Deck Cleaning in Port Huron Township

Yards near the horseshoe bend of the Black River at Bakers Field Park, off Strawberry Ln, sit close to low bottomland, and much of the north end is mapped as Wainola-Deford fine sand that the county survey rates as poorly drained. A deck built a foot or two above that ground has wet soil right under its boards. The undersides and framing dry slowly, mildew and algae grow in the open grain, and the boards turn green or black and slick underfoot. The framing closest to the ground stays darkest and dries last. Leaves left wet on the surface leave dark tannin rings that a hose cannot lift.

Sun works on the top side. On the larger lots near West Water St and Atkins Rd, a deck that faces south across an open yard grays as sunlight breaks down lignin, the compound that binds the surface fibers, and the loosened fibers hold dirt and let rain deeper into the grain. A deck facing a back tree line on the same street stays shaded most of the day and collects leaf drop every fall. Capped composite does not gray, but mildew grows in their textured caps and tannin from those leaves stains them.

The cleaning lets a cleaner and a brightener do the work that pressure would otherwise force, so the wood keeps its surface. At $1 to $2 a square foot, with $199 as the floor, the price follows the deck's size and buildup, and railings, stairs and skirting are part of it. The 45-minute trip from Clinton Township adds nothing. How long to wait before staining is covered in our post on staining a deck after a wash.

What High Pressure Does to Soft Wood

A strong stream digs out the soft, pale wood between the darker growth rings, and the boards dry fuzzy and ribbed. Those lifted fibers splinter and drink stain in blotches, and a tight tip held near the wood leaves lap marks down every board. A bleach mix strong enough to whiten mildew also attacks the wood fibers and can turn cedar dark. Composite has a thin protective cap, and a stream held close can mark it permanently. Stain brushed onto boards still damp from the ground below cannot soak in, so it sits on the surface and starts lifting by the next spring.

When to Book Deck Cleaning in Port Huron Township

Clean a township deck in late spring, once the seed and catkins are down and before the summer cookouts. Decks over slow-draining soil or near the Black River green again first along the shaded boards closest to the house. A plain rinse of those boards each spring, in the years between full cleanings, slows the mildew, and the water test in the stain answer below tells you when the finish has worn through.