How To Clean Siding On Your House Vinyle Siding

Accept you ever noticed the black, gray, and green stains that suddenly kickoff to accumulate on your house's vinyl siding exterior? Here'south a tip: There's nada sudden about this grime growth, yous're but simply noticing it because it's gotten bad.

When I bought my first business firm, it was dressed roof to foundation in 30-year-erstwhile buttery yellow vinyl siding. Its shade was and so pale and sun bleached that you lot could clearly see it needed—and peradventure had never had—a thorough cleaning. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't use a force per unit area washer to smash off the stains, because the siding was likewise onetime, gappy, and fragile.

And so, imagine my delight when I moved into a new home with brand new vinyl siding in a much more tasteful beige tone. No mold, algae, bird poop, or dinge in sight until three years in.

Believe me when I say it'southward my pleasure to assistance brainwash you on why and how to clean vinyl siding, and besides advise a few of my favorite products—that, yes, I did endeavor out—and then you tin tackle your dwelling house's exterior, too.

Why it'southward important to clean your vinyl siding

You'll want to get in the practise of washing the outside of your home once per year, equally you would any abode maintenance task, like cleaning your gutters or sealing your driveway. A popular time to practice so is in the leap, peculiarly in more northern climates where snowfall, ice, and table salt can do a number on your home over the winter. But, the truth is, you can make clean your vinyl siding any fourth dimension of year, as long as you lot have a mild, sunny day in the forecast.

Many natural factors can lessen the luster of your vinyl siding. There'southward pollen, dirt and debris diddled onto it by wind and passing traffic. Bird poop and bug goo are other pollutants that can actually muck up a pretty house.

If you've noticed a neon green crud creeping up your siding, say hello to green algae build-upward. It can exist pervasive and bold, especially if you've gone more than than a year between cleanings. Don't confuse this with grey and yellowish-ish mildew, some other problematic organic growth that crops up in warm, damp, humid climates.

Wet & Forget outdoor stain remover cleaned up all the nasty green algae and mildew on my siding in about 72 hours. — Credit: Reviewed / Leigh Harrington

Dean Davies, a cleaning specialist for the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland-based home cleaning and maintenance company Fantastic Services, says, "Overall, it depends on how speedily your vinyl siding gets dirt and mildew on it. People who live in shady or clammy areas might need to clean theirs a bit more oft as mildew will just keep popping up."

Another reason to regularly clean vinyl siding is to protect it from beingness damaged past household maintenance products that may have splashed onto information technology while working effectually the yard, like deck stains, grease or a grease remover, chlorine bleach, and other corrosive solutions.

Davies says, "Vinyl siding is susceptible to discoloring if any insecticides, fertilizers, or herbicides take been used near it. And let'south not forget that information technology can exist accidentally stained when using products such as driveway sealant, motor oil, paint, and caulking."

Hither's how to make clean vinyl siding

There are basically three methods for cleaning vinyl siding: using a soft cloth or soft-bristled castor; using a garden hose; or using a pressure washer.

To pressure level launder, or non

The experts caution against using a pressure washer to clean your home's vinyl siding, because you may cause damage if you're not careful. — Credit: Getty Images / mikespics

Many homeowners will want to take an easy and firsthand road for blasting grime into the hereafter. Merely there's a lot of speculation around whether or non yous should use a pressure washer to clean vinyl siding.

Popular exterior and interior building product brand CertainTeed discourages the apply, saying on its website, "We do not recommend ability washing vinyl or polymer siding, as information technology can crusade wet intrusion, impairment, and/or discoloration."

Steve Wade, an outside siding contractor who installs and repairs vinyl siding in the Pacific Northwest as CEO of his company SFW Construction, says, "Unless you take the correct equipment and experience, stay away from power washing, although this is a great mode to make clean your vinyl. All too ofttimes, nosotros hear of homeowners who used too-powerful power washers and damaged their siding."

Conversely, the trade clan for manufacturers of vinyl and other polymeric siding and suppliers, Vinyl Siding Institute, allows for using a pressure washer, if you lot're cautious. "When cleaning, hold the power washer direct at eye level to go along the water on top of the siding where information technology tin can clean virtually effectively," it recommends on its website. "Do not aim the power washer upward, equally water may be driven behind the siding."

Natalie Barrett, a service quality supervisor for Groovy Cleaning, based in Sydney, Australia, agrees. "Some types of vinyl are not to be treated with pressure h2o, while other kinds of vinyl can mostly handle such cleaning," she says. "Y'all have to be extra careful with the fishing of the water current, and effort to shoot at the vinyl from a 90-degree angle."

