5 Ways To Damage Your Composite Deck

For larger surfaces, work in small sections to ensure the area stays wet the entire time. Even if you don’t have a power washer, you can still use power washer soap for cleaning. Instead of loading the cleaner into the sprayer, you can apply it with a sponge or mop. Before you can stain a deck, you need to prep and sand the surface. Sweep and wash the deck’s surface to remove all dirt, wood fibers, grease, mold, and mildew. If the surface is dirty, the stain or sealant will not stick. This condition can be decreased greatly with the use of a product call ACL Staticide®.

Any decking material exposed to the outdoors is susceptible to mold/mildew growth especially in climates with higher humidity levels. Water left pooling on the surface or inside your deck can create problems such as mold/mildew growth, deck rot, and warping. The good news is that mold can be prevented with a simple but consistent application of a moisture barrier. Once again, choosing the correct product is crucial to successfully protect your deck from mold.

In fact, there are some mistakes that can actually increase the regular care required to maintain a composite deck. Here are a few tips to avoid the extra work and get the most out of your deck. While you may be tempted to wait until your next routine cleaning to remove the food, it should be done immediately or else staining might result. Thankfully, composite decking is easily cleaned with the soap-and-water method or basic power washing. Calcium-chloride ice melts are usually safe for composite decking and our recommended solution. This compound is highly effective at melting ice without damaging the composite surface.

Cleaning Composite And Wood Decking

Removing Mold, Tree Sap And Mildew Stains On Composite Deck Railings

Composite deck cleaners are typically sprayed on, brushed with a soft deck brush, and then rinsed off with a garden hose. The previous posts about it and oxalic acid are accurate. You will create a worse problem than you had and possibly ruin your expensive deck. There are also treatments to help protect the deck from mold and other stains (dont use a coating/paint or you will be in for a lot of work every couple years). We love a product called resist mist for composite decks (). Works for several years and recommended by some big deck manufacturers. I hate to be a naysayer, but I have found nothing that satisfactorily removes mildew stains from Trex (and I've tried four different commercial cleaning products).

Pressure Washing Your Composite Decking

Hose your deck off thoroughly with a water hose fitted with a good variable fan spray nozzle to loosen and remove surface debris. Use a soft bristled brush and the cleaning solution to scrub your deck clean. Make sure to get down in the crevices and corners thoroughly. Then I'd clean it with a brush, water, and granulated automatic dish washing detergent and then with standard/housecleaning version of the Krud Kutter product. Although composite decking can be “less maintenance” than other types of decking, this certainly doesn’t mean “maintenance free”.

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• Avoid this costly mistake by choosing a non-toxic, sodium percarbonate based cleaner.
• In fact, all I was doing was removing the dead surface layer of the mold and was watering the mold roots.
• I noticed that after using the chlorine bleach based products that contain sodium hypochlorite to remove the mold, the mold never was completely removed.
• Eventually, it will lead to discoloration of your deck, damage the surface , and can exacerbate any mold/mildew issues that may occur.
• Chlorine bleach is very corrosive and will eat into any material it’s applied to.
• I noticed black spots only when the deck was still wet.

Capped composite decking is made of a precise blend of vinyl and wood and then surrounded with a vinyl coating or cap. It is engineered to repel dirt, be easy to clean, require little maintenance, and highly customizable in its designs and colors. Once you have swept the deck, use a pump sprayer to spray it with the best wood deck cleaner.

I let it dry and sometimes have to repeat; then I rinse thoroughly. All I can say is that I have not found any commercial solution that will remove mildew from Trex in my Southern highlands/high humidity climate. I have used Corte Clean Environmentally Friendly Composite Deck Cleaner on my Trex wood plastic deck. It removed most common house hold staining issues including ground in dirt, mold, mildew, grease, barbecue stains, etc.

Are Pressure Washers Safe For Composite Deck Railings?

At the first sign of mold or mildew (grayish-white powdery-looking splotches) look for a cleaner containing mildewcide . Leaving the solution on the wood allows ample time to kill the fungi and then seep into the deck’s surface to reduce the chance of mold or mildew growing again in the future. Mold spreads easily and may return in some environments despite proper cleaning and preventative measures. Mold does not damage Trex and will cause no structured harm if allowed to propagate. In some cases it will require several treatments with the deck wash to completely remove all mold colonies. Even if the spots are no longer visible,there may still be mold spores on the surface that could regrow.

Because your deck is exposed to the elements every day, routine cleaning is needed to keep it looking great. Keep the surface as dry as possible and free of debris by sweeping frequently. Scrub it by hand or with a pressure washer at least twice a year.