How to Clean Outdoor Areas

Is your outdoor space cluttered and dirty? Does it feel like too big of a project to tackle? Hometalk has the tips, tricks, and hacks you need to know to help you clean your outdoor space thoroughly and quickly. Check out our discussion boards, video tutorials, slideshows, and best projects. Let's get started!

How to Clean and Renew Outdoor Furniture and Stained Cushions

Cleaning Outdoors

Sweep the leaves: Rake the leaves in your garden into a pile and discard of them in garbage bags.
Clean out the gutters: It’s important to clean your gutters at least twice a year to rid them of any buildup caused by leaves, twigs and more.
Weed out the garden: Get your garden flower ready by pulling out unwanted weeds and pruning overgrown shrubs.
Clean the windows: If your window has screens, take them out and hose them down lightly, then clean the glass part of your windows as well.
Wash the deck: Use a pressure washer and deck cleaner solution to clean the deck well. When you’re done, restain the deck and add a protective finish.

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Top Outdoor Cleaning Projects

Need ideas to get you started? Check out our top outdoor cleaning projects here.

How to Clean and Renew Outdoor Furniture and Stained Cushions

We were able to save thousands of dollars by cleaning and salvaging this stained and weathered outdoor furniture. It took a lot of elbow grease, but it was worth it to us because we got this Pottery Barn Outdoor Sectional in a trade. We painted the weathered frame with Stain and Seal from Faux FX. The cushions were cleaned by spraying a solution of 75% bleach and 25% water on the cushions. Then they were cleaned with Fels-Naptha soap. The result is a "like-new" sofa. For complete details and more photos check out our blog: http://bella-tucker.com/2013/05/how-to-rehab-your-outdoor-furniture/

Bella Tucker Decorative Finishes

Cleaning Your Grill

I put some grill cleaning hacks to the test to see which one would work the best. Here are the results! You can see more of my crazy creations here

Chas' Crazy Creations

Don't Throw Out Your Solar Lights Just Yet.

I thought my solar light batteries needed replaced until I saw the battery compartments were corroded. So I took to the internet and found 2 options, white vinegar or baking soda and water mixture, neither worked. Then I remembered the old remedy I had used to remove tarnish from brass, ketchup. I didn't want to throw them away because they were still in great shape and I didn't want to have to buy more, so what did I have to lose but a little ketchup.

Ino1738714

Bringing LIGHT Back Into My Solar Lights & Cleaning Challenge

After watching endless videos on how to clean solar path lights that have quit working because the solar panels on top had turned white. I decided that put all of them to the test at once. Since I am a solar light junkie and have SO many, I decided to start with the ones I have the least amount of my decks post caps that also needed to be rejuvenated totally only after a year 😢

Lora Taylor Hyatt

DIY Tip -Top Gutter Cleaning 101

If you’re new to house keeping or home ownership, I bet last thing in your mind is cleaning your gutters. Or maybe you never thought keeping 'em clean was such a big deal — Right? Well, here’s why you should you care: the last thing you want is a clogged gutter! Overtime they may lead to big problems. Cleaning gutters is a lot easier than you may think, and with a little prevention, totally pain free. Read on to learn how we keep ours tip top!We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Elena K, Hometalk Team

How to Clean a Stone Patio Without a Power or Pressure Washer

It's been a long summer and if you have an outdoor patio made of stone, you know it had a lot of foot traffic. So, how do you give it that deep, down clean without a power or pressure washer? All it takes is a few on-hand ingredients and some elbow grease.

Julien K., Hometalk Team

Cleaning BBQ Grills the Magic Way!

The skies are blue and the weather report for this weekend looks great! It's time to swim in the pool and have a BBQ . That's what I thought until I opened our BBQ and realized it was a disgusting mess! Since I hate both scrubbing and cleaning I found out it is as easy to clean the BBQ grill as it is to clean stove burners! Follow the link below to find out how. Now that my grill is clean I am ready to paartaay!

Made From Pinterest

How To Restore Aged Cedar Shakes Siding

Cedar Shakes are so beautiful and long-lasting wood shingles that are so often seen on coastal homes.If left untreated, they will naturally gray as seen here. If the cedar shakes are not cleaned on a regularly basis (every 3-5 years), mold and mildew will set in over time, which is what happened to our home here in coastal Maine, that we recently inherited from my parents. To see more on my featured blog series and our Maine home click here "In My Mother's Home..."

