Prep for Solid Stain on Deck Rail?

Hello DSH,

We had new cedar deck boards installed last fall (Maine; mostly sun; south-facing deck).   We are cleaning and brightening the deck boards and are planning to use a semi-transparent AC stain.  The old railing (cedar also) was saved and we sanded off all of the old Sikkens stain.  We read your article (or advice) about using a different color solid stain for deck rails to get a two-tone look, and are considering that.

Regarding prep for a solid stain on the railing:  was sanding(and rinsing dust off) enough, or do we also need to clean and brighten like we are doing for the deck boards with a semi-transparent?

Thanks much for your answer to this and other questions we've asked!

derekw