How to Keep Leaves From Getting Stuck in a Wood Deck

The arrival of autumn brings with it colorful, falling leaves. Although leaves scattered across your wood deck might seem like no big deal, they can be the source of tannin stain and lead to wood rot. Leaves on the surface of the deck become stuck when rain and foot traffic crush them into the surface. They also get between the deck wood slats and eventually rot, and this rot can spread to the surrounding wood surface. When you keep leaves from getting stuck in and on your wood deck, you can preserve its beauty and condition for years to come.

Broom
Dustpan
Hose
Scrub brush
Powdered oxygen bleach

Instructions

- 1
  Sweep the leaves from the surface of your deck using a broom and dustpan. Dispose of them in your compost pile or the proper garbage receptacle.
- 2
  
  A stiff-bristled broom gets between grooves and crevices on your deck.
  
  Hold the broom so the bristles are perpendicular to your body. Insert the tip of the bristles into a groove between deck wood slats. Sweep away from you to remove leaf and stick debris stuck in the grooves between the wood. Repeat this step for each groove.
- 3
  Hose off the deck to remove any remaining loose leaves from the surface and between the wood slats.
- 4
  Scrub the deck surface to remove stuck-on leaves. Wet the brush if needed, and continue to scrub until all leaf remnants have been removed.
- 5
  Sprinkle powdered oxygen bleach over any stains left by the tannin in the leaves. Work the bleach into the wood by scrubbing it with the scrub brush.
- 6
  Allow the oxygen bleach to sit on the surface of the deck for two minutes to remove the stains. Rinse the bleach off with the hose. Allow your wood deck to air dry completely.

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