For unstained wood it's pretty simple as far as I know. Sand anything that's rough. Power wash it in the morning. Stain it once it dries.
Got the process a bit off there. You wash the deck (please note I left out the power part) you let it dry, then you sand, then after 5 days of dry weather you stain or when the wood reaches a moisture content less than 20% if you own a moisture meter.
Also if there's any mold growing, you'll want to scrub with bleach or something that will kill it.
Never ever put bleach on untreated wood if you have stained your deck already and the finish is intact still you can use bleach, but not on the bare wood. You need a oxygenating bleach such as sodium per carbonate based cleaner. Or a sodium hydroxide based deck stripper. If you have new wood or are looking to apply a maintenance coat the sodium percarb will work fine. If you have a aged deck or fence that has never been stained (several years) use a stripper as it will help better remove the UV damage that has been done to the wood.
I'm glad you started this thread, cyclonewoes. Our deck is 10 months old. We're beginning to look at different types of stain. What do you plan to use to prep the deck for staining?
See the comment above, also you need to neutralize your deck after cleaning as well. This opens the pores of the wood to allow it to better accept the stain.
As for what type of stain to use, on a outdoor deck or fence you don't want to use a latex based stain. It doesn't last in Iowa. Also avoid acrylic based stains also.
Semi Transparent oil based is your best bet. If you want to buy something local I recommend Olympic Maximum from lowes or Sherwin Williams Deck Scapes
