Orlando backyards are built for outdoor living — wood decks, paver patios, travertine pool surrounds, screened lanais. But Florida weather is brutal on every one of them. Humidity feeds mold and algae, oak pollen coats everything yellow-green each spring, and the shaded corners of a patio can turn slippery with growth in a single wet season. A proper deck and patio cleaning makes your outdoor space usable and safe again.
The trick with decks and patios is that every surface needs a different approach. Wood needs low pressure or it splinters. Travertine needs the right detergent or it etches. Pavers need care around the joints. This page covers how each surface gets cleaned, what goes wrong when the wrong method is used, and what to expect from the job.
Wood Decks: Low Pressure, Right Technique
Wood decks are the easiest surface to ruin with a pressure washer. Too much pressure — or holding the nozzle too close — carves fuzzy streaks into the boards, a kind of damage called furring. Once the wood fibers are roughed up, the deck looks worse than before and soaks up water faster, which speeds up rot.
We clean wood decks at 500 to 1,200 PSI with a wide 40-degree fan tip, keeping the nozzle a consistent distance and working with the grain of the boards, never against it. A wood-safe detergent goes on first and gets 5 to 10 minutes of dwell time to loosen the gray weathered layer, mold, and mildew. The pressure then rinses away what the detergent loosened rather than blasting the wood itself. Softwoods like pressure-treated pine — the most common deck wood in Orlando — need the gentlest touch. Harder woods like ipe can take a bit more.
If you are planning to stain or seal your deck, cleaning is step one and the stain goes on after the wood dries for a couple of days. A clean deck takes stain evenly; a dirty one gives you blotchy color that peels early.
Paver Patios: Algae, Weeds, and Joint Sand
Paver patios are the most common patio surface in Orlando, and they collect algae in the joints, weeds between the pavers, and dark staining in the low spots where water sits. Cleaning follows the same careful approach as "paver driveways": detergent and dwell time do the work, moderate pressure with fan tips rinses it away, and the nozzle keeps moving so the joint sand stays in place.
Weeds growing between pavers get killed at the root by the detergent, and we pull or treat what is left. If your patio has white, chalky patches, that is efflorescence — mineral salts wicking up through the pavers. It needs a different treatment than algae, and we will flag it during the inspection. Planning to seal? Our "paver sealing prep wash" is the deeper clean that has to happen before sealer goes down.
Travertine and Natural Stone: Beautiful but Delicate
Travertine is everywhere in Orlando outdoor living — pool decks, patios, walkways. It looks great and stays cooler underfoot than concrete, but it is a soft, porous natural stone with one big weakness: acid. Acid-based cleaners etch travertine on contact, leaving dull spots that cannot be washed away. We never use acid on travertine, and neither should anyone you hire.
Travertine gets an alkaline detergent, dwell time, and moderate pressure — enough to clean the pores without carving the stone. The same care applies to other natural stone like slate or flagstone. Sealed travertine cleans up easily; unsealed travertine absorbs stains faster and may need a second pass on heavy spots.
Pool-Adjacent Surfaces and Safety
Patios and decks around pools have one job the others do not: they have to be safe to walk on barefoot. Algae on a pool deck is a slip hazard, and in Orlando's climate it grows back fast in the splash zone. We pay special attention to the walking paths between the pool and the house, the steps, and any shaded corners where growth is thickest.
Pool equipment gets protected before we start — pumps, heaters, and salt systems do not want detergent or high-pressure spray. We also keep the wash water out of the pool as much as possible and skim what gets in. For the full pool area including the screen enclosure, see our "pool deck and screen enclosure cleaning" page.
What Affects the Price
Size is the main factor — a small back patio costs less than a wraparound deck with multiple levels. Surface type matters: wood takes more time and care than concrete, and travertine needs specialty detergents. Condition plays a role too. A patio with a year of pollen and light mildew is a quick job; a deck that has not been cleaned in five years with heavy graying, mold in every crack, and weeds in the joints takes longer.
Furniture and access affect the number as well. We move patio furniture to clean underneath it, but a patio packed with heavy planters and a full outdoor kitchen takes more time than an open one. As a rough range, most residential deck or patio cleanings fall in the low-to-mid hundreds of dollars, with large or multi-surface backyards running higher. These are planning ranges — your written quote is based on your actual space. More detail is in our "Orlando cost guide".
Our Deck and Patio Process
"Request a free quote" and tell us about your deck or patio — the surface type, rough size, and what you are seeing. On the day, we walk the area with you, confirm the written price, and move furniture and plants out of the work zone. Delicate areas get protected, the detergent goes down with proper dwell time, and each surface gets cleaned with the pressure and tip matched to it.
After the rinse, we put the furniture back, do a final walk-through with you, and flag anything worth knowing — boards that need restaining, pavers that have settled, or spots where drainage is feeding the algae. Most deck and patio jobs take one to three hours. If you are staining or sealing afterward, we will tell you how long to let the surface dry first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will pressure washing damage my wood deck?
Not when it is done right. Damage comes from too much pressure, the wrong nozzle, or holding the spray in one spot. We clean wood at 500 to 1,200 PSI with a wide fan tip, working with the grain — enough to clean the wood without furring or gouging it. This is one surface where hiring a pro instead of renting a machine really matters.
Can you clean travertine without damaging it?
Yes. The key is avoiding acid-based cleaners, which etch travertine on contact. We use alkaline detergents and moderate pressure matched to the stone. Sealed travertine cleans up fastest; unsealed stone may need extra attention on deep stains.
How do you keep from washing the sand out of my paver joints?
By letting the detergent do the work instead of the pressure. We use moderate pressure with wide fan tips, keep the nozzle moving, and never blast directly into the joints. The joints stay intact while the pavers come clean.
How often should I clean my patio in Orlando?
Most patios and decks need cleaning every 1 to 2 years here — yearly if the area is shaded or near the pool. Our "Florida washing frequency guide" has the full schedule by surface.
Should I seal my deck or patio after cleaning?
Usually yes. Sealing protects wood from UV graying and water damage, and protects pavers and travertine from stains and weed growth. But the surface has to be fully clean and dry first — sealing over dirt or moisture traps the problems underneath. Ask us about timing when you get your quote.
Do you move the patio furniture?
Yes — we move furniture, planters, and grills to clean underneath them, then put everything back when we are done. If you have anything extremely heavy or fragile, let us know in advance and we will plan around it.