be told, these oxalic cleaners make me think of an underappreciated utility player in baseball — never really excelling but competent in most areas.
The recommended cleaning method is a pressure washer and plain water for an initial cleaning. Be careful not to take up the surface of the wood with excessive pressure.
Also, avoid spraying water toward the house, and be aware of a potential mess on a patio beneath the deck.
Following a pressure washing or even without one, use a pump-style sprayer filled with the chemical weapon of your choice. Let the cleaner sit for about 10 minutes, then scrub with a brush (wire brush on concrete, softer brush or hard bristle broom on wood) and rinse.
Next week, you can hear me wax and wane about applying finishes.
Darrell Hay is a local home inspector and manages rental properties. |
