How to Wash Vinyl Siding

The easiest, safest, and most foolproof way to beautify the exterior of your house is by installing a vinyl siding. Nonetheless, it should be noted that, due to prolonged exposure to extreme weather conditions, it gets soiled. Over a period of time, molds and mildew develop on its surface, taking away its original freshness and beauty.

The best way to regain the bright, glossy look of the siding is by washing it, which is not as tough as you think, provided you know the tricks and do it the right way.

In fact, one of the main reasons vinyl siding is so popular for home improvements is because they are extremely easy to clean. Follow these simple steps to make your old vinyl siding look new again.

A well-prepared work area always helps to make the task at hand, hassle-free. Shift the patio furniture, barbecue grill, and other such things from the area where you will be working in to another place. This will not only prevent the equipment from getting soiled, but will also give you ample of free space to work in.

Make sure you cover up the light fixture, outlets, and vents with plastic sheets, and then fix them up with painter's tape to keep them from getting damaged. The plants and shrubs of your garden need protection too, so keep them covered as well.

Look carefully for black mold or mildew on the siding. If present, you can get rid of them by treating them with oxygen bleach. Prepare a solution containing one part of oxygen bleach and 5 parts of water and apply it on the affected area.

There are two ways in which you can clean vinyl siding. This story explains both in detail. You can use the one that suits your requirements or the one that seems more convenient.

You will require a scrub brush with an extension handle attached to it so that it can reach out to the far areas of the siding. Divide the wall to be cleaned into a number of sections of 3 - 5 feet of width. Concentrate on cleaning one section at a time.

Make a cleaning solution in a bucket by mixing one-third cup of laundry detergent in one gallon of water. Start spraying water from the bottom of the siding with the help of your garden hose and gradually move upwards to the top.

Once the portion is soaked in water, dip the scrubbing brush into the soapy solution and scrub it from the bottom to the top using both vertical as well as horizontal strokes. After scrubbing off all the dirt and debris, spray clean once again with water to rinse off the cleaning solution. Once a section is done with, repeat the procedure for other sections.

The advantages of using a pressure washer are that the work gets done sooner and requires comparatively lesser efforts. In this method, you just have to spray the water from the washer all across the siding.

Firstly, fill up the tank of the pressure washer with cleaning products that are reliable and available in the market. Divide the siding into sections, each having a width of about 3 - 5 feet.

Fix the garden hose on the pressure washer and switch on the washer. Hold the nozzle at an angle of 45 degrees and start spraying the water on the siding from the bottom and slowly graduate towards the top. Be careful when you spray water around the edges of doors and windows lest it enters the other side and damages stuff.

Once you are done with one section of the siding, move on to the next one. In this manner, finish off washing the entire wall with the cleaner. Then rinse off the siding with clean water before the cleaner gets dried up, or else the cleaner can make it look patchy.

It is advised that you clean your vinyl siding when it is not too bright or sunny. Excessive heat tends to dry the cleaner very quickly which might result in patchy marks and an unclean job.