Cleaning Deck--Mold
 

Hi!
The top rails of my camp deck have green mildew or mold--what's the best (easiest!) way to clean? Simple Green? Bleach?

Thanks!

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Do you have a pressure washer by chance?

I don't, and was hoping not to add another piece of gear to maintain, but there are spots on my home roof and siding that need cleaning, so maybe it's time?

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pressure washer
 

My 15 year old dock and deck were green and even black with age and mildew. I used a $100 electric ( i.e. relatively low power) pressure washer and the whole deck and dock came out looking like new. The key is not to use too much pressure or the wood will start to lift. I followed up the cleaning with Thompson's Waterseal Waterproofing Stain after the deck had dried for several days.

Just discovered my buddy has a power washer I can use. What are the fluids I'll be needing?

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Fluids?
 

What's under the dirt? Bare wood? Stained wood? Painted? Normally, I think of bleach for mildew, but you don't want to bleach the wood unevenly unless you plan to go back and stain it again. What's nearby? Will overspray harm nearby plants and or lawn? Pets?
I think most commercial deck cleaners are heavy into bleach as well as being heavy into price.
Simple Green is usually safe, but a bleach cleaning may serve as a preventative for mildew return. You may have to test in small areas first.
I wouldn't be surprised if the pressure washer without additives could do the job and then the sealer on top for future protection.
After many years cleaning and sealing a long shaded ramp, I finally covered it with opaque (solid color) stain. It requires re-cover in heavy wear areas, but generally looks better than the old un-coated wood.

It's an opaque stain that's starting to peel in spots and mostly dirt/rocks for surrounding ground. We'll be moving the deck the summer after this, so we were planning to do the deck over then.

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Deck Cleaner
 

I have used a commercial cleaner that does contain bleach. Spray it on and wait 5 minutes then rinse with a hard brush if really heavy mold.....very effective...I then reapply a clear wood treatment that seals and is good to resist mold for 2-3 years.

As noted in other posts on this site, the miracle cure is "Wet It and Forget It".

I was skeptical when I first heard about this stuff. But I've been using for years now and continue to be amazed at it's ability to remove and retard mold growth on things around the lake.

I know I sound like an infomercial. I have nothing gain from this, but learned it from earlier posts here. It does work. Give it a try.

Wet and Forget
 

Yup, that's the stuff!

I had great success with Wet and Forget as well. As a recommendation, you do not want to use a pressure washer on your roof.

BT

Suggestions on how to get moss off?

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As they said, Wet & Forget. Apply with a garden sprayer, in a few weeks the moss will be gone. The rain will wash the residue away. In our case of the camp roof, gone for more than 5 years now.

Wet and forget works on roofs and decks. Slow process, but kills it all

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Wet and Forget
 

I used this product on my cottage roof for 10 +years and it performed well...not quickly. No issues of any kind

I tried it on the roof of my primary house in the seacoast and got a different result.

Based upon my prior experience I applied it to some siding abutting the roof surface and it bleached the color from it. They were 20+ year old cedar shakes treated with a weathering oil when first applied.

I still like the product very much....just consider it may have some impact on surfaces. The asphalt shingles as well as all vegetation were fine.

I am getting confused on it, they have a specific outdoor one, and then also one that does not say outdoor but bottle shows pictures of outdoor applications

Dilute Bleach Solution
 

A dilute bleach solution and a stiff brush on a handle will take off mold. It will brighten the color of the wood. It would be best to try it on an unobtrusive area before doing the whole deck.

Go to Walmart and get a gallon of JoMax, 'ready-to-use deck wash' for about 4.25, (in the Paint Dept) and a one gallon garden sprayer (in the Garden Dept) for about 9.94, and you are good to go fight the mold and mildew......no power washer needed. Just spray it on, let it dry, and that's all. JoMax is a Rustoleum brand and It contains bleach, detergent, and unknown magical mold cleaning properties, plus the empty one gallon plastic bottle, with the label removed, makes a good marker buoy for hidden rocks in the lake. This stuff works good on decks, docks, vertical siding, fences, and seems to work better than the standard, el cheapo, bleach and water solution.

By the way, the Glidden Walmart latex interior and exterior paints are very good with a 15-year guarantee and cost about ten dollars/qt, and 20-dollars/gal and come in flat, satin, and semi gloss.

Maybe, check out the $1.13 brown bag of hot potato wedges, up front, close to the check-out. And, here's a hot tip ........ if you want to avoid getting asked to donate to the 'fight for hunger' or 'feed the children' and ......just hate to say NO ...... then avoid the human check-out, all together, and use the Walmart self check-out, ho-ho-ho!:rolleye2::D

Use a garden sprayer and an Oxyclean mixture per the instructions on the container. Spray on the Moss and or mildew during sunny weather. The oxygen bleach will not damage plants/grass or pollute surface or ground water like chlorine bleach but it will kill the moss & mildew


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Hi All--doing some reading it looks like Oxiclean is a good all-around cleaner that is less toxic than a bleach-based solution? I have three needs: roof moss, vinyl siding mold/mildew, and deck mold/mildew. Looks like Oxiclean would work for all of them (assuming they're not terribly advanced)?

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If you have continual problems with roof moss, you can search the forums for information on installing zinc strips. Apparently they work well.

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Moss
 

I had moss on the roof and used "Spray it and Forget It" for roofs several years ago. After a few weeks the moss died and the next spring it remained gone. I had a new roof put on last fall and included the copper strip to prevent the mold from forming. So far it's good!

Thanks for the recommendations, all--I picked up JoMax for the deck and Wet & Forget for the roof moss/siding, and I'll post my experiences.

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I've done my deck a few times. I find a cloudy day work best. Sun drys the product quickly

OK, a little report for anyone who finds this thread in the future:

I used JoMax on the camp deck--was $5 for a gallon of ready-to-use, and it worked great. I did have to scrub a bit, but it wiped out all the mold/mildew and cleaned up real nice. It does smell a bit like bleach, though, so washing it off after is good.

I also tried Wet & Forget on two roof tops. It killed all the moss in a few days, but the moss hasn't yet "washed off." I don't think it's a huge deal, but if it doesn't wash off in a few weeks or so (as instructions suggest), I will just have to get up there and brush it off. It's definitely dead, though.

Now to do my home vinyl siding and deck!

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

Agree and have the same comment ..................

Used "Wet & Forget" on a very nastily moss covered steep pitched garage roof .......... as it was so bad, I actually made two applications about a week apart. Further, I did not dilute as fully as the instructions suggested (leaving it somewhat stronger)

Now, a month later moss is completely killed ..... but as thinkxingu mentions I have the dead residue still up there ........ and given the pitch of the roof - that's where it will stay! :D


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If you use anything with bleach or a strong cleaner, be sure to protect any plants around the deck. When you rinse it off, the spray will get on anything near by. Plants don't like bleach :).

I use a product called Wet and Forget. It worked for me on my deck keeps mold away, just follow the directions.

Did you read any of this before posting? Especially post 25 where he gives his review of Wet and Forget?