Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - what neccessary steps for deck maintenance

Hi,Folks:

I bought a house 2 years agao. This house came with a deck. The owner did some stain when I bought the house. I figured that that was enough so I haven't done much about the deck for last 2 years.

I think that I might need to do sth now to keep it in a good shape for a long run.

I asked some people. The general ideas seems:
1. Remove milddew by using "deck milddew remover"
2. Power wash. My neighbor just use a spray gun to do this. Should I do the same? Is it enough?
3. Stain. What stain should I choose? Is it neccessary to do it once every 2 years?

Besides the above, what else need I do?

Thanks
Acton

The deck will tell you how often it needs to be sealed. If water no longer beads up on it, it needs to be resealed. If mildew isn't a big problem you can probably wash it and rinse with garden hose. It just needs to be clean so you don't seal in the dirt or mold. Most good stains last 2-3 years. There are a lot of good stains on the market. I've had good luck with SWP's cuprinol. Since some products preform better in some locations than others ask your neighbors what they have had good [or bad] luck with. :)