My front porch got reshingled today and new wood gutters ('cause the
house is 120 yrs old) will go up by next weekend. The neighbors seemed
pleased when the crew informed them what was going on. Next thing, I
want to repaint the white railings and columns that support the porch
roof

I believe it is considered best to paint a clean surface. What might
be considered a good cleansing agent for outside painted wood surface?
Lowe's is only two short bus stops away, so I should have a good range
of product available.

David Ames

Congratulations on the improvements.

Use Tri-Sodium Phosphate (TSP). Follow the instructions on the label.
Wear rubber gloves.

TSP is not too hard on plants, but it's still good to protect them:
* Wet down the plants.
* Cover them with plastic.
* Clean the porch.
* Remove the plastic and wet down the plants again.

"David Ames" wrote in
ups.com:

My front porch got reshingled today and new wood gutters ('cause the
house is 120 yrs old) will go up by next weekend. The neighbors
seemed
pleased when the crew informed them what was going on. Next thing, I
want to repaint the white railings and columns that support the porch
roof

I believe it is considered best to paint a clean surface. What might
be considered a good cleansing agent for outside painted wood surface?
Lowe's is only two short bus stops away, so I should have a good
range
of product available.

David Ames