What Products to Use to Clean Your Deck
Shop Wisely for Deck Cleaning Products
The world of deck cleaning products includes water repellents, weatherizing protectants, wood preservatives and stain removers, and each of these plays an important role in keeping a well-maintained deck. This article's focus is on deck cleaner brands for the removal of stains, which can occur as the result of spills, accidents, weather-related mishaps, pests, and regular wear and tear. It's also common practice to combine the cleaning power of these products with a pressure washer to remove caked-on and ground-in dirt and debris from the deck before treating individual stains.
A Comparison of the Best Deck Cleaners
Some of the top-selling deck cleaner brands include:
- GE WeatherMate. This wood protectant is specially formulated for exterior use. The complete system consists of a hose attachment, one bottle of deck cleaner and one bottle of deck protectant. Using the spraying action of your garden hose, GE WeatherMate deck cleaner blasts away set-in stains, then finishes with a tough protective layer that enhances the natural beauty of your wood.
- Olympic deck cleaners. Olympic enjoys a strong reputation for manufacturing effective deck cleaning products, and it's also versatile. You can use Olympic deck cleaners on fences and siding in addition to decks, and the patented formula is especially effective against mildew and dirt. However, its effectiveness is limited against oil- and paint-based stains.
- Behr deck cleaners. The key advantage of using Behr deck cleaners is that the company offers two-in-one formulations which simultaneously deep-clean your deck while brightening your wood. This product is ideal if you're refurbishing a long-neglected deck or a deck that's suffered significant damage or wear, though it is priced at the higher end of the spectrum.
As part of a complete deck care strategy, you should treat your deck with stain removers at least once a season. It's also a good idea to weatherproof your deck annually with a product that is specially formulated to meet the challenges of your particular climate. If you get a lot of rain, be sure to use a water repellent to help your deck fight the wear and tear caused by Mother Nature.
Recommended Deck Cleaning Products
- Best water repellent: TWP -- Total Wood Preservers
- Best all-purpose deck weatherizing treatment: GE WeatherMate
- Best deck stain removers: Behr Wood Cleaner
