Decking care

[silvergirl57]

Hi, we had an area of decking put in our back garden over a year ago and have yet to do anything to maintain it. Now it has green patches and generally needs a bit of love - can anyone advise what is the best thing to do for decking? Would powerwashing clear the green mossy stuff? Then does it need a sealant of some description?

I think I read that pressure washing is a no no as it raises the grain? There are special brushes available and cleaning fluids. We oiled ours (installed last year) and it seems to be holding up ok.

Every spring we scrub ours down with a deck cleaning solution and wire decking brush. Then wait for a warm dry weekend and oil/paint it.

Sadly previous owners did nothing and it was slippery and all green when we moved here. Oiling it no.linger works on ours due to previous mistreatment. We now paint ours once a year with non slip deck paint. It's not cheap. I think if I was replacing the deck I would look at composite in future. Less maintenance and minimal maintenance bill although very expensive to put in.
I love our decked garden but in reality decking in the UK is a daft concept with our rainfall and short summers.