16
Apr
2024

How to Remove Moss From Your Deck

April 16th, 2024 in Outdoor Living Space
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While moss on the deck may look interesting, it really needs to be removed. Left unchecked, moss will damage the integrity of your deck in the same way that it damages roofs. So, in today’s blog article, we would like to give you some advice on how to remove moss from your deck.

What Is Moss?

Moss is actually a special type of plant called a bryophyte. Moss does not have roots; it has rhizoids or root-like structures. And moss spreads by spores, tiny seed-like parts that are barely visible to the naked eye.

Removing Moss

In order to remove moss, you have to physically remove the big clumps, either with you hand or a brush, and then you have to chemically treat the parts that you cannot see, the rhizoids. Just removing the part of the moss that you see will not be enough—you would see new moss next year.

Treatment

There are different ways to treat the surface of your deck and the rhizoids hiding below. One way is to use some white vinegar diluted in water about half and half. Flood your deck and allow this to sit for about 30 minutes. Do this on a cloudy day so everything is not immediately lost to evaporation. Then rinse thoroughly with plain water. The vinegar will be absorbed in the rhizoids and kill the moss the structure entirely over time.

Another recipe is to use bleach—unscented, of course—at a ratio of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water. Some people would also add a little dish soap to either of the above solutions, however, it will take a while longer to rinse away all the soap.

The risk of not treating and removing the moss is that those rhizoids will continue to grow and will over time split or rot your wood. After the moss sufficiently damages the top decking, then it will start to damage the structure beneath your decking. These treatments outlined above will also kill algae on your deck.

 

If you need some help building or rebuilding or rehabbing your deck and outdoor living space, give us a call on the Lower Mainland at (604) 626-7100. This is our area of expertise. We can help you design and build any custom deck you want.

Deck Experts, based in Surrey, BC, are professional deck builders with a long track record of success. We offer free estimates and long warranties and can build or fix any deck around. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about decks, please call us at (604) 626-7100.