Soft and gentle is the way to go

Using a garden hose, a cleaner, and a soft bristled brush is a gentle but effective way to remove grunge from your vinyl siding. — Credit: Reviewed / Leigh Harrington

Using a garden hose or a soft bristled brush are both less subversive approaches and are pretty piece of cake to follow.

Many dedicated vinyl firm siding cleaners are sold in spray bottles that attach directly to your garden hose. I love this approach because it offers the satisfaction of water pressure while still being gentle on your siding.

Always follow the directions of the cleaning solution. But, for most, the procedure is equally simple as screwing the spray bottle's hose zipper to a garden hose and controlling a mixed menses of h2o and cleaning solution from a special nozzle on the canteen. Because you have the added oomph of h2o pressure, this method typically allows you to reach the meridian of a two-story building—about 25 ft.—without ever climbing a ladder.

Homeowners can besides opt to clean vinyl siding the old-fashioned manner, with soft, microfiber cloths or a soft-bristled brush and a bucket of cleaning solution. Y'all can also use a germicidal bleach concentrate.

Again, follow the directions on the bottle of cleaning solution, simply typically, you dilute the full-bodied formula with water, then wipe down your vinyl siding. Some solutions want you to wash the siding dry out, and some instruct you to pre-rinse the house's exterior.

Piece of work in small sections, starting at the lesser of the section and working up, which prevents streaking. You'll also desire to rinse away the cleaning solution, from top to lesser, before it has a chance to dry on your siding. Otherwise, you may incur a noticeable residual, equally I did, when I let it dry out but to see what would happen.

Wade cautions, "Do non use hard pressure when scrubbing due to the possibility of slap-up and pieces becoming loose."

Pro tip: Plants exercise non like vinyl siding cleaning solutions. To prevent killing your shrubs, bushes, and flowers, h2o your garden ahead of time. Having pre-saturated soil prevents the cleaning solution from soaking in. You can also comprehend plants with a tarp.

What's the all-time vinyl siding cleaner for yous?

We tried out a half dozen top-selling vinyl siding cleaners to see how they performed—and they all tackled our grime with ease. — Credit: Reviewed / Leigh Harrington

When it comes to figuring out the best vinyl siding cleaner, homeowners have to assess what makes sense for their house, location, and agility.

If you want to endeavor the garden hose spray canteen method, which is my favorite, I can suggest a few great options.

Both Scotts House & Siding Zero Scrub outdoor cleaner and Wet & Forget Outdoor moss, mold, mildew and algae stain remover clear upwards the mold and mildew within 72 hours without a unmarried scrub from you. Neon green mildew goes the way of the dodo completely, but you lot may notice a slight residue that remains. And for trivial try big reward I loved these both when I tried them.

For people who demand immediate gratification and to check this particular off their to-do list: You'll desire to use Scotts Outdoor Cleaner plus OxyClean. It offers that aforementioned easy hose application as its sis no-scrub product, merely it differs in that yous actually practice take to scrub and rinse the siding afterwards application. The effect is the best in the shortest amount of fourth dimension. If your house is more than one story alpine, yet, this pick may be a no-go.

If you lot'd rather take the 1-department-at-a-time, wipe and rinse approach, which I also tried, Home Armor'southward E-Z House Wash concentrate and Krud Kutter Multi-purpose House Wash full-bodied formula are piece of cake to use and wipe out stains after only a few minutes. But again, if you have a multi-story abode, yous may want to explore other options. Personally, I wouldn't want to exist hanging off a ladder 25 feet off the ground, scrubbing siding. I'm ambitious only to a point.

Y'all can also DIY a cleaning solution with regular items found in your shed or utility room.

For routine maintenance, Wade says, "It'southward best to utilise warm, soapy h2o (dish or laundry lather). Hot water can damage the siding. Only, for extensive residue, mix a full general-purpose cleaner or 1-part Elementary Greenish Oxy outdoor cleaner and 15-parts water (almost one loving cup per gallon of water) and load in a ability washer. Spray the home on a low-cal setting with a broad-angle nozzle to prevent damage."

Davies recommends mixing i-third loving cup powdered laundry detergent, ane quart liquid laundry bleach, two-thirds cup powdered household cleaner, and one gallon of water.

Barrett says a simple 70:xxx water to white vinegar solution will eliminate most stains and moderate mildew. "If you nonetheless desire to do good from the ability of synthetic detergents," she says, "mix a gallon of water with i cup of oxygen bleach. This mixture has stronger cleaning backdrop than the vinegar alternative, without the health risks of mixing diverse synthetic products at once."

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