Cleaning Siding
As you go through your list of home maintenance tasks, it’s easy to forget about the outside of your home. Improving the appearance of your home, when it comes to siding, can make it more energy efficient, safe and increase its curb appeal. If you already have siding that works well for your home, we have some cleaning recommendations for you.
Make sure that about once a year you walk around the perimeter of your home to figure out the best way to clean your home’s siding. In addition, if you live somewhere that is frequently affected by hurricanes, tornadoes, or inclement weather, try to walk the perimeter of your home and check for damage after any major storm has passed through. If you notice, it’s important to call a specialist to prevent any further water damage or unnecessary exposure.
Making Your Own Solution
Cleaning your home’s siding doesn’t require a third-party service. You can make a solution yourself right at home. Vinyl material is among the most popular composition for modern-day siding. Here are two recipes to consider for your vinyl siding:
Option 1:
The best homemade vinyl siding cleaner is an eco-friendly mixture of vinegar and water.
Combine one part vinegar and three parts water in a bucket and use a telescoping cleaning brush or sponge for dirtier areas of your siding. Remember to not mix ammonia and bleach when creating this solution.
Option 2:
If you want a more intense vinyl siding cleaning solution to remove mold from siding, use an ammonia cleaning solution.
Mix one part ammonia with ten parts water in a bucket and use a telescoping cleaning brush or sponge for dirtier areas of your siding. Remember to not mix ammonia and bleach when creating this solution.
Pressure Washer or Not?
If you want to clean your siding yourself, you may be tempted to pressure wash it. However, there are a few things to consider before you start spraying:
- How durable is your siding?
- How old is your siding?
- What material is your siding made of?
If you decide that a pressure washer is a way to go, you may have a pressure washer stored in your garage, with a neighbor, or one you can rent from your nearest home improvement store.
When you own a home with durable siding, using a pressure washer at a distance that will not damage the siding material can be a very efficient way to clean big surface areas. There are even attachments that allow you to feed your cleaning solution into the stream of water coming out of the nozzle.
If your siding is very old or damaged, there may be dry rot behind the siding. This is highly subject to falling apart if a pressure washer stream hits it. Some specialists suggest cleaning with a bristle brush for siding, but that can be tedious and time-consuming.
Keep Your Siding Beautiful with Window World
Whether you’re beautifying your existing siding or have come to the realization that you want to replace it with something more durable and easy to clean, we’re here to help. Talk to one of our siding specialists when you schedule an estimate today!