Is it Time To Clean the Vinyl Siding of My Home?
Your home’s exterior appearance is a reflection of how much you take care of your abode. If your vinyl siding is dingy or looking gray, it’s probably time to have your vinyl professionally cleaned.
Typically homes with vinyl siding need to be cleaned every 2 years. You should have your siding cleaned more often if:
- You live in a wet climate like South Central Pennsylvania and Maryland that are known for a few rainy seasons each year. When the siding has little time to dry out between rainstorms, mold or mildew may build up. Mold does not just look unsightly, it can pose a health problem especially for those with upper respiratory challenges.
- Your siding is textured and traps dust and dirt instead of letting that slide right off. You can tell if your siding has texture if you run your hand along vinyl and can feel bumps and ridges. Dust likes to collect in the little recessed areas.
- Your siding is light-colored and shows dirt faster than darker colors. More new installs of vinyl siding are leaning toward darker colors because you can stretch out your professional cleanings to 3-4 years.
How To Clean Your Vinyl Siding at Home
Because it is usually an exterior product, vinyl siding is the perfect breeding ground for the buildup of grime, dirt, and stains because of things such as bird and insect droppings, spider webs, pollen, and rust. In shady and moist areas, mildew and mold can grow—not to mention that vinyl is also vulnerable to discoloring effects from substances such as herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers. Additionally, vinyl siding’s finish may be tarnished by a number of household maintenance products, including driveway sealant, tar, caulking, motor oil, and paint.
The best way to clean your vinyl siding is to use a soft cloth or an ordinary soft-bristled, long-handled brush. To prevent streaking, begin at the bottom and work your way up towards the top of the house. When cleaning vinyl siding, don’t forget to thoroughly rinse away the residue as you go.
Some good vinyl sider cleaner solutions include:
- A 70% water and 30% white vinegar solution makes a great all-purpose vinyl siding cleaner, which will remove any light mold and mildew stains.
- If you’d like a stronger solution to clean up your vinyl, go ahead and mix together 1/3 cup of powdered laundry detergent, 2/3 cup of powdered household cleaner, a quart of liquid laundry bleach, and a gallon of water.
- If you are concerned about protecting your landscaping, concoct a vinyl siding cleaner solution made up of a gallon of water mixed with a cup of oxygen bleach in a bucket. The oxygen bleach will safely clean the vinyl siding without damaging any of your landscaping.
- Simple Green has an environmentally friendly cleanser that is specially formulated for cleaning vinyl and aluminum siding, terra cotta, stucco, and painted wood. The solution is non-toxic and biodegradable, and can be used either manually or with pressure washers.
- General household cleaners (such as Fantastik, Windex, Murphy’s Oil Soap, and Lysol) can be used on those stubborn dirt and stains, which include topsoil, grass, grease, oil, rust, crayon, ink, and bubble gum. Rust stains may be removed using products designed for this purpose (e.g., Super Iron Out and Instant Rust Out).
