best way to clean a pool deck?
#1
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best way to clean a pool deck?
We recently bought a house with a nice pool out back, the only issue being that both the pool and the deck have been allowed to go to hell. The pool I can deal with, but I'm not quite sure how to clean the deck. I thought about using a pressure cleaner, but I'm worried that it might cut through or loosen the textured pool deck finish. I have been told in the past that a good way to clean pool decks is to spray chlorine straight on the deck, leave it for a while, then hose it off.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
#2
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First, tell us what your deck is made of? stained wood, stained concrete...
I would NOT just pour straight bleach on anything but properly diluted it can help bleach and clean up the appearance. Still bleach is just bleach and is not a cleaner. There are also purpose made deck cleaners that probably would work better to help lift and remove dirt & stains.
A pressure washer can be used safely on almost any surface if the operator is smart. I would only use a fan tip. How wide a spray pattern and how far to hold the tip away from the deck depends on your pressure washer and deck material. Start with the wand far away and gradually move it closer until you get the cleaning action you want. If you start to damage the deck hold the wand further away.
I would NOT just pour straight bleach on anything but properly diluted it can help bleach and clean up the appearance. Still bleach is just bleach and is not a cleaner. There are also purpose made deck cleaners that probably would work better to help lift and remove dirt & stains.
A pressure washer can be used safely on almost any surface if the operator is smart. I would only use a fan tip. How wide a spray pattern and how far to hold the tip away from the deck depends on your pressure washer and deck material. Start with the wand far away and gradually move it closer until you get the cleaning action you want. If you start to damage the deck hold the wand further away.
#3
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Okay, I thought the 'textured pool deck finish' was enough to point out that the pool was in ground with a concrete deck surrounding it. I actually thought I'd attached a picture of the pool deck, but I either forgot or it didn't process correctly.
As for using the chlorine, the tip actually came from the guy we used to drain and clean the pool in our own home. I might try it first and see how it goes, then look at the pressure washer as an alternative.
As for using the chlorine, the tip actually came from the guy we used to drain and clean the pool in our own home. I might try it first and see how it goes, then look at the pressure washer as an alternative.
#4
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above ground pools usually have a wooden deck
A bleach/water solution should help clean up the deck. It shouldn't need to be stronger than 50% bleach. Scrubbing the solution with an old broom can be helpful. A pressure washer is a good aid but a water hose will also work.
A bleach/water solution should help clean up the deck. It shouldn't need to be stronger than 50% bleach. Scrubbing the solution with an old broom can be helpful. A pressure washer is a good aid but a water hose will also work.
#5
I pressure wash mine; just don't use too narrow a stream. Because of all the rain we've had this summer, right now I have a bit of green stuff in several places. Had that earlier in the summer, too and I just mixed up a dilute bleach solution in my two gallon sprayer and gave it a once over. Early in the spring I had cleaned and re-coated it, so clean up is pretty easy right now.
Don't be surprised after cleaning if you find it's going to need to be re-coated. There are some paint products out there that are fairly easy to apply (the prep work is harder than the actual application) and they're not terrible expensive.
You can see before and after photos in the slideshow here of when I last re-coated, about five years ago:
Pool Deck Surface Repaint | DoItYourself.com
Don't be surprised after cleaning if you find it's going to need to be re-coated. There are some paint products out there that are fairly easy to apply (the prep work is harder than the actual application) and they're not terrible expensive.
You can see before and after photos in the slideshow here of when I last re-coated, about five years ago:
Pool Deck Surface Repaint | DoItYourself.com