Every year at the end of September, I get busy cleaning up all of my outdoor furniture, deck railings, lighting fixtures, garden & yard art, etc. Since we have a LOT of items outside, this is typically a weekend process for me. Before I store my outdoor items away for the winter season, I like to give them a good overall cleaning, air dry and then they go into storage.
For items that are lightly soiled, I whip up a homemade cleaning recipe. You can use this all-purpose cleaner on all of your hard surfaces like porch & deck railings, patio chairs & tables, yard art & garden art, glass outdoor light fixtures, garden benches, on birdbaths, etc.
Best Homemade Outdoor Furniture and Deck Cleaner
1/4 cup of castile soap
1/2 cup of regular white vinegar
1 gallon of warm water
Mix together the ingredients in a bucket and let sit for 2-3 minutes before using. You can use it straight out of the bucket with a sponge or cleaning cloth, or pour some of the solution into a spray bottle for ease-of-use.
I prefer to place it into a spray bottle. I spray down the item that I’m cleaning with the mixture, let it sit on the item for 3-5 minutes and then I use my garden hose on a “light stream setting” to rinse it off. Let things air-dry (do this on a warm & sunny day) or use old cotton towels and towel-dry.
Store-Bought Outdoor Patio, Deck and Furniture Cleaner
There are times when I need something stronger to clean-up items that are outside. That’s when I use my favorite go-to KRUD KUTTER. I buy it at our local “home-type of store” and it’s reasonably priced. I pick it up in a spray bottle. This stuff is fabulous for your more heavy-duty jobs and it won’t harm your grass/lawn, flowers, etc.
We use KRUD KUTTER to clean our house siding twice a year. We spray it on the dirty areas, moldy areas, etc., let it sit for 5 minutes and then hose it off. It’s great for cleaning up really dirty patio & deck furniture, pool furniture, swimming pool ladders, diving boards, etc. Just spray them, let sit and then rinse with the garden hose. Got a dirty mailbox? Great for that too!
Twice a year we remove the glass globes from all of our outdoor light fixtures (porch lights, deck lights, lamppost lights, etc). We lay them down in one area of our driveway (not on dirt). Mist them down with the KRUD KUTTER, let sit for a few minutes and then rinse with the garden hose. Your glass light fixtures will be sparkling clean and bug-free again! Seriously, we love that stuff! I got “hooked” on KRUD KUTTER several years ago after reviewing it for this blog. You can see some before/after pictures in my original post.
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I have never heard of Krud Kutter, but it seems to e a good product. However, your mixture did a great job as shown by the Before and After photos.
I was just looking at my deck and everything on it with dismay. It sure needs something strong. Krud Kutter just might be the thingb.I just happen to work at a “home type store” that I believe I can get it at.
I have seen Krud Kutter at the store but never used it. I will be getting some now. We moved to the country and EVERYTHING outside is real dirty now. This will help clean up before Winter.
Your homemade cleaner did a great job on your fish. The Krud Kutter sounds good for really tough jobs.
This is a very timely post, as I was just looking at our porch furniture and thinking I should give it a once-over before putting it away. I’ve had good luck using Magic Erasers on grimy outdoor things–they really do seem like magic, they way they can clean up otherwise unremovable dirt. Krud Kutter sounds like it might come in handy, too. Thanks for the tip and the link!
I’ve never seen Krud Kutter, now I think that I have to have it. Some jobs are just too much.