Ann | Dabbling & Decorating

The Dirty Truth

The cottage came with a vinyl picket fence that stretched across the back yard. It's a nice fence, but it was incredibly dirty! As you can see, it was covered in mold, mildew, and a few lichen. Initially, I had no idea how to clean it and I certainly didn't cherish the thought of scrubbing every square inch of a fence that stretched about 60 feet.

Ann|The Apple Street Cottage

This is How to Pressure Wash a Deck the Right Way

By Judy SchumerFor a lot of homeowners, a deck is often an outside room, and it gets a lot of wear—especially if uncovered. Not only does using a pressure washer to clean your deck can save you hours of backbreaking work, but it does a better job at cleaning your deck than scrubbing by hand does. Pressure washing can also prolong the life of your deck by removing hazardous mold and slime that eventually rot the wood. And if you’re looking to stain your deck, you should pressure wash it beforehand.Like all good things, pressure washing has its caveats. First, you need to make sure you have the best pressure washer for the job you’re doing. You also need to use it the proper way to clean your deck. If used incorrectly, you run the risk of permanently damaging your deck, or at the very least, you’ll have a still-dirty deck after you’ve invested time and energy into cleaning it.A pressure washer can work as a super-power feather duster, removing cobwebs and debris from your deck, or it can turn into a high-powered wood engraver, etching unsightly lines into the wood of your deck. Learning how to pressure wash your deck will help you avoid all the pitfalls of pressure washing while reaping the benefits of this powerful cleaning tool.

Judy Schumer

How to Clean and Renew Outdoor Furniture and Stained Cushions

Bella Tucker Decorative Finishes

Cleaning Your Grill

I put some grill cleaning hacks to the test to see which one would work the best. Here are the results! You can see more of my crazy creations here

Chas' Crazy Creations

Don't Throw Out Your Solar Lights Just Yet.

Ino1738714

This is How to Pressure Wash a Deck the Right Way

Judy Schumer

Outdoor Cleaning Videos

Here you'll find video tutorials on cleaning outdoors yourself. Take a look around!

How to Clean a Stone Patio Without a Power or Pressure Washer

Julien K., Hometalk Team

How To Restore Aged Cedar Shakes Siding

Ann | Dabbling & Decorating

Popular Outdoor Cleaning Discussions

Visit our discussion board on DIY outdoor cleaning and put in your two cents.

How to clean exterior stone

/> P. Collier

I live in Tulsa and my house has a stone exterior that had become darken in some areas. Does anyone know how to clean this stone? Sorry, I don't know the name of the stone I moved from illinois and I never saw stone like this. Thanks for your help!!

View discussion

Removing lichen from granite?

/> Jennifer Thompson

My husband's grandmother's headstone is covered in lichen. It doesn't look very pretty, and it makes it difficult to read. The front of the granite stone is smooth and the sides and top of the headstone are rough-cut. I need advice on how to remove the lichen, and if possible, prevent it from growing back. As you can see in the photos, there is a large honeysuckle shrub planted behind her marker. The shrub crowds the marker, but it cannot be removed, so I keep it trimmed back.

View discussion

Does Wet & Forget work?

/> Home Repair Tutor

I recently used Wet & Forget on some wood siding and haven't seen results, yet. I sprayed it on the house about a month ago and wanted to see if I should give it more time or do a second spraying. Thanks for your help. BTW, based on everyone's response I wanted to post before & after pics either here or on my sight (www.homerepairtutor.com).

View discussion

How to clean the outside of gutters?

/> DJ

Just realized that the gutters of my house really need cleaning. Thought I would just paint, but my Sister in law says they are the kind you just clean. Does anyone have any brilliant way to clean the outside of the gutters? Thanks for your help.

View discussion

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Cleaning Outdoors

Sweep the leaves

Clean out the gutters

Weed out the garden

Clean the windows

Wash the deck

Appliances

Bathroom

Carpet

Cast Iron Skillets

Dishwashers

Fabric

Floors

Furniture

Gutters

House

Kitchen

Mattress

Microwaves

Ovens

Silver

Windows

Appliances

Bathroom

Carpet

Cast Iron Skillets

Dishwashers

Fabric

Floors

Furniture

Gutters

House

Kitchen

Mattress

Microwaves

Ovens

Silver

Windows