Deck Pressure Washing In Kankakee, Illinois: Low Pressure, Big Results

We cleaned this deck in Kankakee today. The homeowner had been looking at a gray, dull surface for a few years and figured the wood was just done. It was not done. The color was sitting right there under the gray the whole time.

What makes the difference on a job like this is not the pressure washer. It is the cleaner. We wash wood with Green Ox Renew, a peroxide based product, and that lets us rinse at a fraction of the pressure most crews put on a deck.

Most deck damage comes from the pressure, not the dirt

Wood is soft. That gray layer on an older deck is oxidized wood fiber mixed with mildew, algae, and pollen. Hit it with a 3,000 PSI tip and it does come off fast. So does the soft grain between the harder grain lines. That is what leaves the fuzzy boards and the wand stripes you see on decks all over Kankakee County.

Once you open the grain like that, the deck drinks water, holds dirt faster, and the next stain job fails early. You paid to have your deck cleaned and you shortened its life doing it.

Why we use Green Ox Renew on wood

Green Ox Renew is a peroxide based wood cleaner. It breaks the bond chemically so we do not have to break it mechanically. Here is what that gets you.

• Peroxide instead of chlorine. Chlorine mixes will lighten a deck, but they can pull the natural tone out of the wood and burn the landscaping around it. Peroxide lifts the gray and the mildew and leaves the wood color alone.
• Very low pressure. Because the product does the work during its dwell time, we rinse with a wide fan tip at low pressure. No lines, no fuzz, no torn grain.
• The original color comes back. Homeowners keep telling us the deck looks new. It is not new. It is just clean for the first time in years.
• A better base for stain. Stain bonds to sound wood, not to fuzzed up fiber. Cleaning it right is half of a good stain job.

How we cleaned this deck today

• Walk it and protect it. We check for popped nails, soft boards, and failing stain, then pre wet the plants and grass along the deck before anything touches the wood.
• Apply and let it dwell. Green Ox Renew goes down wet and stays wet. Dwell time is where the job is won. We never let the product dry on the boards.
• Agitate the stubborn spots. Railings, spindles, and the shaded north side always hold more growth. We brush those by hand instead of turning the pressure up to make up for it.
• Low pressure rinse. We rinse with the grain, flush the landscaping again, and leave the deck ready to dry. That is the finished side in the photo above.

What the homeowner said

Clean first, then stain or seal

A clean deck is the first half of the job. If you plan to stain or seal, give the wood 48 to 72 hours of dry weather after we leave. Stain applied to damp wood will not bond and you end up doing the work twice. If you are not staining this year, the wash still buys you time by pulling off the mildew and algae that hold moisture against the boards.

Keep it clean without thinking about it

Decks gray out again. That is what wood does outside in Illinois. If you would rather not watch for it, our Clean Club members get their exterior handled on a set schedule at member pricing, with priority on the calendar when the busy weeks hit.

Where we clean decks

Green Pro cleans decks, fences, pergolas, and cedar siding across Kankakee County and Will County, including Kankakee, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Manteno, Frankfort, and Monee, plus the south suburbs of Cook County. If your town is not listed, call and ask.