Melt away green algae stains from wooden garden fences with 25p magic ingredient
The humble garden fence offers privacy where you need it, but it's a real pain to keep them looking pristine.
Many people opt for a wooden fence in their garden because of how seamlessly it can blend in with the trees, shrubs and bushes But if they are not properly taken care of, the wood can easily degrade and rot over time, leaving you with a costly bill to fix or replace the affected panels. Green algae leaves stubborn stains in its wake, ruining your lovely fencing.
While there are lots of dedicated products available to buy that claim to kill algae for good, many of them cost upwards of £20 and some may even have serious impacts on the health of the plants and soil surrounding the fence - something that most green-fingered people would be keen to avoid.
The other option you have when trying to remove algae is pressure washing, but this can be time-consuming and costly to rent or buy a machine. Now experts at patio cleaning compoany Advantage have explained that there is a much cheaper and easier way to rid your fences of algae stains, and it only requires two common household items that you likely may already have in your home: white vinegar and baking soda.
Michael from Advantage told The Express why the homemade cleaning solution is such an effective option, "Vinegar and baking soda are a natural answer to the question of how to clean a wooden fence without pressure washing. Vinegar is a mild acid, so it's good for removing mildew and mould, and baking soda is abrasive, so it helps to scrub off dirt."
Make-up artist's eyeshadow trick to get 'Charlotte Tilbury' look for less money
Algae is a real eye-sore (Getty/John Keeble)You should mix baking soda and your vinegar into a spray bottle with hot water - alternatively, you can use a paint tray and brush to paint it onto the affected area. After letting it soak, tackle it with a hard scrubbing brush, and the algae should easily come off, before giving it a good rinse with your garden hose.
Baking soda will cost you only 65p from Tesco and is available to buy in bulk from online retailers like Amazon. White vinegar costs even less at around 25-35p from supermarkets, and again if you want to use this versatile cleaning ingredient for a lot of jobs, or have a large area on your fence that's affected by algae stains, you can grab a larger amount on Amazon - which come out on average at about £1 per litre.
Michael also explained that prevention is often better than a cure when it comes to algae, so taking care once you have removed it to properly ensure it is waterproofed is an essential step you shouldn't miss out. "Once you have finished cleaning your fence completely, and it's had a couple of days to dry completely, use a good quality exterior deck and fence paint or stain to cover the whole fence.
"You might need to apply more than one coat as the paint or stain soaks into the wood. However, once this is done, next year, you won’t have to scrub again, and you can simply hose and touch up the stain."
Do you have a story to tell? Email: [email protected]
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
