Pergola / Trellis Cleaning and Care

Cleaning a pergola can be a daunting task, but it's important to do it properly to keep it looking great all season long. In this article, we'll walk you through all the necessary steps to clean a pergola safely and effectively.

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Cleaning Wood Pergola / Trellis

To clean your wood pergola, we recommend using a mild detergent and warm water. You can also use a garden hose on max volume. However, we advise against using a power washer, as it can strip down the natural goodness in your wood.

Cleaning Vinyl Pergola / Trellis

For vinyl pergolas, we recommend cleaning them with warm water, a washcloth, and some old-fashioned elbow grease. If you have especially troublesome stains, using dish soap can help. Power washing your vinyl pergola can cause damage to the paint and structure. However, feel free to use your garden or outdoor hose on max volume.

Cleaning Cedar Pergola / Trellis

For cedar pergolas, we advise using a mildly damp cloth, water, or a garden hose. Make sure to shy away from power washing cedar pergolas as well. The red cedar wood that our cedar pergolas are built with contains naturally oily fibers that act as natural preservatives to keep the wood from rotting and decaying. We do advise finishing and staining your cedar pergola, though many of our clients opt not to and achieve a cedar pergola that turns gray over time. By not applying treated sealant every three years, this will happen to your cedar pergola. A mixture of oxygen bleach, a cup of vinegar, and plain water can be applied to stains after an initial hosing down of your pergola. Overall, cedar pergola maintenance is best obtained by washing regularly with warm water and re-staining the cedar every three years.

We love using soft wash to clean pergolas. We are a local, insured and bonded, family owned and operated company. Give us a call today to get a free quote!