A deck is an amazing place for a family. Not only does it provide the perfect gathering place for dinners to share outside, but it can also house fun activities like board game nights and provide the space necessary for a fire pit and s’mores. A good deck likely sees a lot of traffic throughout the year. As such, you need to do what you can to keep its lifespan going strong. As with most items of the house, and even your car, a little bit of tender loving care performed throughout the year can be all it takes to keep that deck lasting for years to come. One of the best ways to perform that care is by power washing the deck. If improved longevity isn’t enough of a reason to power wash it, here a few other benefits that power washing has on your deck.

1. Improved Curb Appeal

Simply put, a house that looks new is going to attract a lot of attention. Think about it in terms of your car. When your car is muddy and rusty, it tends to look decades older than it actually is. After a good clean and de-rusting though, your car looks practically brand new. Who is going to want to buy the older car when compared to the new car? The same applies to your deck and house as a whole. Power washing cleans up the deck and makes it look fresh and as though it was just installed. A good-looking deck can be quite an attractive feature for anyone who is trying to sell their home. For those who just want their house to look good, a power wash will clean up the eyesore that was their deck’s chipping paint and wood.

2. Prevention

In one study, 224,000 people were injured due to a collapsing deck or other deck-related problems. That’s a surprisingly large number of people for something as innocent as a deck. However, those collapses likely could have been avoided if they had performed maintenance on their deck every now and then. That’s exactly what power washing supplies. By thoroughly washing the deck, you can not only rid your deck of mold and mildew that can eat away at the wood over time, but it can also reveal problem areas that might have been hidden otherwise.

3. Removes Bacteria

Because of the high traffic that your deck likely sees, you may not think twice about all that’s being tracked onto the deck because it’s outside. However, when was the last time you saw someone run out barefoot on the deck? That deck is covered with bacteria if you don’t power wash it regularly. Bacteria from waste that’s dropped by birds or animals can be spread on the wood and stepped on by unsuspecting individuals. Bacteria on the bottom of shoes can be tacked onto the deck and spread all over. A power wash removes that bacteria and keeps your feet and deck healthy.

4. Environmentally Friendly

If your deck has a lot of mildew on it, you might think to pick up some chemicals to kill it. However, those chemicals can often spread and end up killing other plants and grass in the process. Not to mention, it isn’t usually a good thing to breathe that stuff in or let it loose into the air. To make sure you’re not harming the rest of your yard or damaging the environment while trying to rid your deck of mildew, pressure washing is the best solution. It can effectively remove the green from your deck without damaging the environment in the process.

5. Less Expensive

For many homeowners who want to make their deck look attractive, you may consider painting the wood. However, that can become expensive quickly. An easy to get that beautiful, natural, color of the wood is just to clean. A power wash can remove the dirt and grime from the wood and make it look as natural and new as when the wood was first installed. Not only does this save money, but it’s a lot faster.