Home Siding Options

Anything that is left outside exposed to the wind, the rain,  and the sun will eventually start to loose its luster and appear dirty.  This will happen whether it is lawn furniture,  your car or even the vinyl siding on your home.  Cleaning vinyl siding is easy and can be accomplished as a weekend project on an average sized home. As with most projects the work that needs to be done to prepare for cleaning vinyl siding will take longer than the actual cleaning of the siding itself.

The preparation for cleaning vinyl siding comes in two steps.   The first is either removing or covering anything that you do not want cleaned along with the siding.  This would include finding and covering all outside lighting fixtures and electrical outlets.  Water and electrify do not mix so you will want to cover all the outlets carefully.  Plants that are next to the home need to be covered to keep the dirt and grime from falling down on them.  Move anything such as lawn furniture and children's toys away from the house.  Either park the car in the garage or on the street to protect it.  You want to be cleaning vinyl siding not dirtying your car.

The next step in cleaning vinyl siding is checking for mold and mildew.  The mildew will often look like dirt on the siding but will need special attention if your cleaning vinyl siding project is to be a success.  Test the dirty spots with a drop of bleach.  If it turns white it is mold or mildew.  If it remains dark it is dirt and will wash off.  Clean the spots that test positively for mold with a mixture of one part bleach to five parts of water.  Once the mildew has been removed you are ready to attack the dirt.

Power washers will do an effective job of cleaning vinyl siding.  They will also do an effective job of taking the paint or other finish off wood trim and door.  Extreme care needs to be exercised when directing the stream toward anything but vinyl and always use it on low power with the largest tip possible to avoid pitting the vinyl.  The safer option is to use a bucket, a sponge or soft cloth, and a vinyl cleaning solution.  You can purchase these or make your own from biodegradable materials.