How to Clean a White Composite Deck

Composite deck materials are made of a combination of wood and plastic. They are easy to clean and extremely hardy. Most people simply assume that like their wooden counterparts, composite decks should be pressure washed. While this is an option, you can also clean your deck by hand. If your deck is made of white composite, you will simply need to pay extra attention to detail to make sure that you get all of the deck cleaner off the deck when you are done.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hose
• Deck cleaner
• Five gallon bucket
• Mixing stick
• Push broom
• Boots

1. Rinse off the deck with water. This will clear it of any large debris.

2. Mix up your deck cleaner in the five-gallon bucket. Add a cup of deck cleaner to a gallon of hot water and stir it with the stirring stick.

3. Apply the deck cleaner to the deck using the push broom. If the broom will not fit in the bucket, then use a smaller sweeping broom to apply the liquid and the larger broom to spread it around. You should be wearing your boots to protect your shoes.

4. Scrub the deck using the push broom. As needed, spread more deck cleaner on the white composite deck and then continue to push the broom back and forth in short, scrubbing motions. If the cleaner becomes extremely dirty or discolored, rinse it off with the hose before continuing. Otherwise, it could leave black residue or even stains on your white composite deck.

5. Rinse off the deck. Use the hose to get it entirely clean.

6. Target any remaining stains. If there are any areas that still are dirty, scrub them again with the deck cleaner mixture before washing the entire deck off again.

7. Allow the deck to dry completely. If there are any puddles, wipe them up or sweep them off the deck with the push broom.

Tips & Warnings

• Depending on your deck cleaner, you may be able to leave a final layer of cleaner on the white composite deck as stain protection. However, you need to refer to your deck cleaner's instructions to determine whether this is appropriate.

References

• Deck cleaning instructions for composite decks.