First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Ventilate the area and wear gloves and an N95 dust mask while handling soot.
- Wash any ash off your skin promptly.
- Lift loose soot dry before any liquid touches the deck.
Smoke leaves a dusty, oily soot on a deck, and wetting it too early can push it deeper into the wood. Painted, pressure-treated and older treated boards each handle cleaners differently, so check your board type before you go any stronger. Weathered gray boards are a separate case, since their natural color may never return once it has faded.
Once the loose soot is off, let the boards dry completely before you judge the color. Test any cleaner on a hidden board first, since painted and treated wood react differently. If old stain or sealer is still there after that, it's time to call a pro rather than scrubbing harder.
Before you start
What decks & wood fences can take
Safe to use2
- Water
- Oxygen bleach
Use with care5
- Soaking
- Chlorine bleach
- Solvents (alcohol, spot removers)
- Acids (vinegar, lemon)
- Scrubbing and abrasives
7 items
What you'll need
Tap an item to get it on Amazon, or tick what you already have.
- Dry chemical spongeLifts loose soot without wetting it into the grain. (opens Amazon)
- Disposable glovesKeeps soot off your skin and out of your lungs while you work. (opens Amazon)
- An N95 dust mask (opens Amazon)
- Mild soapy waterThe gentle wash for stained or bare wood. (opens Amazon)
- Garden hose with a low-pressure sprayRinses the wash off without forcing water into the boards.
- Clean clothsFor wiping sections and drying the boards right after rinsing.
- Washing soda, trisodium phosphate or ammoniaOnly for painted boards, in the mix described in the painted card. (opens Amazon)
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5 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 5
Lift the loose soot dry
Start with the boards completely dry. Work a dry chemical sponge across the soot, following the grain, and turn to a clean face often so the soot doesn't smear back across the deck. Keep going until the sponge stops picking up dust.
Careful. Water or a wet sponge on sooty bare wood can drive the soot in as a permanent stain, so keep liquids off until this pass is done.
Step 2 of 5
Wipe the stained boards with soapy water
Dampen a cloth in mild soapy water and wipe one section at a time, following the grain. Use light strokes, since the job is to lift the soot off the surface, not work it deeper. Painted boards need their own mix, covered in the cards below.
Tip. Rubber gloves make this part easier, and wipe up any spill on other surfaces right away.
Careful. Cleaner or soap left to dry on the boards leaves residue, so don't let it sit.
Step 3 of 5
Rinse with low-pressure hose spray
Rinse each section with a garden hose on a low-pressure spray until no soap or soot runoff remains. Work your way across the deck in order so no section is missed.
Careful. On stained wood, don't let water stand in low spots or puddle on the boards.
Step 4 of 5
Wipe the rinsed boards dry
Dry each rinsed section right away with a clean cloth instead of leaving it to dry on its own. Once the wiping is done, let the whole deck air dry before you judge the result.
Step 5 of 5
Check the dry boards for soot
When the deck is fully dry, look along the boards in good light for dark soot still sitting in the grain. If most of the deck is clean, stop here; if marks remain, use the stronger options below.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for smoke on decks & wood fences
A dry chemical sponge is the one product this first pass needs. If the stronger options are required, pick a commercial deck cleaner labeled for wood.
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on decks & wood fences, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
Clean boards look even, with no dark film left in the grain. If streaks stay after drying, the soot has likely set into the wood, and the stronger options below are the next step.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your decks & wood fences
Painted boards
Painted boards skip the soapy wash. Mix 1 tablespoon of washing soda, trisodium phosphate or ammonia into 1 gallon of warm water, sponge it onto the painted surface, and rinse well with a sponge dipped in clear water.
Start with this mix, and only move to the stronger one below if soot is still there after rinsing. Rinse the whole area before you judge the result.
Pressure-treated decks
Pressure-treated boards get the same dry lift, soapy wash and hose rinse as above, with no added chemicals. The only change is what you leave out, so stick to the steps and skip any bleach.
If you're unsure whether the deck is pressure-treated, treat it as if it is. A hose rinse on low pressure is the safe default.
Old CCA-treated decks
Old decks built with CCA-treated lumber can raise surface arsenic when they're wet, so the soapy wash is a last resort on those boards. Keep the cleaning to the dry lift first, and check the boards with the professional advice below before you go further.
Don't cut or burn the old boards, because sawdust and smoke carry arsenic. Replacing them is the safer route, and if you can't confirm what the lumber is, treat it as CCA-treated.
