Cleaning Reclaimed Wood With Bleach

Step 7 allow to dry.

Cleaning reclaimed wood with bleach.

The types of bleach available at your grocery store have varying degrees of effect on wood furniture. It s a fact that reclaimed wood is usually dirty. Common laundry bleach or chlorine will effectively remove stain or dye color from wood but. To use this solution for mold cleaning hose the deck down with water to soak the wood then apply the mildew and algae cleaner in one area at a time scrub each portion with a long handled brush or broom and give it 10 to 15 minutes to soak in to ensure that it reaches into the wood where mold and mildew often lurk.

This tutorial shows you how to do it. If you re planning to use it in a project the first step of that project will be to clean the old wood assuming of course that you re like me and you want to install clean reclaimed wood into your home. Wood can discolor and stain over the years especially if it is outside in the elements. And unfortunately i learned this the hard way.

Instructions for use vary from brand to brand. Alternatively you can use a solution of one part detergent ten parts bleach and twenty parts water. Once you have finished bleaching the reclaimed wood rinse out the bucket. Give it a scrub or sand down.

Lay out all the planks on the lawn. Some say to put part a on first then apply b. Scrub the wood with a soap solution. I use bleach water to kill any bugs mold algae and plants that might be lurking.

Scrub notches and grooves vigorously. I have been obsessed with it since before i was married over 15 years and so i am glad that it has become a thing. The most important lesson i ve learned with reclaimed wood is when to lightly clean it vs. Years ago when i started cleaning reclaimed wood i would sand it down with a hand sander which would get rid of that beautiful patina and some of the character.

Using reclaimed wood in projects has reached a fevered pitch. I ve used a scrub brush and bleach on old wood before. Oxygen bleach will not damage wood fibers or the wood s finish and is harmless to plants that may be growing nearby making it an excellent choice for decks. But because this stuff was so full of mould the pressure washer really did the trick.

Use a scrub brush to scrub all of the wood with the solution. Then take the bucket and fill it with lukewarm and slowly pour the water over the surface of the reclaimed wood to remove any remnants of the chlorine bleach. The bleaching action occurs when the two chemicals come together in contact with wood. I can appreciate the need to really clean any wood brought into the house.

A package of wood bleach contains two bottles usually labeled a and b one contains lye sodium hydroxide and the other peroxide hydrogen peroxide. Set the reclaimed wood out in the sun and allow it to thoroughly dry before using the wood.