More often than not, wooden decks are exposed to many forms of elements that could lead to weathering and damage. Constant sun exposure makes the wood crack while harsh cold weather promotes bacterial growth. Water and mist contribute to the oxidation of nails and screws that held the woods in place.
When these things happen, the luster of wood decks disappears and is only replaced by unsightly orange tinge of rust as well as molds and cracks. But there is something that can be done to restore stained wood decks. Here are simple ways that you can use as reference to clean up your wooden decks.
- Sodium percarbonate
- To use, just mix one part of sodium percarbonate with one part of water. For a much stronger solution, just add more sodium percarbonate.
- Dip and soak the stiff nylon brush into the solution then use it to scrub the stained deck. Do this until all rust stains are completely removed.
- White vinegar
- To remove rust stain, soak a clean cloth or sponge with white vinegar then use it to wipe the rust stains off the wood deck.
- Wipe the area immediately with a dry clean cloth.
- Borax and lemon
- Mix one part of Borax with a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Dip a stiff nylon brush or sponge into the solution and scrub the stained wood deck with it.
- Once rust stains are gone, rinse off the treated area with water and wipe to dry.
Sodium percarbonate is a colorless, hygroscopic, crystalline oxidizing agent. It is commonly used in making environmentally friendly laundry detergents. When sodium percarbonate is mixed with water, it releases soda ash and hydrogen peroxide. These two components are known safe and effective cleaning agents. Given all that, sodium percarbonate is a safe way to remove rust stains from wood decks.
White vinegar is mostly preferred in removing rust stains. Cider apple vinegar can also be used for this purpose. White vinegar is more effective when undiluted. But since vinegar is acidic, it is advised to not smear areas that are not stained with rust, lest your unaffected wood deck would whiten.
Borax or baking soda is a common ingredient in many household cleaning products.
If in case, all these are not effective enough to remove very stubborn rust stains from wood deck, you can consider using commercial rust removing products. But do this only when all your safe options are completely exhausted.
