How to Clean a Painted Wood Porch Floor

It’s surprising how so many people ignore their painted wood porch floor and don’t clean it all. Why? They think it’ll get dirty again, so why bother cleaning in the first place?

But they are wrong. Cleaning your painted wood surface can drastically extend its lifespan and increase its beauty.

However, painted wood decks aren’t invincible, so you must know how to clean the porch floor, or else you’ll do more harm than good. Water is the arch-enemy of wood, so you have to be careful.

So, how to clean a painted wood porch floor? You can use many ways to clean the painted deck: soapy water, warm water, dish soap, leaf blower, deck brush, and so many more ways depending on the stubbornness of the dirt/stain.

How to Clean a Painted Wood Porch Floor in 3 Methods

We have divided the guide into three parts, each covering a different approach to cleaning painted wood decks. From cleaning light dirt to removing mildew/stain stubborn as your ex, we have all the solutions under one page.

Before we jump into the guide, here’s a quick look at what you’ll need throughout the cleaning journey:

• Soap.
• Warm water.
• Dish detergent.
• Garden Hose.
• Scrubber or a rag.
• Pressure Washer.
• Bleach.

Also, here’s a thing you should remember while buying detergent. Make sure it’s free of ammonia and bleach. These two can ruin the paint. Okay, have you so got all the things listed here? Excellent. Now without further ado, let’s start our cleaning process, shall we?

Method 1 – Cleaning with Home Ingredients

The first method is the easiest and cheapest because you can just use cleaning solutions within your reach. You’ll need soap or dish detergent with warm water for this method.

If you’re wondering how warm the water should be, the temperature should be just warm enough to keep your hands inside the water for a few seconds comfortably.

Follow the instructions for your dish soap and mix it well with the warm water. Usually, the method is to mix 2 ounces of detergent with one gallon of water. Stir the water thoroughly so that the soap mixes with the water perfectly.

We recommend using a spray bottle for painted deck cleaning because spray bottles can reach tight spots where your hands won’t go. Also, the pressure from the spray bottle will ensure much deeper cleaning than dipping a rag into the cleaning solution.

However, it’s okay if you don’t have a spray bottle. Using a rag will be just fine. Once you are done with mixing everything, use either a spray bottle or a rag to spread the cleaning solution.

Spread the soapy water across the wooden porch floor and wait a few minutes to let it soak in. Don’t wait too long, though. Because if the wood soaks in too much water, it might get damaged.

After a few minutes, get a scrubber or rag and scrub out all the dirt and debris. You should not have to scrub too much because all the mud will come off automatically.

If you need a safe and easy detergent soap, you can get this one. This all-purpose cleaner promises 50% less scrubbing than traditional detergents and is eco-friendly (no, they didn’t sponsor us).

After scrubbing, you can either wash away the dirt and debris with another batch of hot water or use a garden hose to wash them away. Warm water works better, but it’s also more labor-intensive.

Using a garden hose to blow everything away, use a spray nozzle instead of a jet nozzle. Don’t let the dirty water stay on the wood-painted deck for too long. It’ll ruin the floor, and all your hard work will go in vain.

After removing the dirty water with a hose, take a dry cloth or a microfiber cloth and remove the excess water sitting on the floor. Voila, you’re all done. Now wait for the floor to dry naturally.

Method 2 – Removing Moderate Dirt or Mildew

This method is similar to the first one. The only difference is that you must use bleach with the warm detergent water cleaning solution. Before you start panicking about the harshness of bleach, yes, it’s a bit harmful to the paint.

It is why you should altogether avoid chlorine bleach. It’s harsher and will most likely damage the paint on your wood porch floor. So, what’s the alternative to chlorine bleach? It’s oxygen bleach.

It’s still a potent compound but way less harsh than traditional bleach, and it’s also safe to use on all house appliances. Don’t worry; it won’t damage your paint if you follow our instructions.

So, follow the previous steps and mix 2 ounces of detergent soap with 1 gallon of water. Don’t stir it right away. Now add 7 ounces of oxygen bleach and mix the whole solution thoroughly.

Now here’s a catch (yeah, there’s always a catch). Many kinds of wood are sensitive to bleach, so find out your wood type and research whether it’s exposed to bleach. If you’re unsure, spray the cleaning solution on a less critical area of the porch floor and see how it reacts to the solution.

If everything is good, apply the cleaning solution you used in the first method. Rinse and repeat. Scrub the stubborn spots with a rag or a brush and wash them away with fresh water.

This cleaning solution is perfect for removing mildew and moderate debris. Also, wear rubber gloves because this solution will irritate the bare skin.

Method 3 – Removing Very Difficult Stains and Mildew

If liquid dish soap is not helping you with tough stains, it’s time to bring in the big guns. And by big guns, we mean power washing the painted wood deck. A pressure washer will remove all the dirt, debris, and stains from your deck boards.

However, the catch is that you might harm the paint if you don’t apply the pressure wash the right way. But that’s why we are here. We’ll show you how to remove the stains while keeping the paint intact.

To begin the process, you’ll need a pressure washer. Once you get one, set the pressure according to your wood type. For example, if you have soft wood, set the pressure to around 500 PSI (or 600 PSI). If you go above this, you know what will happen.

If you have hardwood, then you can go up to 1200 PSI. Some woods can even withstand 1500 PSI. So, set the proper pressure depending on the type of wood your painted deck is made of.

As for the nozzle, the fan nozzle and rotating nozzle work best for pressuring washing painted decks. Also, don’t point the nozzle toward fragile things (like nearby plants) or any animals before you start it. Point it only towards the floor.

Speaking of points, keep the nozzle at least 1.5 feet away from the wood floor. 2 feet is the ideal position, but 1.5 will do just fine. Don’t push your luck and go any near while having a high PSI.

As for what type of liquid you should use, it’s up to you. You can use the cleaning solutions you made in methods 1 and 2 or 8% sodium hypochlorite (bleach). 10% SH is the maximum you can use, don’t go above that, or the paint might come off. You can also mix soap with bleach to remove greasy stains.

All set? Fantastic. Now just turn the power washer on and point it towards the dirty areas. You can repeat this step multiple times until your deck surface looks flawless. Make sure to get behind the tight spots.

Once you apply the 10% SH mixture, let it sit on the deck’s surface for at least 10 minutes. It will loosen up the grime, and then you can rinse everything off with the same power washer but using only hot water.

Once you’re done with rinsing off the loose debris, wipe off all the excess water/cleaning mixture with a cloth. Yeah! You’re all done now.

How Often Should You Clean Your Painted Wood Porch Floor?

Many professionals will tell you to clean your painted wood porch floor every week, but it varies from person to person. Not everyone’s painted deck will have the same amount of dirt. Some people use their front porch floor more than others.

However, as a rule of thumb, you can lightly clean your wood porch floor every weekend so that stubborn stains don’t settle in. You can use a leaf blower as a DIY cleaner. It makes the job so much easier.

You can do a complete cleaning every two months to ensure long-lasting paint. You can use all three methods above for the best results for thorough cleaning.

One last thing. You don’t have to follow all three of the methods. For example, if the first method worked, you could stop cleaning and pack up. Only move to the following if the previous one didn’t yield satisfactory results.

Final Words

All the three methods we’ve walked you through may seem tiresome and expensive at first glance, but it’s worth it, trust us. Cleaning your painted decks brings new life into the wood and extends the paint’s lifespan.

So, now that you know how to clean a painted wood porch floor, what’s stopping you? Roll up your sleeves and get down to business. The cleaning solutions mentioned in the guide can also be used for cleaning other household things.