How to Care for a Trex Deck

Clean your Trex deck regularly to keep it dirt and mold free.

A manufacturer of decking and outdoor accessories, Trex products consist of reclaimed and recycled plastic and wood materials. The decks are durable and contain railings and trim like traditional decks. Trex decking is also not hard to assemble and attach to your home or other structure. Like other decking, Trex decks do attract dust, dirt and grime and needs care like other surfaces outside of your home. Failure to properly care for your Trex deck can lead to mold and mildew developing on the deck's surface.

Things You'll Need

• Water hose with sprayer
• Work gloves
• Composite deck cleaner
• Hot water
• Bucket
• Long-handled, soft bristle brush
• Small, soft bristle brush
• Deck cleaner containing oxalic or phosphoric acid base
• Deck cleaner containing sodium hypochlorite

Instructions

General Cleaning

1. Move any chairs, tables and other furnishings from your Trex decking.

2. Spray the decking with a water hose to remove any loose dust and dirt from its surface. Wear work gloves to keep your hands dry.

3. Mix 1 cup of composite deck cleaner and 1/2 gallon of hot water in a bucket. Stir the soap mixture with a long-handled soft bristle brush.

4. Scrub the decking with the soap mixture-soaked brush. For stubborn stains, pour 1 cup of the mixture on the stain and scrub the spot with a small, soft bristle brush to break up the debris.

5. Spray the decking clean with the water hose.

Removing Rust

1. Mix 1 cup of a deck cleaner containing oxalic or phosphoric acid base and 1/2 gallon of hot water in a bucket. Stir the soap mixture with a long-handled soft bristle brush.

2. Pour 1 cup of the soap mixture onto each rust stain on your Trex decking. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.

3. Scrub the decking with the soft bristle brush. Spray the decking clean with the water hose.

Removing Mold & Mildew

1. Mix 1 cup of a deck cleaner containing sodium hypochlorite and 1/2 gallon of hot water in a bucket. Stir the soap mixture with a long-handled soft bristle brush.

2. Pour 1 cup of the soap mixture onto the mold and mildew stains on your Trex decking. Scrub the decking with the soft bristle brush.

3. Spray the decking clean with the water hose.

Tips & Warnings

• When purchasing deck cleaner, look for a brand that contains both sodium hypochlorite and oxalic/phosphoric acid base so you don't have to buy and use multiple deck cleaners.

References

• Trex: Trex - Cleaning Guide
• Trex: What is Trex?

Resources

• Trex: Trex - Technical Information -- Painting