How to Lighten Boat Decks

The wooden boards of a boat's deck eventually turns dark over time. To lighten the color of a boat's deck to make it look new again, use oxalic acid to bleach the wood. You can buy this on its own, or as a constituent of a teak-cleaning product. A popular household scouring powder is also suitable to use when scrubbing a deck.

Things You'll Need

• Oxalic acid or oxalic acid based cleaner
• Water spray
• Brush
• Bronze wool
• Rubber gloves
• Safety goggles

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Spray clean water over the deck to wet it.

   • 2

     Brush the cleaner over the whole of the deck surface. Brush against the grain for the best results.

   • 3

     Leave the chemical to work for at least 10 minutes.

   • 4

     Scrub the wood surface with bronze wool to lift the grime.

   • 5

     Rinse the deck with more clean water.