Keep your wood deck looking as good as new with a little regular care.

It can be a cookout space, lounge area complete with a brightly colored umbrella, or a display of potted plants. For whatever purpose you use your wood deck, it requires regular maintenance and upkeep to be able to provide you with years of pleasure.

The key to preventing long-lasting damage to your deck is spotting and repairing the most common problems early on. With a little attention — and this helpful checklist of maintenance must-dos — you can keep your deck looking as good as it did the day it was constructed.

Keep it clean and dry

Leaf ,moldspills and tracked mud diminish your deck’s good looks and can attract unwanted flies and insects. Promptly scrub away stuck-on debris with warm water and wood-safe oxygen bleach (mixed as directed on the bleach container), then rinse clean. Perform these steps and spot treatments as needed throughout the year.

You should also clean the entire deck at the start of every season using either the approach described above or a power washer at its lowest pressure setting to quickly spray away dirt and grime.

It’s fine to let your deck air-dry on its own after cleaning or a rainstorm, as long as you remove outdoor accessories that retain moisture on the deck’s surface. Make sure that outdoor rugs or doormats are quick-dry rubber, and always place saucers underneath potted plants.

Rejuvenate natural wood

Do you remember how your redwood deck looked and felt when it was first installed? Its color was warm, and the wood was soft and smooth underfoot. 

Over time, natural woods, including redwood, cedar, and teak, can start to feel rough and turn silvery gray. Fortunately, the original hue is merely hiding just beneath the surface. Simply sanding a deck made of natural wood will remove its weathered layer and restore the original color.

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