Oxygen bleach safe for environment

Tim Carter

Q: I own a summer home on a lake that has a dock. I also have my primary home, which has an outdoor patio. All of these things, as well as the siding on my home, need to be cleaned.

Online research has yielded contradictory advice. Some websites say to use chlorine bleach and water to clean everything using a 1:1 ratio. Others suggest oxygen bleach. What would you suggest and why?

A: In the mid-1990s, most recommendations were to use chlorine bleach to clean decks and patios. I knew this was not the best practice because of what my nextdoor neighbor did each spring.

She always poured three or four gallons of pure chlorine bleach onto her concrete patio steppingstones that were under a majestic maple tree. She spread it around with a push broom to clean the patio, and the bleach seeped down into the soil.

I cautioned her that the chlorine was so toxic it would kill the tree. She told me to mind my own business.

Each year, more of the tree died, and eventually, it was cut down.

I did some research and discovered additional detrimental effects of using chlorine bleach outdoors:

• It destroys the lignin fibers that hold wood together.

• It removes the natural color of the wood.

• It's highly corrosive to metal fasteners and framing connectors on wood decks.

• It will poison ponds and lakes.

An acquaintance introduced me to oxygen bleach.

This product is a powder that, when mixed with water, releases trillions of invisible nontoxic pure oxygen ions into the solution. These ions are powerful cleaners and blast apart organic stains, mold, mildew, algae, cooking grease and more.

It's safe to use on docks, as the solution that drips into the water adds oxygen to the lake or pond.

The best part is the oxygen bleach doesn't harm any vegetation or trees. It doesn't harm the lignin in natural wood. Oxygen bleach is safe for all composite decking, vinyl siding, fiber cement siding and outdoor furniture of all types.