DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Feb 28, 11:36 am, ransley wrote:
On Feb 28, 8:47 am, Phisherman wrote:



On Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:01:02 -0500, mcp6453 wrote:
"Ask This Old House" had an episode in which Tommy helped a guy clean
his deck before sealing it. Tommy said NOT to use a pressure washer as
it damages the wood fibers. We have to clean our front porch, which is
made with pressure treated deck lumber. What was the chemical Tommy used?
Not sure what Tommy used.
1 gallon warm water
1/2 cup TSP
3/4 cup household bleach
Dissolve the TSP in the warm water until completely dissolved. Add to
a garden sprayer then add the bleach. You can use the product "JoMax"
instead of the TSP. If the deck is really dirty, you may need to
clean it twice and/or light scrubbing. Allow it to dry for 2-3 weeks
before sealing.
Add 1/2 cup oxalic acid to that mix, Label it, and sell it for 26.99$
a gallon, and it only cost you 1$, thats all deck cleaners are, 1$ of
product, .50c for the Jug, and markup. [but more bleach helps alot]

How toxic is this mixture?

My deck is 6' off the ground and we store stuff underneath.

I can empty out what's under there and let the run off soak into the
ground, but there are plants and pets to consider also.

Thoughts?
Chlorine bleach destroys wood. Use something like Oxy Clean instead.