How to clean vinyl siding
Vinyl siding is an excellent addition to a building facade. The garden areas around your home are a source of airborne sugar. It, in turn, is food for mold, moss and other plant microorganisms.
Most often, their distribution is noticeable precisely on the glossy surface of vinyl siding. Dirt and dust accumulated on siding are a food source for a wide variety of microorganisms. So, how to clean vinyl siding using the available washing methods?
How to clean vinyl siding with a pressure washer
The most expedient method to clean vinyl vertical siding is by operating a usual garden hose and spray. The spray should work at medium power. Try not to wash vinyl facade siding with an unnecessarily strong jet of water – it can get into the siding. Before you start washing your vinyl sidings, I think it’s better for you to read the first article about sandblasting vs pressure washing. A fairly large number of houses clad with siding do not have a waterproof coating at all, which would protect the surface of the walls from water penetration. Wooden walls and battens will get wet too easily if you direct the water jet during washing into the overlap joints, panel joints and interior corners, as well as window and door elements.
Vinyl siding is specially designed to reliably contain falling rainwater. They are absolutely not designed for water that falls from the bottom up. Always keep this fact in mind and do not hose down the siding — this can lead to water getting between the siding and the walls. This in turn will cause it to get wet and the walls will bloom from the inside out and the siding will start to rot. To examine the main technical characteristics of different types of sidings, click for more.
How to clean vinyl siding using detergents
A common dishwashing detergent is also suitable for washing siding. To properly clean the facade, it will take a relatively large amount of it – just pour a large amount of detergent into a bucket and add the heated water to form a foam and a soapy solution. Quite often, industry experts recommend pouring this solution into a hand-held garden pump and spray it directly onto the siding that has been rinsed with plain water.
Try not to use chlorine bleach on vinyl siding. Chlorine bleach is a real poison for any plant that grows near your home. It will penetrate the soil and quickly kill the roots of flowers, grass, trees and shrubs.
In a case you need to use bleach to get rid of mold, it’s commonly recommended to use oxygen bleach. Oxygen bleach, mostly, is non-toxic, odorless and oxygenates the soil. Also, it’s great for aluminum sidings cleaning.
Thoroughly wash the siding area from the bottom up. Try to be in the shade while working. You don’t want the soapy water to dry right on top of the siding before you wash it off. Professional washers recommend washing the siding in areas of approximately 2×2 meters each. Diverse home renovations require different cleansing methods, so choose precisely.
Buy a long-handled floor mop with a soft cloth — it’s a great vinyl siding cleaner. Right after you’ve sprayed soapy water on the siding, dip a rag in a bucket of the same soapy water and wipe off the dirt with a left-right motion.
Begin washing at the bottom and work your way up. Rinse off the soapy water from the area you just cleaned as soon as possible. And so on to the very top right before you reach roofing accessories. When cleaning the siding on the upper sections of the wall, be sure to check that the areas underneath you remain clean.
