Yes, we may have watched Moana this past weekend. But it inspired us to spend some time outdoors and inspired us to tidy up outside. Outdoor living spaces can be very important, not only to keep your home looking in tip-top shape but for your psychological state. It doesn’t matter if you have a huge deck, or the smallest of patios, even the front doorstep of an apartment can be spruced up and cleaned up.

Summer is here and we’d love to share a few cleaning tips to apply to your deck or outdoor living space. 

Cleaning Wood Surfaces

If you have a pressure washer this is a great time to use it. If not an all-purpose deck cleaners are great for wood surfaces. Clear the surface of your deck and sweep thoroughly. Dampen the area and apply cleaning solution in sections, using a pump sprayer or soft, non-abrasive brush. Allow 5-10 minutes for the solution to loosen soils. But do not allow the solution to dry on the surface of your deck. Scrub visibly dirty areas and rinse areas well. 

Cleaning Faux Wood Surfaces 

Dampen the area, and spray deck with a gentle soap, then follow by gently scrubbing each deck board with a soft bristle brush. Spray/rinse each individual deck board using a fan tip no closer than 8" from the decking surface. Rinse area. If dirty water from cleaning is left to dry, this will cause a film to remain on the decking surface, so if you are working with a larger surface area you should work in sections. 

Cleaning Concrete Deck Surfaces

We use the following recipe for our concrete surface deck areas.

1/2 cup baking soda to one gallon of water for a gentle cleaning solution. 
Add 1/8 cup of liquid dish detergent. 

Spray on the patio and let sit for at least 30 minutes, then scrub with a firm brush and rinse. 

Not up for the task? Give us a call we can help!