Lichens Removal

[Bill Bob]

Does anyone have a good recipe for small tank sprayer to apply on decks surfaces?  Would water, bleach and or TSP do the job?  Maybe followed by a light hi pressure rinse?

Thanks,
Bill

[jteneyck]

Does anyone have a good recipe for small tank sprayer to apply on decks surfaces?  Would water, bleach and or TSP do the job?  Maybe followed by a light hi pressure rinse?

Thanks,
Bill

No clue about lichens, but hot water with TSP and bleach is what I use to clean my Ipe' deck.  It takes off dirt, mold, and the old finish.  And I follow it up with a rinse with my pressure washer.  The recipe is on the TSP box.  

John

[daddo]

Wire brush.
..................

[MstrCarpenter]

If the lichens were on your roof, I'd say; "Add zinc strips near the ridge". Does your roof drip onto your deck????

[Woodenfish]

I believe that water, bleach and TSP are the ingredients in commercially available 30 Seconds outdoor cleaner. Go for it!

[Phil S.]

Does anyone have a good recipe for small tank sprayer to apply on decks surfaces?  Would water, bleach and or TSP do the job?  Maybe followed by a light hi pressure rinse?

Thanks,
Bill

Bill -

I was going to try this one, but haven't got it done yet -

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/homemade-deck-cleaner/

I'm going to use some grade of Scotch-brite to give the lichens a scrub.

Phil

[Cub_Cadet_GT]

Does anyone have a good recipe for small tank sprayer to apply on decks surfaces?  Would water, bleach and or TSP do the job?  Maybe followed by a light hi pressure rinse?

Thanks,
Bill

I had a bunch on the roof of my gazebo. I sprayed it with "Wet and Forget" and 6 months later its all gone. Not a fast resolution, but only way I could get it off of asphalt shingles.

[ronwhit]

Another vote for "Wet and Forget".  Takes a while, but very effective and easily applied.  It worked well on my roof, a brick walk, and some bricks on my front steps.  I applied it with either a garden sprayer or hand held squirt bottle.  I expect you could also apply it with a "super soaker" if you need extra range.

[Robert Adams]

Hire a few vampires to clear them out. Oops different spelling...


                  Another vote for bleach and TSP though you can get good pressure washer cleaners at a commercial pressure washer supplier.

[JosephP]

I've had very good luck with Bayer's Moss & Algae killer:  [/url][url=https://www.bioadvanced.com/products/lawn-care/2-1-moss-algae-killer-cleaner]https://www.bioadvanced.com/products/lawn-care/2-1-moss-algae-killer-cleaner getting rid of stuff on the siding on the north side of our house where it is very shaded.

It is labeled for lichens as well..which makes sense because if you kill algae, you'll kill lichen.

As an aside, I opened the thread to see what the question was.  I get a lot of calls about "what is this stuff on my tree?" when it is only lichen.  I've always advise against removing it from trees - especially as I learn more about them and their importance to the larger ecosystem.  Makes no sense to remove them from trees...they cause no harm and are beneficial.

They are also beneficial to the ecosystem while growing on a deck...but I'd remove them from there for safety reason's if nothing else!  (not to mention longevity).

If you are really bored and/or nerdy and want to learn more about lichens, I really enjoyed this talk;  https://www.isa-arbor.com/pod/ISA_SoA074_082115.mp3  It is just a recorded presentation from an International Society of Arboriculture conference.