How do I use a bleach-clean outdoor deck?

Outdoor decks serve as a private space for entertaining and relaxing, where you can host parties, have barbecue dinners, or do other activities. This also leads to the need for you to clean your outdoor wood deck.

Cleaning your garden deck regularly will ensure that your wood deck is free from stains and dirt. Soap, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are common deck cleaners. It helps to remove dirt and stains from the wood surface.

In addition to this, some people use bleach solutions to clean their deck surface. So what is a bleach solution? Is bleach suitable for cleaning your wood decks?

What is bleach?

Bleach can be a chemical used to remove deck stain from the deck surface of an item. As a common household cleaner, it can be very effective in removing stubborn stains and killing harmful bacteria. It also has a whitening and brightening effect, which is why some people use it to clean their wooden floors.

In addition to this, bleach can also remove deck stains or discolouration from clothes. Bleach removes stains by reacting chemically with them to clean them.

Types of bleach

There are different types of bleach used for cleanings, such as chlorine bleach, calcium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide. When deciding whether bleach can be used to clean floors. There are two main types of bleach to choose from, chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach.

Chlorine bleach

Chlorine bleach contains sodium hypochlorite and is usually available in liquid and powder form. As chlorine is effective in killing bacteria, some homeowners use diluted chlorine bleach to remove mould and mildew from their floors. Some people even use it to clean their furniture and make it look clean and tidy.

Oxygen bleach

Oxygen bleach is another type of bleach that is milder than chlorine bleach. It can remove stains from clothes. Some homeowners also use powdered oxygen bleach to remove stains from wooden floors. So is bleach safe to clean your deck boards?

Is bleach safe for cleaning wood deck?

Chlorine bleach is a powerful bleach that, while effective at removing stains and killing mould, can also damage your decorative deck boards. This means that when you use chlorine bleach to clean your wooden or laminate flooring, the bleach can damage the flooring material. It can cause more harm than good to your decking. On top of this, bleach can damage plants and adversely affect the health of your pets.

Oxygen bleach is gentler than chlorine and is effective in removing dirt and mould from outdoor decks. Unlike chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach does not adversely affect plants or pets.

Because oxygen bleach is gentler than chlorine, it can be used safely to clean decks without damaging upholstery as chlorine bleach does. Most deck cleaners also contain oxygen bleach to help remove stains.

So how do I use oxygen bleach to clean my outdoor deck? Pour diluted bleach onto the deck and scrub the deck with a bristle brush, then rinse well with water. To remove the mould, pour the oxygen bleach over the affected area and allow it to soak in the mould for 10 to 15 minutes. Then scrub it off with a brush.

The best entire deck cleaner

Bleach is not the only floor cleaner. You can use other cleaners to effectively clean decorative boards. For laminate floors, simply use soapy water. The excellent physical properties of laminate flooring make it very easy to clean and does not harbour mould and mildew.

Ammonia-free soapsuds are very effective and safe for cleaning floors. They are also non-toxic to plants and pets. It effectively removes stains from the surface of the deck. Sodium bicarbonate and diluted vinegar are also effective in removing mould from the floor. They are natural deck cleaners and are very effective in killing mould on decks.