[lewis_webb]

Hi, I have been asked to clean an external wooden staircase every four months using a mild detergent.

Has anyone got any suggestions how I would do this? I know I could pressure wash it, but it seems a bit overkill every 4 months! Maybe anually.

Thanks

[Phild]

It depends what your customer is actually wanting achieved. Are they worried about the aesthetic 'look' of the staircase or is it perhaps an external fire escape and they are worrying about it being slippery if people had to pile down it quickly?

If you can find out it will make your choice of cleaning method easier. Phil D

[BDCS]

Clean it and seal it with a good decking oil then you could a weak bleach or sodium percarb with a hose off. If its a fire escape I'd fit inserts or tread grips

[lewis_webb]

Hi, Thanks for the replies. The steps are used every day and are not slipery. I believe they just want a montly clean to keep the aesthetic 'look' of the staircase.

Why would I need to seal it first? Could i not just mop it with sodium percarb?

[Roger Oakley]

The problem you will have cleaning that regularly even with a weak percarb or bleach mix is you will start to bleach the wood and strip the wood of it's natural oils.
You will also get a build up of dead fibres.

What is the wood by the way?

[greencleaning]

A few drops of  kerosene or turpentine on a soft cloth may be used to clean all polished surfaces. The latter cleans them more perfectly and evaporates readily ; the former is cheaper, safer, because its vapor is not so inflammable as that of turpentine, and it polishes a little while it cleans; but it evaporates so slowly that the surface must be rubbed dry each time, or the dust will be collected and retained. The harder the rubbing, the higher the polish.

[BDCS]

Its outside ! I doubt if you'd get too much of a shine 

[Roger Oakley]

A few drops of  kerosene or turpentine on a soft cloth may be used to clean all polished surfaces. The latter cleans them more perfectly and evaporates readily ; the former is cheaper, safer, because its vapor is not so inflammable as that of turpentine, and it polishes a little while it cleans; but it evaporates so slowly that the surface must be rubbed dry each time, or the dust will be collected and retained. The harder the rubbing, the higher the polish.

They haven't said it is polished wood.