Use a gentle approach to get the job done
Cleaning a painted deck requires more love and attention than your typical stained wooden deck. Painted decks are more likely to chip or flake if you use a pressure washer, and you can’t exactly mop the wood without shredding the fibers. Learning how to clean a deck that is painted requires a little extra TLC, but rest assured that you can maintain its look with a few simple steps. Read on to learn how to clean a painted deck in just a few hours.
Before you get to scrubbing, you’ll want to remove anything on, under, or near the deck. No one likes accidentally damaging planters or having to toss out patio seating, so pay special attention to the following tips:
Remove any outdoor furniture, toys, grills, and other portable items.
If there are plants nearby, you may wish to cover ones that are sensitive to soap. Most plants will not be hurt by the small amount of soap if you wet them with the hose before you start.
If you use the space beneath your deck for storage, remove items that might get damaged from soap.
While you could use a normal floor sponge or mop, the gaps, slivers, and ends of boards will tear it up fast. Save yourself the trouble by using a push-broom instead. Look for one that has a lot of fine bristles—not the widely-spaced and stiff ones designed for clearing away dirt and debris from durable surfaces, as these can leave ugly streaks on your deck boards due to incomplete coverage.
Alternatively, you can also use an extension brush for washing cars, though they aren’t as durable and don’t offer as much coverage as your typical push-broom.
Your deck is officially free of obstacles, and now it’s time to prepare the cleaning solution. There are a few soapy mixtures you can use to get your deck in tip-top shape:
One of the easiest ways to clean a painted deck is to use good ol’ dish soap or laundry detergent, and warm water. Just avoid using vinegar, which can eat away at and deteriorate the paint. If you want to use bleach to clean your deck, be sure to choose oxygen bleach over chlorine bleach, as it’s gentler and less harmful to the environment. You can safely mix oxygen bleach with dish soap to create a cleaning solution, but never, ever mix chlorine bleach and soap together. The combination of chlorine bleach and dish soap can create toxic gasses that lead to illness and potentially death when combined.
Here’s how to create a safe oxygen bleach and dish soap cleaning solution:
Combine 2 ounces of soap or detergent, 8 ounces of oxygen bleach, and warm water to your one-gallon bucket, filling close to the top.
Mix well
Consider using a spray bottle to target badly stained, grimy, or hard-to-reach sections of the deck.
Note: It’s important to note that bleach may stain or damage sensitive types of wood, such as cedar, redwood, cherry, and more. Research the type of wood you have and test the solution in an inconspicuous place prior to using it (like where your grill usually sits).
There are also gentle all-purpose cleaners designed to clean decks without chipping the paint. Look for solutions that are:
Ammonia-free
Bleach-free
Eco-friendly
And specifically for painted decks
Get your push broom ready to scrub the deck. You can do this by saturating your brush with the cleaning solution. It should only take a minute or two to get the brush fully drenched with the solution.
Pour soapy water on the deck and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, pour the cleaning solution onto the deck’s surface, making sure it gets spread around evenly. The whole deck should be covered with the solution.
Time to get scrubbing. Lightly work away at the dirt, mold, mildew, and surface stains, working on one deck board at a time. Load up on soapy water frequently so that there is enough to keep it all wet while you scrub. The time it takes to scrub away grime depends on how dirty it is—but prepare for this part to take longer than the other steps.
Use a garden hose with a spray nozzle—not a jet nozzle—to rinse as you go so the dirty water does not sit or dry on the boards, which could dirty and stain all your hard work.
If your deck is super dirty, you might have to go through two cycles of washing and rinsing so it looks its best. After you rinse the deck, let it air-dry completely between wash cycles so that you can see where you need to scrub more.
Also, letting your deck dry after your first cleaning helps keep the paint and wood from getting so saturated that the paint peels.
The dirty water will run down under the deck, so clear out stuff under there first to keep it from damaging any valuables.
Dirty water that moves down dry siding makes unsightly streaks. Wash away from the house, wet the siding with the hose, and keep the siding wet before rinsing the deck. Then, rinse again immediately afterward to avoid staining any sidings.
You may need to clean the siding first before working on the deck, re-rinsing the siding as you go. If water runs down the siding from the deck, keep the siding wet throughout the process so the dirty water does not stick to it, then rinse that again last.
Avoid pooling water against the side of the house, the ledger board, or the foundation.
Important warning about bleach: Never mix ammonia with bleach or other household cleaning solutions that contain bleach, as this creates toxic fumes.
Cleaning a painted deck is not a complex DIY, and you will certainly save some money by DIYing it, especially if you already have access to a pressure washer. However, if you're worried about harming the coat of paint on your deck, bringing in an experienced professional is certainly worth the investment.
The cost to pressure wash a deck averages $150 when you bring in the pros, though a contractor may not recommend this route for some types of paint. Local deck cleaners will charge between $50 and $100 an hour, particularly if you hire them to address additional repairs as well. If you decide to DIY, you’ll only pay the cost of renting a pressure washer, about $90 for the day. You may also need to plan an additional amount for cleaning supplies.
Sara Coleman contributed to this article.
There are plenty of commercial cleaners for painted wood on the market, but a simple solution of warm water and dish soap provides a gentle, cost-effective option. For tougher stains, you can use vinegar instead of soap.
We recommend cleaning your deck once or twice per year, depending on the frequency of use. If your deck is prone to pollen or if you used a great deal of salt during the winter, a pre- and post-season cleaning can protect the wood and finish from disrepair.
Painted decks typically require a new coat about once every ten years. In between new coats, it's best to maintain your deck by regularly removing debris, washing it down with non-abrasive cleaners, and staying ahead of structural issues, such as loose boards and rotting wood. In some cases, painting a small section of your deck affected by damage or the sun can lower your costs and workload.
You can refresh a painted deck by either giving it a thorough cleaning or refinishing the deck altogether. Chipped or faded paint, as well as extensive damage, often calls for a new finish. To do this, remove the original coat of paint with a sander and add either a new coat of paint or a stain to protect the wood below.
