Wooden Decking

Whispered

Hi, can anybody tell me the best way to clean decking. It has gotten very slippy and is dangerous to walk on. I don't want to use bleech, as I'd be worried about damaging plants/insects/pets etc, but we cant afford a high pressure power hose. Would salty water and a yard brush do the trick? Or is there an easier way?

Avns1s

Hire of a pressure washer to do the job shouldn't cost more than €25 but you could go at it with bleach (to kill the green stuff), a scrubbing brush and a lot of elbow grease if you preferred.

CJhaughey

Anything else is just fecking about, salty water = waste of time and salt.
Power hose = forces a lot of water into the wood grain, and still won't kill all the algae which cause slippery surfaces.
Bleach breaks down into harmless stuff quickly and won't harm plants insects pets if diluted and sprayed on.

Sonnenblumen

IT IS UTTERLY IRRESPONSIBLE TO USE BLEACH IN GARDEN SPACES.

There are a range of proprietary cleaners available specifically for cleaning decking.

Your local Garden/Decking centre will help you select the right product.

CJhaughey

Sorry, but Sonnenblumen is talking rubbish.
Using dilute bleach is fine, I am not talking about pouring neat bleach on the deck which could indeed have serious consequences for the flora and fauna.
I have used it this year on my wooden deck and none of my plants have died or been adversely affected by it.
I used a sprayer, 100ml in 3 litres, spray on leave to dry and hey presto no more algae.

Sonnenblumen

"Hazards of Bleach
Like all powerful chemicals, bleach is potentially very dangerous. Chlorine bleach, in particular, is very reactive. For example, it should never be mixed with ammonia (or even urine), as the chemical reaction triggered can produce poisonous fumes that can cause a severe respiratory reaction. In addition, chlorine can react with organic material to form trihalomethanes (a well-known one is chloroform) which are carcinogenic compounds.

Chlorine gas is also a respiratory irritant - it reacts with the moisture on the mucous membranes in the nose and throat and forms acids which burn the membranes. It can also burn the skin. In fact, a few deep breaths of pure chlorine gas can be fatal. Therefore, always wear protection (e.g. gloves, goggles and mask) when using chlorine, make sure the area is well-ventilated and limit your exposure to the shortest time possible. "

CJhaughey

Blah blah blah, I said use it diluted not straight from the bottle, I am talking from experience not out of my hat. If you don't like bleach than good for you but there are thousands of people in the world that use it evry day without problems.
Yes chlorine bleach can be bad if you use it in a confined space in high concentration with no ventilation.
But diluted on a wooden deck outside it is a different story.

mikom

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

"Hazards of Bleach
Like all powerful chemicals, bleach is potentially very dangerous. Chlorine bleach, in particular, is very reactive. For example, it should never be mixed with ammonia (or even urine), as the chemical reaction triggered can produce poisonous fumes that can cause a severe respiratory reaction. In addition, chlorine can react with organic material to form trihalomethanes (a well-known one is chloroform) which are carcinogenic compounds.

Chlorine gas is also a respiratory irritant - it reacts with the moisture on the mucous membranes in the nose and throat and forms acids which burn the membranes. It can also burn the skin. In fact, a few deep breaths of pure chlorine gas can be fatal. Therefore, always wear protection (e.g. gloves, goggles and mask) when using chlorine, make sure the area is well-ventilated and limit your exposure to the shortest time possible. "

You never gone swimming in a pool Sonnenblumen?

Sonnenblumen

mikom wrote: »

You never gone swimming in a pool Sonnenblumen?

OMG it's 'Hokey Pokey' time!

The Sweeper

http://www.wolman.com/faqs.asp?faq_id=4 - sez no bleach.

Here's a scientific explanation of why no bleach:

Chlorine Based Bleach. Bleach is the most popular chemical used to clean and brighten a deck. About 1/2 of the professional contract cleaners use this chemical. However its use is very controversial. Bleach is a fair cleaner and a good mildewcide as it kills non-vascular mildew growth. Bleach works better if mixed with a good detergent. Start out using 1 part bleach with 3 parts water, or add 25% bleach to your detergent.

Lignin is natural component the holds wood fibers together. Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite) is used in the production of paper to break down the Lignin. Excessive bleach will do the same thing to a deck. If this happens the wood fibers will appear loose which you can push up with your fingernail. This may also be visible and appear as fuzzies. This is not to be confused with fuzzies that appear after pressure washing with too much pressure.

And here's another lot - professional deckers - who also explain why bleach is da bomb.

http://www.sealrx.com/wooddeckcleaning.htm

And finally, here's a good one that explains the difference between oxygen bleach, and chlorine bleach (the household kind).

http://www.northjersey.com/realestate/keepingitcurrent/19243389.html


...and from here on out kidlets, keep it civil mmmkay?

Sonnenblumen

CJhaughey wrote: »

Blah blah blah, I said use it diluted not straight from the bottle, I am talking from experience not out of my hat. If you don't like bleach than good for you but there are thousands of people in the world that use it evry day without problems.
Yes chlorine bleach can be bad if you use it in a confined space in high concentration with no ventilation.
But diluted on a wooden deck outside it is a different story.

Lots of people do things 'from experience' and yet never discover the right ways.

What a pity such a poor use of time and another lesson in self delusion.

FarmerBrown

Use a product called Netrol, checkout www.igoe.ie it explains it fully there