Deck cleaner

Joined
Mar 21, 2004
Messages
31,800
Location
Near the beach in Delaware
Mold Armor sells an outdoor cleaner which has the following 2 ingredients. It looks like bleach and washing soda. It really works but it's $39.95 a gallon. You spray it on without dilluting. Can't I make the stuff for under $10 a gallon?

Ingredients Sodium Carbonate 1.0%,
Sodium Hypochlorite 4.0%
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have also used that stuff with success, but :o at the $. The general purpose ZEP brand power-washing solution from Home Depot seemed to work just as well for much less $... Now does it offer the mold/mildew prevention properties Mold-Armor implies? IDK, sold the place within 6 months.

(NOTE: I was too scared to try a home-brew solution, fearing something like ruining the 18 year old siding/paint/shingles or killing all the surrounding shrubs)
 
I've made my own deck and siding wash for years. Fill a garden pump sprayer 50/50 bleach/water + 3oz of liquid Tide or similar laundry detergent. Shake it a bit and spray on your deck or siding or whatever. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes and rinse or power wash.
Was thinking of adding 1-2 scoops of Oxiclean but the place was just resided so no cleaning needed for awhile and the deck gets scraped, sanded and stained every year anyway so I don't really need to clean it.
 
You could use TSP, but it has a chance if you dont get it all off of being just as much a burdon. A simple electric pressure washer is about all I recommend as the MITM gas powered leave undesirable results for DIY like permanent etching into wood, concrete, car paint, etc. I would lightly wet your area with water, then with a APC in a pump, apply, keep area wet, then pressure wash after a couple of minutes.
 
So I used a gallon of the $39 Mold Armor cleaner and it did a pretty good job on half the deck but ran out. Lowe's does not have any more in stock.

Bought Clorox outdoor bleach. No ingredients on label. The MSDS looks like between 5 - 10% chlorine bleach (% is trade secret) and sodium hydroxide (lye).

I diluted it with equal parts water.

The Mold Armor is 5% bleach.
 
bleach and water. make your own....just dont have too much bleach.

i know a pressure washer guy, that is what he uses.
 
Back
Top Bottom