Proper way to clean composite deck
Cleaning composite decking doesn’t need to be difficult, but a couple of proper tools will help a lot.
You don’t want to power wash composite decking because it can cause damage. But a regular spray hose doesn’t get all the pollen and moss grime off either.
Watch this video to see how I recently did a much needed spring cleaning on our deck.
As I mention in the video, the deck is a couple of years old, and has never had a proper cleaning. The mess you see at the beginning of the video is AFTER I washed it off with our hose sprayer.
See how much pollen is still stuck in all the grain? And the beginnings of moss too – since we do live in Washington.
Choose a safe deck cleaner
We wanted to make sure the plants and grass below wouldn’t be in any danger from the cleaner we used, so we picked one that said it was grass and plant safe.
It’s been over a week now, and the runoff doesn’t seem to have caused any issues at all.
We learned that one of our broom handles was too large to screw into the brush that came with the cleaner, but the other broom handle (Libman brand) worked just fine.
Supplies for cleaning a deck
Do this cleaning on a cool day, or in the morning or evening, so the sun doesn’t dry up all the solution as soon as you spray it.
Work in sections along the deck – I did a 6(ish) foot strip each time.
Prepare deck cleaner
Dilute the solution in the garden sprayer. I did a 1:2 dilution with water. You can do 1:1 or 1:3 as well, depending on the strength you think you need.
Pump the garden sprayer to build up pressure and pull the trigger to start spraying the cleaner.
Apply cleaner to deck
You want to cover it evenly, but it doesn’t need to be pooled on the surface.
Scrub deck
Use the scrubber brush on the broom handle to work the solution into the crevaces of the decking material. Then let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
Now the cleaner really works to break up the dirt and release it from the deck.
Rinse deck
Use the nozzle on a regular garden hose to rinse off the cleaner. I preferred the “Jet” setting because it worked well to rinse the soap off the deck, and push the water off to the edges.
If you noticed a spot was missed, just scrub and rinse and it will probably come off just fine. If not, add a bit more cleaner to the spot.
Repeat until the deck has been fully sprayed, scrubbed and rinsed.
You’ll know the rinsing step is complete because the bubbles and water flow caused by plain water looks different than the really white suds of the soap.
For small sections or joints right up against the railing posts, you can tackle it with a toothbrush if you want to be really thourough.
I’m so happy with how the deck looks now!
Clean metal deck railing
The next day, I used the same diluted solution on the top of the railing. It was also really grimy.
I sprayed paper towels and rubbed a section to remove the pollen and dirt. That way I could just throw away the dirty paper towels after each section.
Then I followed with a wet cloth to rinse.
Now it’s time to sit out on the deck again to read, do embroidery, or grill up a pizza!
Is this project of cleaning your composite deck on your list too? Let me know if you have any questions!
