Saturday, June 25, 2016

Cleaning a Wooden Deck (naturally and easily)

Do you have a wooden deck that is covered with green gunk?
Algae, mold, will grow on decks that are in the shade.


Our deck has been in need of some cleaning...
but I am happy to report that our deck is looking like new again.

I spent just a little over $1 to clean the entire deck.

I am not a fan of chemical cleaners, 
not inside nor outside the home.

So my quest for cleaning the deck came down to 

this.

I bought a scrub from the $tree, and white vinegar.
$tree scrub = $1
white vinegar (2cups) = .25c  ($2 for 1 gallon)

Then I went to work.
I filled a 2 gallon bucket with hot water (pretty sure cold water would work as well) and added 2 cups of white vinegar.
Then I scrubbed.


"wax on, wax off"...if you know what I mean.
I then rinsed by simply using an empty and clean milk bottle filled with water.

I did this on a hot day, so I worked in sessions.
Scrub, rinse, move on.

It has been over a month since I did this, and it's still looking absolutely clean.
No more green stuff.
No chemicals.

The best of both worlds.

Here are the pictures of what it looks like after the water dried up.
After on the left (clean), 
before on the right (to be cleaned)


The bottom right is ho the entire deck looked like before I started to clean it.

Big difference.
Small cost.


Stay Frugal,
Daniela



5 comments:

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Daniela,
Indeed, vinegar is a great natural cleaner as molds will not manage to survive in it. We had the painters pressure wash our garage as it got badly mildewed inside. They used clorox and that is not a bad chemical either, as long as enough water is used to delute it quickly. Now it looks like new after 26 years and 2 fresh coats of paint. I sill have to thank you for that great idea I got from your blog for placing roller casters under our storage box! It was so easy for vacating our garage, together with the 2 5-tier chrome storage shelves.
As for your deck; you at least had great results!
Hugs and happy Sunday to you.
Mariette

Linda said...

Way to GO!!!!

Kelly said...

Glad you found a solution that worked for you. We just pressure wash our deck with bleach and water.

Carla from The River said...

Great job! Well done with the idea of not using chemicals.
Carla

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

I use white vinegar a lot, it always works wonders!