So you’ve completed the prestigious task of grilling for today, and you look at the wooden deck below your feet and see that the grill grease has splashed and spilled onto the deck.
Since wood is porous, which means it will soak up anything quickly, you will have to act fast and decide which method you wish to use to get rid of the grill grease before it damages the wood.
What are the best ways to clean grease off of a wood deck?
To get the grill grease off a wood deck, you can use kitty litter, baking soda, and newspapers to soak up it from the surface. After the grease is soaked up, you can use dish detergent made for cleaning grease. Grab a brush, start scrubbing, then rinse everything off when you are done.
Those are great ways for quick fixes for grease that just spilled onto the deck. What about for longtime stains that have been there for longer than a day, and are commercial chemicals good to use?
Keep on reading, folks, and we will give you answers to these questions and find out some more ways to clean your wooden deck after grease spills.
Do Not Use Chemical Cleaners on a Wooden Deck
The best way to avoid any type of damage to your wood deck is by using natural cleaners.
This means no bleach, power washers, or any other kind of harsh chemicals. You want to stay away from these cleaners because they can strip the natural oils from the wood that help protect it from weathering and pests. Also, wood is porous and will soak up the chemicals and hold it, causing the wood to deteriorate over time.
You also do not want to use any pressure washer on a wooden deck. The high-pressure water stream can cause the wood to warp and crack. If you have grease stains that are old and set in, you might be tempted to use a chemical cleaner or a pressure washer, but we urge you to try some of our natural methods first before resorting to those.
Use Kitty Litter to Absorb Grill Grease Stains
For any fresh grease stains, the best thing you can do is try to absorb as much grease as possible. You can do this by sprinkling some kitty litter over the stain and letting it sit for about an hour. The kitty litter will soak up a lot of the grease and make it easier to scrub off later.
After an hour, sweep up the kitty litter and dispose of it properly. You can then proceed to the next step, which is scrubbing the stain with dish soap like Ajax or Dawn and rinsing it off with a water hose.
Use Baking Soda on Stubborn Grease Stains
If you have any stubborn grease stains that just won’t seem to come up, you can try using baking soda. Baking soda is a natural abrasive that can help to break up the grease and make it easier to scrub off.
To use baking soda on a grease stain, simply sprinkle some onto the stain and let it sit for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes have passed, start scrubbing the stain with a brush. You can then rinse off the baking soda with some water.
Use Dish Soap and Vinegar to Cut Through Grease
If you really want to get rid of all the grease on your deck, you can use a mixture of dish soap and vinegar. This combination will create a powerful cleaning solution that can cut through even the toughest grease stains. It also works well on those stains that have been on the deck for a while.
To make this cleaning solution:
- Mix 1 cup of dish soap and 1 cup of vinegar.
- Once the solution is mixed, apply it to the grease stain and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes have passed, start scrubbing the stain with a brush. You can then rinse off the solution with some water.
Use Newspapers to Absorb Grease Stains
If you don’t have any kitty litter or baking soda on hand, you can also use newspapers to absorb fresh grease stains. Simply lay down some newspaper over the stain and let it sit for about an hour. The newspaper will soak up a lot of the grease and make it easier to scrub off later.
After an hour has passed, dispose of the newspaper and proceed to the next step, which is scrubbing the stain with dish soap and rinsing off when done.
Prevent Future Grease Stains
Now that you know how to clean up grease stains, you can also take some steps to prevent them from happening in the first place.
The best way to do this is to use a grill mat when cooking on your deck. Grill mats are designed to catch and collect any grease or food that falls through the grates of your grill. This will help to keep your deck clean and stain-free.
You should also make sure to clean your grill regularly. Grease and food can build up on your grill over time, making it more likely that they will end up on your deck when you cook.
To clean your grill, simply remove the grates and scrub them with soapy water. You can then rinse off the grates with some water and dry them before putting them back on the grill.
Always make sure the drainage is working correctly if you have a grease trap. When the rails are clogged, the grease will overflow and end up on the wood deck.
Know your grill and see that nothing is stopping the flow for drainage before using the grill.
If All Else Fails (Summing It Up)
If nothing seems to work in your favor by soaking up the grease and cleaning it, try using an iron with several rags you can dispose of for each soak up.
The heat from the iron makes the wood grains expand, releasing the grease. It is tough to do if there is a significant grease spot, but this method works well for small areas.
If all else fails, the last resort is to sand everything down and put a new finish back on the deck. We hope it doesn’t come to this, but if all else fails, this is the only way to bring back your beloved wood deck.
