Looking for suggestions: What is best cleaning solution (solutions) to utilize to clean wester red cedar shakes. I intend to power was but need to treat 30+ years of mildew and polution build up. Just bought house last year. Heavy mildew, dark dark stains (probably from asphalt roof shingle run off and jersey polution).
Also would like to maintain nice red hue when cleaned but do not want to stain since shakes are hand split and very rough. Trying to keep it simple. Perhaps a product that I can apply with my spray can?
Replies
DON'T POWER WASHER IT.
You can use a power washer, at a reasonable distance, to flush it clean. But if you try to use the power washer to REMOVE the stains you can easily cut into the cedar.
Look at the deck prep products. There are cleaners with bleach and soap (or you ad bleach to) to get rid of the mildew.
And there are Deck BRIGHTERNS. They contain a checmical (some use Oxallic acid) which removes the old weather damaged wood and gives you a fresh clear western cedar look.
I would probably do it in that order.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I vote with JerseyLou apply an oxalic acid deck brightener with a garden pump up sprayer (keep it off the glass and clad aluminum trim with a painters spray shield and then lightly flush it down from a distance with a cheap ($150) electric pressure washer from a box store.
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."