Michigan decks take a beating. Freeze-thaw cycles, summer humidity, and shaded boards that never fully dry. The result is black mold, green algae, and gray weathering that makes a five-year-old deck look twenty. We clean wood and composite decks, fences, railings, and pergolas across Mt. Pleasant, Midland, Saginaw, and the surrounding Mid-Michigan area. Lower pressure than concrete. Higher pressure than a house wash. The right PSI for the material, every time.
Fences get the same treatment. Privacy fence, split-rail, decorative picket – whatever you have, it cleans up. We coordinate with stain professionals if you want to stain after the wash. One clean handoff, no guesswork on timing. Free written estimate in under 24 hours, from Jamisen – not a call center.
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One service covers the full outdoor wood and composite structure. We quote by surface area, not by how many pieces you call it.
Lower-pressure wash with a cleaning solution that removes mold, mildew, and gray weathering. Opens the wood grain for stain absorption if you plan to refinish.
Wider fan tip, lower PSI, manufacturer-safe approach. Removes surface grime, pollen, and mold without affecting the cap layer or voiding warranty language.
Same method as decks, adjusted for vertical grain. We work both sides when accessible. Cedar, pine, pressure-treated – all of it cleans up.
Railings collect grime at every joint and spindle. We clean the full railing system as part of the deck wash. No extra charge for railing detail work.
Pergolas get the same cleaning treatment as deck boards. We address the top and bottom of beams and rafters where mold and bird deposits collect.
We do not apply stain. But we work with local stain professionals in the area and can schedule the wash so the wood is ready for stain within the ideal 48–72 hour window.
Deck and fence cleaning sits in the middle of our pressure range. Too much PSI shreds wood grain. Too little doesn't move the mold. We dial it in by material.
We apply a sodium-percarbonate-based cleaning solution to the wood and let it dwell for 10–15 minutes. The solution does the heavy lifting – breaking down mold, mildew, and tannin stains at the cellular level. Then we rinse at 800–1,500 PSI using a 25- or 40-degree fan tip, held 8–12 inches from the surface. The fan pattern spreads the water force across a wide footprint so no single point gets hammered.
Why not a zero-degree tip? A zero-degree nozzle concentrates all the pressure into a pencil-thin stream. On wood, that cuts visible lines into the grain – sometimes called "tiger striping" or "etching." Those lines trap dirt faster and make the deck look worse within a season. A fan tip avoids that entirely.
On softwoods like pressure-treated pine or cedar, we drop to the low end of the range. On dense hardwoods like ipe, we can push a bit higher. The cleaning solution stays the same – it is the PSI and standoff distance that change.
Composite decking has a protective cap layer that resists staining and fading. Harsh chemicals or high pressure can strip that layer, leaving the board vulnerable to moisture absorption and permanent discoloration. We use a milder cleaning solution and drop the PSI below 1,000 – usually around 600–800 PSI with a 40-degree fan tip.
The main enemies on composite are surface mold, pollen film, and leaf tannins. None of those require aggressive pressure to remove. Dwell time and the right chemistry handle it. We rinse with the wood grain direction on composite just like we do on natural wood – it prevents streaking and ensures an even finish.
If your composite boards have textured grain patterns molded into the surface, we adjust our angle to follow those patterns. Flat-profile composite gets a straight pass. Wire-brushed or embossed textures get a slower pass at a steeper angle to clean inside the grooves.
We quote by the job, not by the hour. You get a written number before we show up. That number does not change unless the scope changes – and we will talk about it first if it does.
Three things drive the price: how big the deck or fence is, what it is made of, and how much buildup needs to come off. A lightly soiled 200-square-foot composite deck costs less than a heavily mold-covered 600-square-foot pressure-treated deck with railings on three sides. Makes sense.
Send us photos by text or through the quote form. We can usually give you a written estimate from photos alone within 24 hours. If the job is complex – multi-level deck, steep lot, limited water access – we will schedule a quick site visit at no charge.
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Most deck damage from washing comes down to three mistakes: wrong PSI, wrong tip, wrong distance. Here is how we avoid all three.
Concrete washing runs 3,000–4,000 PSI through a surface cleaner. Soft-wash house siding runs under 500 PSI. Decks and fences sit in between. We start at the low end and test a small section in an inconspicuous area before committing to the full surface. If the mold lifts clean at 800 PSI, there is no reason to push to 1,200.
The cleaning solution handles the biology. The pressure handles the rinse. When you let the chemistry do its job – proper dwell time, proper dilution – you need far less mechanical force to get the same result. Less force means less grain damage. Less grain damage means the wood stays smoother, absorbs stain more evenly, and looks better longer.
Wood grain runs in one direction. When you wash across it with high pressure, you tear up the soft fibers between the growth rings. That creates a rough, fuzzy surface called "raised grain." It looks bad, feels like sandpaper, and catches dirt faster.
We wash with the grain – tip moving in the same direction as the board length. We use a 25-degree or 40-degree fan tip that distributes force across a 4–6 inch footprint instead of a single point. And we maintain 8–12 inches of standoff distance. Closer than 8 inches and the pressure concentrates. Farther than 12 inches and you lose cleaning power.
Dwell time matters too. We apply the cleaning solution and let it sit for the full 10–15 minutes. Homeowners who rent a pressure washer often skip this step and try to compensate with more pressure. That is how decks get damaged. The solution needs time to break down the organic growth at the root level. When it has that time, the rinse is almost gentle.
Tight service area on purpose. We are in your neighborhood, not headquartered three counties away. Outside this list? Call – we travel for commercial.
Common questions about deck and fence washing. If yours is not here, text or call – same person answers either way.
Free written estimate in under 24 hours. Text, call, or fill the form – your call. We answer 7am to 7pm, Monday through Saturday.
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