The expert elaborated: “If it’s been a while since you’ve done any cleaning and maintenance on your fence, there might be a fair amount of dirt built up, but if your fence is still in good shape, there may be an alternative to scrubbing.”
He explained that most of the dirt will be on the surface of the wood. So, you could think about sanding the fence instead of scrubbing the dirt off.
You’ll need an orbital sander for this job. He said the fence “will look as new” once finished. But remember, fences can only be sanded down twice at most or it will wear down the wooden boards. So only consider this if the algae is really bad.
The best way to get rid of algae is to take steps now to protect your fence in the future. The expert strongly suggests painting it with weatherproof outdoor stain paint once it is free of algae.
He advised: “Once you have finished cleaning your fence completely, and it’s had a couple of days to dry completely, use a good quality exterior deck and fence paint or stain to cover the whole fence.
“You might need to apply more than one coat as the paint or stain soaks into the wood. However, once this is done, next year, you won’t have to scrub again, and you can simply hose and touch up the stain.”