Weathered gray decks
Boards that have gone gray with weather may not return to their old color, even after the basic steps. Start with the steps above, then use the restoring options in the stronger section below.
If the wood has lost all its natural color, it stays silver when dry. Those silver fibers are the wood's new color, so leave them in place rather than scrubbing for an old shade.
Old, dried or set-in stains
Old, weathered boards can often be restored. Commercial deck cleaners, brighteners or restorers remove mildew and dirt so the wood's own color shows. Keep a commercial deck cleaner wet on the wood for about 15 minutes, misting with a hose if it starts to dry.
If an old stain or sealer has dried into the boards, strip it with a stain and sealer remover and neutralize it with a brightener. Once the wood is fully dry, work a stiff synthetic-bristle brush along the grain for stubborn streaks, then lightly sand it.
If painted boards still look sooty after rinsing, make the mix with 2 tablespoons per gallon of warm water and sponge it on the same way. Soot that has soaked deep into bare wood may never come out fully, so a faint mark can be the realistic result.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on smoke on decks & wood fences?
Most kitchen remedies don't suit a deck, so none of them should go on the boards. Each one is marked so you know it doesn't work for this job and why it stays out.
Skip6
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't mix bleach with ammonia
Bleach mixed with ammonia, or with a detergent that contains ammonia, forms a toxic gas. Rinse the boards fully before switching to a different product.
Don't use chlorine bleach on pressure-treated decks
It breaks down the lignin in the wood, corrodes metal fasteners, harms nearby plants, and doesn't kill mildew spores. A soapy wash and hose rinse avoid those problems.
Don't bleach or wet-clean old CCA decks around kids and pets
Wetting the wood raises surface arsenic, and bleach releases chromate. Keep kids and pets off any wet CCA wood while you work.
Don't use narrow-stream or tornado pressure-washer tips
Narrow-stream and rotating tornado tips don't belong on a deck, so keep to the low-pressure hose rinse. A deck can be damaged quickly in the wrong hands.
Don't use steel wool or wire brushes
Iron left over from steel wool or wire reacts with the wood's natural extractives and leaves dark stains that look like more soot. Stick to cloths and sponges for the wash.
Don't use too much TSP on painted boards
Never go above 2 tablespoons of TSP per gallon of water, since more can dull the paint or strip it off. If the paint starts to look dull, stop and rinse.
Don't use fragranced cleaners
Fragranced products only mask smoke odor, so they don't deal with the soot itself. Keep to the plain cleaners in this method.
Don't scrub or power wash soft wood like western redcedar
Caustic cleaners and high-pressure washing strip the surface of soft woods, which removes wood as well as the soot. Use only the mild wash and hose rinse on those boards.
When to call a professional
Ordinary soot doesn't need a professional, but for old CCA lumber or grain that stays dark after the stronger options, call a pro or replace the board. If the deck is old CCA lumber or the grain stays dark after the stronger options, a professional or a replacement board is the safer call.
Questions
Can I use bleach on my deck?
No, skip the bleach on a deck. Pressure-treated boards can't take chlorine bleach, since it breaks down the wood and corrodes the metal fasteners holding the boards together. If you don't know what treatment your deck has, skip bleach entirely and stick to the soapy wash and hose rinse.
Can I pressure wash soot off my deck?
Not as a first step. Rinse with a garden hose on a low-pressure spray, and never use a narrow-stream or rotating tornado tip on a deck.
Will vinegar or baking soda clean soot off a deck?
No, vinegar and baking soda don't clean deck soot; mild soapy water does the wash on bare wood, and painted boards use the washing soda, TSP or ammonia mix. Mild soapy water does the wash on stained or bare wood, and painted boards use the washing soda, TSP or ammonia mix.
What if I can't tell whether my deck is painted or stained?
Start with the mild soapy wash, since it's the gentlest step, and don't use the painted mix until you know the finish. If you still can't tell after rinsing, don't go stronger than the soapy wash.
Can I sand a deck to get rid of soot?
Only after the boards are fully dry and the wash has been tried. Only after the boards are fully dry: a light sanding can help what's left, but skip heavy sanding.
Does smoke soot permanently ruin a deck?
It doesn't have to. Soot can leave a mark that stays on bare wood, so the stronger options below are there for what's left after the dry lift and wash.
Smoke on other materials
Other stains on decks & wood fences
Start from the bigger picture
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.