Cleaning up after a birthday party or summer BBQ, we will go through our most common mishaps on how to remove stains from composite decking keeping it looking prim and proper.
Oil
Stubborn as ever, oil marks can be difficult to remove on many surfaces. Speed is the key and removing the oil stain as soon as possible can prevent it absorbing deeper into the decking board. Use concentrated soap and hot water to remove with a cloth. Still not budging, another home remedy is baking soda with vinegar. Scrub before leaving it for a few minutes and washing off the decking boards with warm water.
BBQ mats and outdoor rugs are ideal to place in areas that may be susceptible to oil stains. These can protect your composite decking from grease, spills and food stains with easy to clean options such as simply hosing the mat/rug after use.
Surface Scratches
Dragged a chair whilst sat on it, or a mysterious scratch appeared from nowhere on your composite decking boards. If this is only a surface scratch these can be minimised and disappear.
Remove the dirt or stain from the scratch area to show the extent of the damage. Use a microfiber cloth to check if the scratch requires more attention.
If the scratch is still visible use fine sand paper of 80 to 120 grit. Sand in the direction of the scratch and checking repeatedly by using a cloth to remove excess dust to when the scratch is no longer visible. Caution is advised to not over sand the area as this can cause the top layer of colour to fade.
For deeper scratches on your decking boards, that have gone through the top layer where you can see a different colour to the top layer, it may be required to use an outdoor filler in the closest matching colour.
To help avoid furniture from scratching your composite decking use felt feet pads. This helps avoids the abrasive movement and also distributes weight making it less likely to leave any scratches and another thing, stand up off the chair before dragging it.
Water Marks
Hard water is water with minerals that constitute of silica, lime and calcium. After rain or water, as the water dries it can leave behind a residue or marks on your decking boards, more so on the lighter shades of colour. Although not a defect of the product but instead the water itself will carry this residue.
Generally. how to remove stains from composite decking can be mostly be washed away with soap and fresh water. More stubborn marks with a product can also help dissolve the water marks on composite decking.
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