If you have a composite deck with black mold... (Home Depot, maintenance)

[corky101]

Try a product called Wet and Forget. Over time the enzymes will take care of the mold. You just spray it on with a sprayer and leave it alone. No scrubbing.

My deck is always black with mold to which I would scrub with a deck cleaner every spring with very little affect. Last summer I sprayed the Wet and Forget on and it brightened up over several weeks. Today it is even brighter, no black mold that I can see. I'm so excited that I don't have to spend a back breaking spring day cleaning my "no maintenance" deck!

This product also gets rid of moss. Spray it on and in three days the moss is dead.


I'm posting this in the LI forum because, I believe, black mold is big in the North east.

[ar1458]

bleach ,detergent and water works just as good without the additional cost ....can you post pics anyway to show us ...thanks ...

[corky101]

Originally Posted by ar1458

bleach ,detergent and water works just as good without the additional cost ....can you post pics anyway to show us ...thanks ...

I've read that bleach doesn't kill the roots. It looks good for a little while and then comes back with a vengence. But if it works for you then... Great.


I just did a quick search and found the following from http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load...115823454.html,
Which says what I've read over the years.

"Chlorine Bleach has been proven to kill bacteria, viruses and fungus but has not been proven effective in killing or removing molds on *porous surfaces such as composite decking and this fact is stated on the label directions of products like Clorox® Bleach. Most composites are porous materials because they are full of pores and permeable by water, air, etc. "

And

" The more often you use Chlorine Bleach for mold remediation on composites, the more resistant the mold becomes to Chlorine Bleach, the faster it will grow back and the harder it will be to get clean, making the problem more difficult to keep the composite material clean in the future."

[Bacci Balls]

Originally Posted by corky101

Try a product called Wet and Forget. Over time the enzymes will take care of the mold. You just spray it on with a sprayer and leave it alone. No scrubbing.

My deck is always black with mold to which I would scrub with a deck cleaner every spring with very little affect. Last summer I sprayed the Wet and Forget on and it brightened up over several weeks. Today it is even brighter, no black mold that I can see. I'm so excited that I don't have to spend a back breaking spring day cleaning my "no maintenance" deck!

This product also gets rid of moss. Spray it on and in three days the moss is dead.


I'm posting this in the LI forum because, I believe, black mold is big in the North east.

I will definetly give this a try and let you know my results. Overall, I spend two hours every spring scrubbing/power washing my composite deck and despite the grunt work, I still have blotchy colored surface.

By the way, I think there is a difference between "black mold" and mold that is black in color (I think my deck has both) but hopefully, this will take care of both.

[veryangry]

I have an all plastic deck, made by Tandeck, I used bleach and a power washer every spring. It's not pourus so this wont work in my case. That day of cleaning is quickly arriving with this warm weather!

[yoelmo]

where did you find the wet and forget?

[Bacci Balls]

I finally got a hold of Wet & Forget at a Sam's club and purchased it this past weekend. This product is by far the most ineffective stuff I have ever used on my composite deck. I applied the product twice to a dry surface (tried it both diluted and undiluted) directly on the black mold and it didn't even make a dent in it. I had far better results with the products sold by Home Depot and Lowe's which cost far less (these are products are not 100% effective either). You know the product is ineffective when you spray it directly on the mold/algae on your PVC railings and it doesn't even clean that (which is a non-porous surface)

Corky - did you seriously have the results that you stated or did someone mis-label the product that you used?

My search continues for a decent composite deck cleaner that does not require painful scrubbing of every plank.

[LIGuyandGal]

Originally Posted by Bacci Balls

I finally got a hold of Wet & Forget at a Sam's club and purchased it this past weekend. This product is by far the most ineffective stuff I have ever used on my composite deck. I applied the product twice to a dry surface (tried it both diluted and undiluted) directly on the black mold and it didn't even make a dent in it. I had far better results with the products sold by Home Depot and Lowe's which cost far less (these are products are not 100% effective either). You know the product is ineffective when you spray it directly on the mold/algae on your PVC railings and it doesn't even clean that (which is a non-porous surface)

Corky - did you seriously have the results that you stated or did someone mis-label the product that you used?

My search continues for a decent composite deck cleaner that does not require painful scrubbing of every plank.

Did you try an oxygen-bleach cleaner like Oxi-Clean? It can kill mold on porous and non-porous surfaces, but you have to let it sit a little longer than you would with chlorine bleach.

[Bacci Balls]

Originally Posted by LIGuyandGal

Did you try an oxygen-bleach cleaner like Oxi-Clean? It can kill mold on porous and non-porous surfaces, but you have to let it sit a little longer than you would with chlorine bleach.

I'm trying to avoid using bleach as much as I can since the cleaners I have used so far (where bleach was the primary component) have faded the color big time. But, I'm getting desperate so I will look into this. Thanks for the tip.

Oxi-Clean is available in common stores like a Home Depot or a Waldbaum's?

[LIGuyandGal]

Originally Posted by Bacci Balls

I'm trying to avoid using bleach as much as I can since the cleaners I have used so far (where bleach was the primary component) have faded the color big time. But, I'm getting desperate so I will look into this. Thanks for the tip.

Oxi-Clean is available in common stores like a Home Depot or a Waldbaum's?

Yes, you can find it at Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, Wal-Mart, or in the cleaner aisle of any supermarket.

Oxi-Clean may be better for your needs not just because it can kill mold in porous materials, but it is more environmentally friendly than chlorine bleach, and is color-safe (to a certain extent). It's also safer to use with other cleaners with the exception of vinegar and anything highly acidic.