Questions and answers about decking and soap

Here is a compilation of questions received about cleaning wooden decking with soap. If you are looking for a guide on how to clean your decking with soap, several articles and videos on the subject have been collected here: https://vasterbottenssapa.se/blogs/stadguiden/tagged/trall-uteplats

 

Can you clean decking with green soap?

Green soap usually refers to soap made from hemp oil; the hemp oil gave the soap special properties and a green color. When Sweden banned all hemp cultivation, including industrial hemp, in 1972, green soap also disappeared. Since then, decking soap has been colored green and called green soap. As a result, it is difficult to find green soap in its true sense today.

 

Cleaning decking with soap—how much should you use?

If the decking is new, clean, and in good condition, it does not need to be cleaned first; you can go straight to treating it with soap. Mix 1 L of superfatting soap with 9 L of cold water and treat the decking with the solution.

Repeat until the wood feels saturated and has a soft, pleasant surface. Porous wood species and older wood tend to need more soap, while new decking and hard wood species require less soap. 

 

How do you clean decking with Soapa?

If the decking is new, clean, and in good condition, it does not need to be cleaned first; you can go straight to treating it with soap. Mix 1 L of superfatting soap with 9 L of cold water and treat the decking with the solution.

Repeat until the wood feels saturated and has a soft, pleasant surface. Porous wood species and older wood tend to need more soap, while new decking and hard wood species require less soap. 

If the decking needs to be cleaned first: Mix 1 dl of Soapa with 10 L of warm water and scrub in the direction of the wood grain. Use a stiff brush if there are algae or heavy dirt on the surface. 
If large amounts of dirt come loose, remove them with water and a cloth before treating the decking according to the instructions above with cold water and plenty of soap.

Can you buy Soapa at Jula?

-No, at present (spring 2026), Soapa is not available in Jula stores.

Can you buy Soapa at ByggMax?

-No, at present (spring 2026), Soapa is not available in ByggMax stores.

Are Soapa and Grumme the same thing?

- No, Soapa is an independent company and a separate brand that saponifies rapeseed oil instead of pine oil. Grumme is therefore a different brand. We would like to point out that all soap is a good choice when the alternative is other cleaning products, but soaps have different properties depending on which oil or fat is saponified.

What is superfatting soap?

Superfatting soaps are soaps that contain an excess of fat that penetrates and cares for natural materials such as wood and stone. Just as there are different types of bar soap, there are different types of soft soap. Perhaps you have bought a slightly more expensive genuine soap at some point and noticed that your hands feel very soft after using it. Soft soaps work in the same way. 
Linseed oil soaps and rapeseed oil soaps are often naturally superfatting.

 

Cleaning decking with linseed oil soap?

Linseed oil soap and Soapa have similar properties. The difference lies in the raw material: Soapa uses a circular raw material, which results in a low climate footprint and reduced pressure on our agriculture.