Even if spring is still a little way off, the occasional afternoon sunshine invites you to sit outside in the winter. Snuggled up in a thick blanket, coffee and cake taste twice as good when the winter sun tickles your nose. Unfortunately, however, patios and planters don’t exactly present themselves in the best light after the seasonal weather. Deposits of algae and moss are particularly hard on your wooden patio. But don’t worry! We’ll tell you how you can easily clean your wooden decking using simple household remedies.
Mossy wooden decking: easy cleaning with soda and cornflour
It is quite normal for moss and algae to build up on your wooden patio over the fall and winter. And even plant pots, for example made of terracotta, are not immune to unsightly green deposits. You only need a few household remedies from your kitchen to make your wooden patio fit for spring and remove the green deposits.
Before you make your own product to clean your wooden decking, you need to remove any stubborn dirt from the surface. Sweep thoroughly over your decking to remove all the dirt. Now it’s time for the stove!
You need:
- 5.5 liters of water
- 100-150 grams of washing soda
- 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
Heat 5 liters of water in a large pot. At the same time, heat about 500 ml of water and dissolve the cornstarch and washing soda in it with a whisk. Make sure that the mixture does not burn on the stove. When everything is as viscous as wallpaper paste, pour the mixture into the large pot of water and bring everything to the boil again.
Then it’s off to the patio! To clean your wooden decking, apply the mixture from the pot to the boards with a large brush. It is best to use a clean paste brush for this. Proceed as if you were painting your decking. Your homemade cleaning agent should not be too thick, as this could make it unnecessarily difficult to apply. However, if you also want to remove verdigris from your terracotta plant pots, you can take some of your cleaning agent and thicken it with cornflour. The viscous mixture will then adhere better to your pots. Then leave everything to work for four hours.
Scrub thoroughly for clean results
After the soaking time, grab a scrubbing brush and a garden hose and scrub your wooden decking thoroughly. You will see from the discoloration of the water that algae and moss have been loosened from the wood. It’s quicker with a pressure washer. When using it, make sure that you work with little pressure so that the surface of the wood is not roughened too much.
You can also wipe the cleaning agent off your plant pots with water and a brush after the cleaning time and enjoy the clean result. Incidentally, the cleaning agent made from soda and cornstarch not only works on your wooden patio, but also on the wall of your house or in the greenhouse – simply anywhere where moss and algae get stuck. Try it out for yourself!
Source: ndr.de
Thumbnail images: ©Maren Winter – stock.adobe.com ©ferkelraggae – stock.adobe.com
