March 20th, 2017Tips for Washing Your Wooden Fence

Having a clean wooden fence can boost the aesthetic appeal of your yard by two-fold. A fence free from grime and mildew will also last longer.  However, when it comes to cleaning your fence, it’s important to be gentle so we don’t hurt the fragile wood. Here are some tips for cleaning your fence with the TLC it deserves.

Preparation Makes Perfect

Your fence should be thoroughly prepared before you start cleaning. To do this, fence owners should start off by wire brushing especially dirty areas. This will remove heavy or stuck-on debris.

If there’s plants or grass surrounding your fence, you should cover them with a sheet of plastic. This will prevent them from being damaged by any detergents that might be used.

Choose Your Washing Method

There’s two ways to wash a wooden fence: pressure washer or hand cleaning with detergent.

i) Pressure Washing

If you choose to use a pressure washer, make sure you pick the right pressure. 15-degree pressure washer nozzles are good for fence washing, along with general-purpose nozzles. If the dirt on your fence is particularly stubborn, 25-degree nozzles will suffice.

When using the pressure washer, avoid standing too close. Standing 2-feet away is recommended.     At A&G Fencing, we also recommend using cold water instead of hot water as the heat can raise the grain on the wood causing premature aging.

ii) Hand Washing

Hand washing is the preferred method if your fence is old and cannot withstand pressure. To hand wash your fence, you’ll need a cleaning mixture. This can be a pinch of bleach within a tub of water or ¼ scoop of Oxiclean with 4 cups of water.

Take a paintbrush and brush the cleaning mixture across the fence. Hose the fence down gently and then scrub. After scrubbing off the dirt, hose the fence down again. The dirt should be coming off the fence quite easily at this point.

After cleaning the fence, you’ll want to ensure it remains protected from future damage. To do this, we recommend sealing the wood with stain or paint. To learn about why this is important, and how to do it, check out our blog post.  

If cleaning your fence isn’t boosting its aesthetic appeal, the time may have come for a new fence. Feel free to reach out to A&G Fencing. We’ll be happy to explore options with you!