How to Clean Vinyl Siding

A perfect siding can accentuate the looks of your house. Nowadays, vinyl siding is preferred to other alternatives, like wood, steel, stone, brick, and concrete. Like any other siding material, vinyl can also get accumulated with dust and grime, which can eventually attract mold and algae. Thus, the siding may look dull and dirty.

An advantage of vinyl siding is that, it can be cleaned with water and soap. Vinyl siding has to be cleaned at least once a year, to maintain its appearance. Cleaning vinyl siding is not a difficult task. It can be done on your own, if you have enough time and patience. Otherwise, hire a professional. If you want to do it for yourself, you may follow the tips given below.

Before cleaning the siding, make sure that the material is vinyl, and not painted wood or anything like that. The next step is to collect the tools and materials needed for cleaning. Once done, you can start the preparation for such cleaning.

• If there are light fixtures or electrical outlets on the outside, cover them with plastic sheets, and fix with adhesive tape. Turn off the power supply to these fixtures and outlets.
• Plants and outdoor furniture in the vicinity may suffer damage, if exposed to the cleaning solution. So cover them with plastic.

• All the windows and doors should be closed before cleaning. If there is any metallic fixture or article made of etched glass, you should cover it with plastic.

• If you suspect growth of mold or mildew on the siding, apply a small amount of bleach on the trouble spots. Mold and mildew growths are often seen as dark spots. When exposed to bleach, mold and mildew turn white and dirt remains dark. You can remove mold and mildew by cleaning the spots with a solution made of nine parts water and one part oxygen bleach.

For cleaning vinyl siding, you may either use machines, or do it manually. For manual cleaning, you need a ladder, a garden hose, a bucket of water, dish wash liquid, a soft-bristled brush with a long handle, brooms, and towels. If you want to take some mechanical help, you can rent a pressure washer for the cleaning process.

Spray water on the vinyl siding using your garden hose. The cleaning process should start from the top. The water pressure should be medium, because high pressure water may enter the cracks, crevices, lap joints and corners; and may also cause damage to the walls, if they are not waterproof.

Always make sure that you are spraying water with the hose pointing towards the ground. If the hose is positioned with an upward nozzle, water may enter through the seams of the siding. A pressure cleaner can help you in spraying the water or soap solution.

• The water spray can remove some dust and dirt on the siding, but it may not be sufficient for removal of stubborn grime.
• Make a solution of dish wash liquid and water for cleaning. You may substitute dish wash liquid with laundry detergent. Add 1/3 cup of liquid dish soap to a gallon of water.

• Apply the soap solution to the siding, using a soft-bristled brush. Start from the top and scrub the siding with the brush dipped in soap solution.
• If there is somebody to help, you can ask him/her to spray the soap solution with a hand-pump garden sprayer, while you scrub the siding to remove dirt and other particles.

• Once the scrubbing is over, spray water from the top to the bottom. Don't let any soap particles remain on the siding, as they may leave spots.
• You can repeat the process, if the siding does not look clean.

If you want to add some chemicals for cleaning, it is always better to use oxygen bleach than chlorine bleach, as the latter can be harmful for nearby plants and trees.