We live in Washington, a mossy, moldy state. Sidewalks turn brown, roofs become laden, decks get slippery and green. In the past we have purchased products that specified they were made to take care of these naturally occurring problems. Things seemed O.K. at first, but after about two years, all of the shrubs surrounding our porch were dead. – O.K. maybe I should have read the instructions a little more closely. In any event, this year, in the ongoing quest for all things natural – in the house and around the yard, I suggested we might try vinegar to help clean and remove the deck mold. My husband gave me a sideways look, with good reason. The surface of our deck is textured to keep it from being slippery, which sounds great, but what actually happens is that all of the tiny crevices work like mini mold toeholds. The end result is that our back porch looks like a leprechauns dream. Anyway, after a bit of coaxing said spouse grudgingly agreed to give it a go. We sprayed the vinegar on, let it sit, hosed it off… and, presto! No more slime! Wow, that was waaaay too easy, and inexpensive. We used it straight because we wanted the big guns but I think it might have worked just as well half vinegar, half water.

For good old fashioned getting rid of slime, the recipe is: Spray it on, wait, – hose it off.

Happy Fall, – or I mean, don’t!

Vinegar is also a great weed killer and even more effective if you combine it with Epsom salts and dish soap. Here is the recipe if you are interested in un-greening your weeds. One gallon of vinegar, two cups Epsom salts ¼ cup of dish soap. I have been told it works even faster than chemical weed killers.