As much as I love to sit and muse over the saturated sunset views I have from my deck, eventually it comes time to clean the deck after the long winter, and prepare for Summer entertaining. If your deck has seen better days, there are several options for cleaning it, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Today, I'm going to tell you how to clean it with a pressure washer. But before we get to that, you must remove everything from your deck (furniture, grills, plants — small children and adorable small animals included. Then, sweep your deck to rid it of dust, leaves, tree droppings, cobwebs, and other debris. To learn about the process and the steps, read more.

Pressure washers, which you can rent if you don't own, are very popular because they save a lot of time. But, the high-pressure stream of water agitating the surface of your deck can be so powerful that it destroys the surface of the wood, eroding the fibers of the wood. If used properly though, as professionals use it, with a pressure that is not too high, and not held too close to the surface of the wood, it can be a very effective and quick method for cleaning your deck. You should consider though, that these power washers use gasoline or electricity to pressurize the water from your garden house, which is not exactly the greenest cleaning tool.

1. Before you wash, put on safety goggles and gloves.
2. Then, test the washer on an inconspicuous area (maybe the under side of your deck), to get comfortable using the wand (hold on tight!) and determine what the correct distance is to hold your wand.
3. Next, lightly wet the entire deck.
4. Then, wash the deck in a sweeping motion, beginning at one end of the deck and working your way to the other side.
5. Then, mix a non-toxic cleaner, like oxygen bleach Stain Solver, with warm water, and apply it to the deck with a sprayer, mop or brush.
6. Let it sit for about 30 minutes.
7. Then, use the power washer to give it a good rinse off.
8. Once the deck is dry, apply a sealant like Thompson's Waterseal with a paint roller or a brush in a quick sweep; it shouldn't take long to dry. That's all folks!

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