Two Men & A Vacuum were almost ready for summer guests – and so was everyone else in the neighborhood. Or almost everyone. Down the street, one homeowner found himself looking at his deck, despondent over the layers of dirt that had accumulated since last summer. Friends had walked all over it during summer barbecues. Food had been dropped on it during outdoor dinners. It had snowed during the winter. The kids had climbed on it. The pets had walked their muddy paws across it. There was just so much grime accumulated on the deck, this neighborhood man simply didn’t know how he would get it clean.
The guests were due to arrive the next day, and our neighborhood man wanted his guests to be impressed with his deck. He didn’t have much time to spend getting his deck to shine. But Two Men & A Vacuum had a solution for him!
Deck cleaning practices commonly involve power washing, but Two Men thought that power washing could be a big waste of water with only mediocre end results. To spruce up a deck in preparation for summer, try these tips instead. Remember, Two Men are all about green cleaning solutions, so when it comes to decks, sometimes there is a fair deal of elbow grease involved!
- Use a non-bleaching washing powder to scrub your deck. These are non-toxic and ideal for outdoor cleaning because they won’t harm neighboring plant life. If you can’t find this type of washing solution, baking soda will do just fine. Avoid anything containing chlorine, such a bleach, or other soaps that can change the pH ofwater. These are no good for your grass and other plants. Sprinkle some of this pH-neutral powder across the entire surface of your deck.
- After applying the washing powder or baking soda, scrub your deck with a hard scrub brush. The kind of brush that attaches to a hose is ideal for this job. With this type of brush, you can dig in deep to get the dirt off. It will also help you to work the washing powder into the grooves of the wood and get out all of the dirt and grime that have accumulated there.
- Rinse thoroughly. A quick hose down will wash off any remaining powder and reveal a gleaming deck, ready for company.
With the help of Two Men & A Vacuum, your deck can be summer ready too!