The cedar garden bed was looking dull and dirty. Since the morning glories died off for the winter, and we subsequently had nights in the high 40s, the cranberry hibiscus and roselle have both faded as well. I really wanted to spruce up the raised bed by cleaning it and waterproofing/sealing it. I still have to mulch and concrete around this bed but the cedar cleaning is phase 1.
In the past, I pressure washed my cedar garden enclosure and pretty much blasted it to smithereens. This time, I decided to try a bleach spray that was actually a miracle cleaner! Typically, I don’t like to use toxins in the yard but I decided to give it a go. Pretty sure it said it was safe but it really smelled like bleach… and if it kills algae and mold so quickly, I’m sure it doesn’t discriminate for other plants.
Well, I sprayed it on and it instantly made a huge difference.
I tried not to get it on the plants as best I could.
The morning glories had died in the cooler temperatures, as is expected. So, I removed them and put them in the woods. They were full of seeds. I sure I will see them again next summer. At least in the woods, they can spread as much as they want. I know some seeds will sprout inside the bed again as well!
Once done, I sealed the garden bed with Thompson’s Waterseal that was transparent with a slight cedar colored stain. The results were phenomenal.
Because it worked so well, I also cleaned and sealed the outdoor cedar shower.
And, I sprayed some on the vinyl privacy fence but ran out. Broke out the pressure washer but then resorted to household bleach and the RV/boat scrub brush. The pressure washer really wasn’t cutting it and was taking too long. Plus, I was getting sprayed and had flashbacks to when I pressure washed the tack room and started suffering from hypothermia! No thank you. 😉
And, I finished the cedar trash enclosure as well. Here are the after shots:
