How to Clean a Wood Fence Without a Pressure Washer: 10 Easy Steps

When was the last time you took a hard look at the wooden fence in your yard? While it still might be in great shape, if you haven’t taken the time to clean it recently, you’ll probably notice plenty of mildew, dirt, and grime.

But while some websites recommend using a pressure washer, they can be expensive. Plus, if they have too much power, they can damage the fence in the process. Whether you don’t have the necessary connections for a pressure washer or don’t want to spend the money on one, these 10 tips and tricks will help you get your fence looking like new without a pressure washer!

The 10 Easy Steps on How to Clean a Wood Fence Without a Pressure Washer

1. Use Vinegar and Baking Soda

While there are tons of expensive cleaning solutions out there, all you really need to clean your fence is some vinegar, baking soda, and some elbow grease. It’s a safe and effective cleaning solution you can make yourself from low-cost ingredients you can get from the grocery store.

Mix both ingredients with some water, and it’ll go a long way, giving you a low-cost solution to get your fence looking like new again.

2. Use a Higher End Cleaning Product

While you can use a vinegar, baking soda, and water cleaning solution to clean your wooden fence, if you want to use a little less elbow grease you use a higher-end cleaning product instead. There are tons of wooden fence cleaning options out there, and while some work better than others, for the most part, they all do a fairly effective job.

And by going with a wooden fence-specific cleaning product, you won’t need to scrub quite as hard compared to using a homemade cleaning solution.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Scrub

Whether you go with a homemade or a professional cleaning product, you need to get ready to do a little scrubbing. Some cleaning products make it so you don’t need to scrub quite as much, but no matter what option you go with, you will need to scrub.

If you want quality results without a pressure washer, be ready to put in some elbow grease.

4. Get a Good Brush

We’ve already mentioned that you’ll need to do a lot of scrubbing if you’re cleaning a wooden fence without a pressure washer. And if you’re going to scrub a lot, you should do yourself a favor and get a high-quality scrub brush to make things a bit easier for you.

You want tough bristles that can scrape off any dirt or grime on the fence, and a brush with soft bristles simply won’t get the job done.

5. Consider a Scrub Broom

While a scrub brush is a great choice, a wooden fence means a lot of space for you to scrub. A broom with a scrub brush on the end makes it easier to scrub over a larger area, and you can reach the higher and lower portions of the fence without changing your position.

If you’re cleaning a larger fence, a scrub broom will make everything a lot easier for you.

6. Protect the Plants

With all the chemicals you’re using to clean your wooden fence, you’ll want to be careful around any plants. While grass can typically handle the chemicals without any major problems, some flowers are a bit more sensitive.

The amount of work that goes into protecting your flowers depends on what’s around your fence, but no matter what, you shouldn’t need to spend a ton.

7. Let the Solution Soak

If you’re using a professional quality product, read the instructions on how long you should let the solution sit on the fence before washing it off. But if you’re using a homemade cleaning solution, we recommend letting it sit on the fence for a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes.

This will give the cleaning solution plenty of time to work into all the different dirt and grime, making it far easier to get everything off when you start scrubbing.

8. Consider Sanding

If you’re finding that simply scrubbing your wooden fence isn’t getting it as clean as you’d like, sanding can give you a fresh start. You’ll want to use something like an orbital sander to help the process along, but no matter how you look at it, sanding an entire wooden fence is going to take some time.

But as long as the slats themselves are in good shape, sanding can make your fence look brand-new. However, you will need to stain or paint the slats again afterward to give them a more finished appearance.

9. Fix Damage Along the Way

When you’re putting in the work to clean your wooden fence, do yourself a favor and fix any damage you find along the way. Hammer in nails, replace broken boards, and do any other necessary repairs.

You’re cleaning your wooden fence because you want it to look nice and last, and fixing broken portions of the fence goes hand-in-hand with that.

10. Don’t Forget to Re-Stain

This isn’t something you need to do but re-staining your wood fence has two significant effects. First, re-staining your wood fence simply makes it look great.

Second, re-staining your wood fence actually helps protect it from future wear and tear. It’s a labor-intensive process, but it’ll help protect your fence so you don’t have to clean it quite as often.

Conclusion

Cleaning a wooden fence can seem like a daunting task, but if you follow the tips and tricks we highlighted here, you can get top-tier results, even if you never bring a pressure washer near your home.

It’s going to take a little elbow grease, but with a little time and patience, you get a clean and sparkly fence even without a pressure washer!

You Might Also Be Interested In:

• Tips on How to Clean a Wood Fence
• How to Fix A Broken Fence Post

Featured Image Credit: Mabel Amber, Pixabay