How can I make outdoor cushions water-repellant? Answers to your home questions

How's your deck looking after the long, cold winter? Yeah, we thought so. Never fear: Lou Manfredini is here to help. The TODAY contributor and host of "House Smarts" stopped by Studio 1A to answer viewer-submitted questions about their decks and outdoor patios. Read on for his suggestions on keeping your outdoor space safe, dry, and beautiful.

I noticed some slime growing on her backyard wooden deck and I want to know the safest way to get rid of it.

"What you have to worry about there is that things can get slippery," Manfredini explained. "This is a big problem in particular with wooden decks and synthetic decks."

There are a few sprays you can try to kill the moss and help keep it at bay. First, try Concrobium Mold Stain Eraser, available at hardware stores and home centers for $19.99. Mix a potion of the "eraser" with warm water and give it about 10 minutes to percolate. Then, simply take a scrub brush and apply to your deck. Within 24 hours, the slime will go away. (And it's not harmful to plants, pets, or to you.) For the long term, try a product called Wet & Forget, available for $26.99. There's no scrubbing required, and it'll keep your deck free of slime.

Could you recommend a water repellent for outdoor patio cushions?

Try Rust-Oleum NeverWet Outdoor Fabric Spray, available for $15.00 at hardware stores and home centers. It's a fabric treatment and Lou will have some cushions and show how water just runs off.

"It all depends on the sun exposure, but I think you'll get a good season out of it."

It seems that every spring, after a cold and wet winter, the bottom of my porch columns start to rot. How can I stop that from happening so that I don't have to replace them every other year?

Manfredini recommended P.C. Woody Stainable Wood Epoxy Paste. It's a two-part epoxy that's available at hardware stores and home centers for $8.99. You can fill in all the gaps in the porch columns with the paste, and then finish it off with a good exterior caulking product like NPC Solar Seal #900 Adhesive Sealant, available for $6.25.