Deck Cleaning & Power Washing Riverwoods, IL

Deck cleaning for Riverwoods homes

Most of our deck cleaning calls in Riverwoods come from homes with heavily wooded lots with homes tucked under old trees. In practice that means decks that never dry out under the canopy.

The wooded corridor along the Des Plaines River means a lot of Riverwoods yards are shaded for most of the day. Shaded wood stays damp, grows mildew on the north side and needs a thorough chemical clean and brightener before it will take stain evenly.

Our deck cleaning is a wash, not a blast. We use a sodium percarbonate cleaner to lift the growth and oxidation, then a low-pressure rinse with a fan tip held well off the boards. A 3,000 PSI pressure washer with a narrow tip will cut grooves into cedar and leave fuzz on pine. That damage is permanent.

How the job goes in Riverwoods

1. Cover and pre-wetPlants, siding and light fixtures around the deck get wetted or covered. We check for loose boards and popped nails before we start.
2. Apply the cleanerA percarbonate wood cleaner sits for 10 to 15 minutes and breaks down mildew, algae and the gray layer. Stubborn spots get a scrub brush.
3. Low-pressure rinseUnder 1,000 PSI with a wide fan tip, working with the grain. The rinse is only removing what the cleaner already loosened.
4. BrightenAn oxalic-acid brightener neutralizes the cleaner and restores the natural wood tone, especially on cedar and redwood.

Other work we do in Riverwoods

Homeowners here also ask us about Deck repair in Riverwoods, Dock & pier staining in Riverwoods and Fence cleaning in Riverwoods. See everything on the Riverwoods service area page, or read the full deck cleaning guide. We also cover nearby Bannockburn, Highwood and Lincolnshire.