How To Remove Deck Stains And Clean It With Water Blaster

East or west, home is best. We all know that home is always the best place to return to no matter where we go. For that reason, we would do anything to beautify our house, starting from painting the rooms with great colours, decorating the rooms with cute and beautiful stuff, building a balcony and a deck, as well as cleaning the entire place. If you already have a beautiful deck as a part of your house, don’t forget to clean it to avoid accumulation of dirt that if ignored, will be harder to remove later. Don’t worry; in this article, I’m going to tell you how to remove stain on a deck before it gets harder to remove, using a water blaster or a water pressure. Keep reading this article to learn more!

First of all, why water blaster, though? Stains and dirt that have been accumulated for so long can form into clots and will get embedded into surfaces that are harder to reach and sometimes can be invisible to you. The best way to get rid of them is by using pressure to the water you are using to clean it so you can reach even the hardest surface and area on your deck. However, there are several things you need to be cautious about. While water blaster can become your most valuable tool for your chore time with helping you handle a range of tasks in less than even 30 minutes, a wrong move can damage your deck and even harm your body since the water is packing 30 to 80 times more pressure than your usual garden hose. Don’t worry; like I said in the previous paragraph, I will tell you exactly how to use it properly so that you can remove stains and dirt easily without harming your body and damaging your deck.

Safety first: be well-prepared

Before you get started, make sure you are well-prepared. By well-prepared, I meant you prioritise safety first. These are what you need to do before you start water blasting your deck:

1. Wear protective shoes
2. Wear safety glasses
3. Use long pants
4. Wear protective gloves
5. Check your surroundings; don’t let your kids, your pets or anyone who is not involved in your activity stand or sit near your area during your cleaning process

Sweep away loose dirt and debris

Just like before you mop the floor in your house, you need to sweep it first, right? Dirt or debris caught up in water sounds so messy after all and it will only complicate your cleaning process. Sweep your deck until you see no debris left. Make sure you also pay attention to corners and crevices.

Soap down the deck

After you make sure the debris and dirt are removed, get your water blaster ready and fill soap container with biodegradable cleaner, but don’t turn on the pressure yet. Attach soap nozzle (it is usually blue or black nozzle). You don’t have to dilute it because the water blaster equipment will combine the soap and the water. Then, power up the machine and distribute the cleaner all over the deck using long, overlapping strokes. This will help loosen embedded dirt.

Hit tough stains with a scrub brush

Start working the cleaner into tight corners and between railings to get tough stains cleaned more thoroughly and properly using a stiff scrub brush. It is advisable that you don’t let the detergent dry to prevent streaking.

Now it’s time for some water blasting!

First, turn off power and switch nozzles to the widest spray-angle nozzle (you can always switch to a narrower spray) but don’t use the red zero-degree nozzle. Once it is all set up, you can start water blasting or pressure washing your deck. Move with the grain of the wood in wide sweeping motions. Keep the nozzle about two feet away from the surface. You can move closer only if necessary (if there are tough stains, for example). However, don’t ever get closer than 6 inches or the wood would be damaged by the pressure of the water. Also, pay attention to your distance as well. You don’t want high pressure water to ‘stab’ your skin. Keep the water blaster at a safe distance from your body as well. When you are finished, turn the machine off and pull the trigger to release leftover pressure and drain the water line.

When you clean your deck using your regular garden hose, it might take longer than when you are using a water blaster since it has no pressure to clean the tough stains and dirt especially if it’s been a long time since the last time you cleaned your deck. With a water blaster, you can clean your deck in less than 45 minutes depending on the size and the width of your deck.