Spring is in the air and you are wanting to get outdoors and enjoy the patio since you have been cooped up all winter. Unfortunately, the winters months have wreaked havoc on your once beautiful deck, what are you going to do? You could refinish it so that it looks great again, but that is going to cost a small fortune.

The next best thing would be to get a power washer, clean it and touch up any staining that might need to be done. In order to save some money, you can usually rent a power washer from a local hardware store and return it when you are finished. Just be careful not to overdo it and end up do much more damage to your deck.

Not all power washers are equal and they are each made for a different purpose and you should heed the warnings of using too high a pressure on your wooden deck surface. Depending on the softness of the wood used on your deck you will need to use less or more pressure to clean it without damaging the wood. If you use too much pressure you run the risk of etching the surface and that would mean you would have to do costly repairs or even replacing sections of the deck.

Selecting a good pressure washer

A good rule of thumb for renting or buying a residential type power washer is that you will rarely need to use it at a pressure above 1500 psi. You can get one that runs on either a gas or an electric motor, depending on where you will be using it, gas would probably be more advantageous.

You should always test the pressure setting on a step to ensure you have it high enough to clean, but not too high and cause an etching effect. If you use a step and etched it by mistake, it will be way cheaper to repair or replace a small area. Below is a good rule of thumb for pressure settings:

• Softwoods (pine or cedar) pressure setting 500-600 psi
• Hardwoods or composite pressure setting 1200-1500 psi

Spraying the deck

Once you have the proper pressure washer, the next thing to do is get ready to start spraying. If you have a deck made with pine or cedar planks then you will want to set the pressure somewhere between 500-600 psi. Be sure that spray nozzle is set a 45-degree and produces a wide fan pattern. This will help to provide the best cleaning power while reducing the risk or accidental etching of the wood.

Start your cleaning on a step with the tip of the nozzle 24″ away and slowly lower it down to 12″ away. You should not have the tip of the nozzle any closer than 12″ away to prevent accidental damage to the wood surface of your deck.

Once you have gotten the washer set to the optimal setting, you can begin the job of cleaning the whole deck surface. Work your way across the deck as evenly as possible and avoid lingeringly too long in one spot as it may cause damage that will have to be repaired. Be aware that if you have exposed wood in parts of your deck the water will cause the natural grain to become raised and that will pose a threat of splinters, especially on handrails.

Be sure to address them as quickly a possible by covering them with a good coat of stain or some kind of varnish.