How to Clean Your Deck With Oxygen Bleach

Start with a clean slate by removing everything off your deck, from your furniture to your plants. While it might be tempting to leave your patio table on your deck and work around it, you can clean your deck boards much better if you take everything off.

Now is a great time to look over your deck and see if you have any loose, rotten, or splintered boards or raised nails, and make any necessary repairs. If you’re handy, you can make minor repairs to your deck yourself, such as replacing a loose board or wiggly step. In general, it’s wise to inspect your deck once a year in between regular cleanings.

Use a broom to sweep your deck to remove dirt, debris, and leaves. Once you’ve finished sweeping it, spray it with a garden hose to loosen dirt and make it easier for the solution to spread.

Since oxygen bleach is still bleach, you’d want to wear gloves, goggles, and boots to protect your skin and eyes. Also, this solution can affect your plants, too. You should water any plants near your deck then cover them with a tarp to protect them.

Now that you and your deck are set and ready to go, in a well-ventilated area, put 2 gallons of warm water in a bucket and add 2 cups of oxygen bleach. Then, stir until it’s dissolved with your paint stick. Then add ¼ cup of ammonia-free liquid dish soap and stir again. If you have mildew stains you want to remove, you can also add 1 cup of borax to your bleach deck cleaning solution—but it’s optional.

Pour your mixture onto your deck and scrub it with your brush until it lathers. Use some extra elbow grease in areas where you notice stubborn dirt, stains, and mildew. Once you’ve covered your entire deck with the solution, let it sit for five minutes so it can work its magic.

Pay extra attention to stubborn areas that require a little extra effort grease to get clean. Add more solution if necessary and vigorously scrub areas of mold, mildew, grease, or other build-ups. Continue scrubbing until the offending spot is clean. Rinse with water to check that the staining is gone.

Use your garden hose to rinse the bleach deck cleaning solution off your deck, then let it dry. You can use a garden hose with a high-pressure nozzle (not a pressure washer). Be sure to give it a few passes with the hose to ensure you remove all of the cleaning solution.

After letting it dry for at least 48 hours, you can finish the job by resealing, staining, or painting your deck. It’s ideal to stain or seal your deck every two to three years. But if your deck isn’t due for a treatment, it’s fine to just let your cleaning job dry, put your decor back in place, and enjoy your fresh deck.