Caravan FAQs

How To Clean Caravan Decking

How To Clean Caravan Decking

Either you’re new to caravanning or a seasoned caravanner, you can’t deny the importance of cleaned decking. It enhances your enjoyment of living; plus helps you save money to clean caravan decking by hiring a professional. But for that, you must know how to clean caravan decking?

The process of cleaning caravan decking is no rocket science. With the right procedure and the cleaning products, you can easily do it yourself without the help of a professional. There are multiple ways to clean your caravan decking, such as using deck cleaners, hoses, scrubbers, or pressure washing.

But before you opt for any method to clean caravan decking, you must first know how to do it. So, here is a quick guide to help you with everything you need to know about cleaning caravan decking.

What Things Do You Need To Clean Caravan Decking

What Things Do You Need To Clean Caravan Decking

To begin the cleaning process, you must have the things that you’ll need for cleaning. The list includes:

• Stiff brush
• Pressure washer or garden hose
• Bucket
• Mop or long-handled soft brush, or cloth
• Decking cleaner

In addition to the things mentioned above, you’ll need a bit of time and a dry day. It’s better not to clean your caravan decking on a rainy day, as it will do no good to your caravan.

How To Clean Caravan Decking

Follow these simple steps to clean your caravan decking:

1. First of all, remove all the furniture and other items from your caravan decking. When the area has been cleared, swipe away all the leaves and debris using a brush. If you find loose screws, then tighten them with a screwdriver before moving on to the cleaning process.

2. Get the right cleaner for your caravan decking and read the instructions carefully. These cleaners can remove any kind of debris, mold, or algae from the decking effectively. But make sure you read the instructions because some cleansers can be used directly while others need to be mixed with water. You’ll also need a cloth or a brush to clean the decking if you’re not doing pressure washing or using a garden hose.

Note: While choosing the cleanser, keep the type of caravan decking in mind. There are different cleansers available for plastic or composite and wood decking in the market. Wood cleaners shouldn’t be used for composite decking as they can be too harsh and vice versa.

3. Pour the cleaner on the decking and leave it for about 15 minutes before washing it down with a pipe or a pressure washer.

4. After you’re done with cleaning the decking, leave it to dry. To make it look the best, you can use a decking revitalizer. It will protect the caravan decking from the weather conditions and the damage due to use afterward.

How To Clean Caravan Decking 2

How Often Should You Clean Wooden Caravan Decking?

Since the caravan decking is exposed to harsh weather conditions throughout the year, maintenance is necessary to enhance its durability. Therefore, you must schedule a cleaning period at least once a year. An annual cleaning can give new life to your decking.

Mistakes To Avoid While Cleaning Caravan Decking

Here are some common mistakes that you must avoid while cleaning caravan decking if you want to keep it in the best condition for a long time:

1. Not cleaning the gaps
Cleaning the decking gaps is essential because if dirt, leaves, or other particles start to accumulate in the gaps, it can damage the decking. The rotting of the organic matter in the deck spaces can lead to discoloring and earlier rotting of the wood of the decking. Also, if the water is left in the gaps, the dampness can negatively affect the decking.

2. Letting nature do the work
If you believe that the wind or rain can clean your decking during the spring, you need to reconsider. Wind and rain will only move the debris apparently, but will not remove it.

3. Excessive power washing
No matter how strong the decking materials are, they can be damaged with continuous high-pressure washing. They are not steel or glass that can resist the pressure of several PSI. Using the wrong tip, too, isn’t a good idea for power washing your decking. If you haven’t used power washing before, then here are some things that you need to do:

• Use a fan tip
• Wash along the grain and length of the board
• Never take the nozzle too close to the decking
4. Not cleaning your deck before refinishing

During the refinishing, you put oil on the surface of your deck. The oil gets absorbed in the surface of the wood and protects it from damage. But if you put the oil on the deck after simply sweeping the leaves and not cleaning, there will still be some dirt on the decking surface. T

his dirt won’t allow the oil to absorb appropriately in the deck, and thus strange marks will appear on the decking. Cleaning the deck with a wood deck cleaner or a brightener will save you from extra work due to improper oil absorption.

Mistakes To Avoid While Cleaning Caravan Decking

Summary

For caravanners, their caravans are like second homes. They treat them the way they treat their houses when it comes to cleaning the deck too. But a caravan is different from a house in many ways, so you must be thinking about how to clean your caravan decking?

Well, you’ll be glad to know that the process is simpler than you even think. There are a lot of cleaning agents available for both wood and composite decking. These cleansers clean the dirt, algae, mildew, and other such things from your decking that can affect its durability in the long run.

You can use these cleansers directly on the deck, or they have to be mixed with the water. In the end, leave the deck to dry, and you can also use a decking revitalizer.

A word of advice, if you’re giving your caravan a serious clean. Give your caravan guttering a clean before your decking, you don’t want to clean your decking twice!.

The steps outlined here will also work for PVC caravan steps.

An annual cleaning is a must to keep your deck in its original condition for long. Moreover, you must also avoid the common mistakes that you can make during the cleaning process.

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