It’s fun to entertain friends and family on your deck or patio… if the weather is right! With exposure to the elements preparing this outdoor area and keeping it clean can be a challenge. Yes, decks and patio furniture do require maintenance.
You want everything to look nice and be clean, yet you don’t want to damage the environment.
In this article, we’ll look at 7 smart ways you can use the safe, simple, all-purpose cleaner – baking soda to get your deck or patio area fresh and clean and keep it that way.
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate has great uses in the garden! Read on to learn more about making baking soda solution and how you can use them.
#1 – Prepare Your Deck Or Patio Area
At the end of winter… your deck may need a few old boards replaced for safety’s sake and good looks. It’s best to use pressure-treated lumber. You can use soda to “age” replacement boards to perfectly match existing boards.
Just mix a cup of soda into a gallon of water and scrub the new boards on the wood deck. Allow them to dry. Repeat this process as many times as needed to get your new boards to the shade you want.
Once you’ve attained that look, rinse the boards and allow them to dry thoroughly. Follow-up by staining and sealing your entire deck for a perfect match.
#2 – Clean Your Screens
After a long, harsh winter, outdoor screens are sure to be dingy and dusty. This presents an unhappy contrast to your clean and tidy deck or patio area.
Get your screens sparkling clean by:
- Removing the screens and laying them out on a flat, hard surface
- Pour a box or two of baking soda into a wide mouthed container
- Fill a bucket with warm water and get a good scrub brush (avoid wire)
- To clean your screens, dip the scrub brush into the water and then into the baking soda
- Scrub your screens gently
- Follow up with a good pressure wash (we like a blasting) from your garden hose (don’t use a pressure washer)
- Allow your screens to air dry before reinstalling them
Video: Cleaning Wood Deck with vinegar or Patio with Baking Soda, Vinegar and Water for Eco-Friendly Cleaning
#3 – Tips For Cleaning And Maintaining Patio Furniture
A patio is a wonderful area to relax and unwind after a long work week. Having comfortable patio furniture makes the time outdoors more enjoyable. But, patio furniture needs care and maintenance.
If your patio furniture has been sitting around on your deck or patio throughout the entire winter, it’s probably pretty dirty!
Likewise, if it’s been in storage it’s bound to be dusty and covered with cobwebs.
A problem many people run into as they clean their patio furniture is the type of method that they use. There are different processes for metal, wood and plastic furniture.
For plastic, a mixture of baking soda and warm water works. Just place the baking soda and water mixture in a spray bottle and apply on target surface. For metal, rust is your main concern. With wooden furniture, a stain finish or polish will take care of most of the cleaning.
In general, it’s easy to give all kinds of solid (plastic, treated wood or metal) patio furniture a good general cleaning with soda and water.
For a multi-purpose cleaning solution, mix a cup of baking soda into a 3 gallon bucket of warm water and wipe everything down with it. Rinse with your garden hose and either towel dry your outdoor furniture or let it air dry in the sunshine.
As long as you practice this regularly you should not have major problems when it comes to cleanliness. For more details on cleaning and maintaining patio furniture visit cleanandscentsible.com
#4 – Remove Stains From Canvas & Other Cloth
If you have canvas furnishings and/or cloth covered cushions that have been stained, add two heaping tablespoons of baking soda to a half-gallon of very hot water and damp sponge directly onto the stain.
In some cases you can simply allow this mixture to sit for five or ten minutes and then gently wash it off.
Baking soda and vinegar makes a great cleaning solution. You can also use lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide.
For tough stains, you may need to scrub it in with a coarse bristled brush. If you do not remove the entire stain the first time, simply repeat the process until the stain is removed.
#5 – Scrub Without Scratching
Baking soda also makes an excellent soft scrub type product for plastic or resin patio furniture.
Use it just as you would a scrubbing powder to remove stubborn dirt and stains from this type of furniture without marring the surface. Be sure to rinse thoroughly before using your furnishings.
#6 – Tackle Burned-On Grit
Baking soda as a soft scrub is also very good for cleaning your barbecue grill. Again, simply use it as a scrubbing powder with the coarse bristled brush or steel wool to remove tough, cooked on grit and grime.
#7 – Clean Up Grease Stains
Decks, patios, and garages are often subject to grease and oil stains from the grill and also from suntan lotion.
To remove the stains, simply sprinkle generously with baking soda and allow the powder to sit for about an hour. During this time, it will soak up the oil or grease so you can simply sweep it away with a broom!
When you use this safe, simple, natural product to keep your outdoor areas clean you are making a smart, environmentally-friendly choice.
Additionally, at about fifty cents a box, there is no cleaning product on the market that is more affordable!
After you’ve spent a summer using baking soda for outdoor cleaning, you are sure to find lots of ways to use this highly effective cleaning aid throughout the house. Need some ideas?
Recommended Reading
- Check out these baking soda uses for home and garden.
- 10 FAQs About Using Baking Soda For Garden Pests