Top 5 Best Deck Cleaners

It isn’t always necessary to wash the deck with commercial deck cleaners. Sometimes a simple pressure washing would do the job. It eliminates elements while saving you time, effort, and cleaning costs.

However, pressure washing will not always work. For weathered woods or softwoods, you have to use a commercial-grade product to ensure every dirty particle leaves the wood and becomes a suitable stage for applying stain.

But how would you know which deck cleaning product you should buy? There are numerous deck cleaners out there. You can’t randomly choose one. For that, we created a list of the five best deck cleaners. We have carefully selected these products. We have also shared the criteria we followed in choosing these products.

How do we Select the Right Deck Cleaner?

Thanks to technology, choosing the best product from the internet is simpler. Companies share details about their products on their official websites and other places. Everyone could easily access the product’s information, compare it with other products, and choose the best one.

While choosing the right product, we usually keep the following things in mind:

Ease of Use

Wood cleaners are making it easier for us to use their products. Earlier, we often had to mix the solvent with some surfactants, including water, to make the product wood-friendly. Although we still have products like those, more and more manufacturers are getting smart and making them easy to use. So look for a product that is ready to use.

Formula

Deck cleaners are made from various chemicals. Knowing about their features isn’t a piece of cake. Yet again, the internet will make it easy for everyone to understand those features.

When looking for an eco-friendly solution, be sure to read the ingredients. Some solutions come with chemicals that are not very good for humans. You should avoid such solutions or wear safety gear and protect nearby plants and walls if you must use those.

Usage

Decks are made from different materials, including wood, hardwood, composite decking, plastic, polystyrene, and more. Choose a product suitable for multiple surfaces.

Risk Factors

While choosing a product, try to use a product good for the wood and living things. We prefer using an eco-friendly product, which doesn’t usually require protection and is easy to rinse.

Price

Deck cleaners can be made at home. We recently shared a blog where we created a deck cleaner from the bleach. It was quite inexpensive and gave almost the same result as the commercial deck cleaner. It cost us nearly one-fifth of the commercial product. But it isn’t a product we recommend for every wood. Also not good if you aren’t a pro.

The Best Deck Cleaners

The above factors make it easy to choose the best product. If you still can’t decide which product you must buy from the market, you can buy one from the list below.

Before choosing a product, read reviews and ingredients before using these products. We also advise you to ensure the solution is good for your wood.

Olympic Premium Deck Cleaner

The product is easy to use and removes stains, mold, and mildew. Besides working on decks, this product is good for surfaces like concrete and composite decking. The product takes about ten minutes to soak in and attack unwanted elements.

Ingredients

⬤ Water.

⬤ Sodium Hypochlorite.

Pros

✔Easy to use.

✔ Works well with different surfaces, including wood.

✔ Quickly soaks in.

✔ Maintains the natural wood, concrete, and composite look

Cons

✖ It may require two coats or an additional solution to clean the deck effectively.

DeckWise Deck and Wood Cleaner

This product is good for fighting against dirt, pollen, grime, and stains. The product is nontoxic and works well on wood and concrete surfaces.

To use this product, mix the solution with water as instructed on the container. The instructions also suggest scrubbing the wood with a non-metal brush.

Ingredients

⬤  Sodium Percarbonate.

⬤  Soda Ash.

Pros

✔ Easy to use.

✔ Wipe off stains, graying, dirt, pollen, and grime.

✔ Works well on decks, railings, benches, and fences.

✔ Restores wood to its original condition.

✔ Non-corrosive formula.

✔ Biodegradable formula.

Cons

✖ Not good to use if power washing the surface.

All-in-1 Premium Pressure Washing Concentrate

The product combats mold, algae, stains, and pollen. It also brightens the look.

Ingredients

⬤ Water.

⬤ Tetrasodium EDTA (Chelating Agent).

⬤ C9-11 Alcohols Ethoxylated 4-6EO (Surfactant- Emulsifying Agent).

⬤ Sodium Xylene Sulfonate (Detergent Additive).

⬤ Sodium Orthosilicate (Corrosion Inhibitor).

⬤ Sodium Sulfate (Thickener).

⬤ Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster).

⬤ Liquitint® Blue HP (Colorant).

Pros

✔ Easy to use.

✔ Work well on outdoor furniture, decks, vehicles, patios and siding.

✔ Removes dirt, algae, mold, and mildew.

Cons

✖Don’t use the product on painted, sealed, or stained surfaces if you aren’t refinishing.

Sun Joe House and Deck All-Purpose Pressure Wash

This product works well with pressure washing. It has a fast-foaming formula that lifts and rinses dirt, leaving decks clean and shiny. The product is also eco-friendly.

Ingredients

⬤ Alcohol C9-11

⬤ Sodium Metasilicate Pentahydrate

⬤ Tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate

Pros

✔ Eco-friendly.

✔ Cleans years of oil, stains, and grime.

✔ Biodegradable, bleach-free formula.

Cons

✖ Not good for marine life.

✖ Wet and Forget Moss, Mold, Mildew, and Algae Stain.

This stain remover is a non-acidic and bleach-free cleaner. It doesn’t require scrubbing and protects the wood from future mold growth.

Ingredients

⬤ Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride.

⬤ Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride.

⬤ Tetrasodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate.

⬤ Sodium metasilicate pentahydrate.

⬤ Octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride.

⬤ Dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride.

Pros

✔ Bleach-free, non-acidic and phosphate-free.

✔ No scrubbing, rinsing, and pressure washing required.

✔ Easy to use.

✔ Deals well with moss, algae, lichen, mold, or mildew.

✔ Bio-degradable.

✔ Unlimited shelf life.

Cons

✖ Isn’t good for plants and fabric.

Have you decided on a wood cleaning product from the above list, or would you let the professionals do the job? If you’re new to washing and staining, we suggest leaving it to the professionals. They will save you time and effort and do the job in no time.

For more details, contact the wood staining experts.

FAQs

Can you pressure wash the deck without applying a solution?

Yes, you may choose to clean the wood without applying any wood cleaner. But if the wood is weathered or contains harsh elements, it’s better first to use a cleaner and then rinse with water.

Can you apply deck cleaner on your fence or other surfaces?

We usually suggest choosing a product that can be used on multiple surfaces.

Why should you avoid using bleach to clean wood?

Bleach can remove natural wood color and destroy wood lignin. It can also corrode metals on the deck and can kill vegetation. The only way to choose it is if you know the adequate portion of bleach, water, and surfactant to create a homemade wood cleaner.