This is the most important reason to clean your pool deck before summer, and it’s one that’s easy to underestimate until someone goes down hard on wet concrete.
Algae and biofilm growth thrive in moist environments, and pool decks see constant moisture from splashing, rain, and humidity. The tricky part is that algae can be nearly invisible on dry concrete but becomes extremely slippery the moment the surface gets wet. Around a pool where kids are running, jumping, and moving fast on bare feet, that’s a serious hazard that you don’t want to discover after the fact.
Mold and mildew create similar problems. They build up in the textured surfaces of concrete and between the joints of pavers, creating patches of slick organic growth that are easy to miss during a casual walkthrough but dangerous underfoot when everything’s wet.
Pressure washing doesn’t just clean the surface layer. Depending on your deck material, a professional wash reaches into the pores of the concrete or pavers where biofilm colonizes, eliminating the growth at the source rather than just scrubbing what you can see from a distance. If your pool deck has been sitting through fall and winter without a thorough cleaning, there’s a good chance algae has already established itself even if it’s not fully visible yet.
Getting that taken care of before anyone’s running around in bare feet is the smart call, and it’s a lot easier to address before the season starts than after someone slips.