Cleaning Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding has become one of the most preferred siding material for home improvement, due to its neat look and for the fact that it does not rot or flake. However, inspite of being more durable than other different types of house siding material, vinyl siding also tends to look dull and dirty over a period of time. But, this problem is quite simple to solve, as this siding can be cleaned easily without much effort. By now, you must be eager to know everything about cleaning vinyl siding, like how to clean it as well as what to use to clean vinyl siding. The answer to the query, how do you clean vinyl siding is quite simple, just follow these easy steps and get back the former clean and shiny look of your siding.

Cleaning Preparation
First of all, you have to prepare your vinyl siding as well as the surrounding area for cleaning. This step would ensure that no outdoor items of your home come in the way of cleaning and get damaged. Besides this, it would also make the entire process of cleaning, problem free, as you can move about freely without worrying about anything other than your siding.

So, turn off power to the outside electrical units and cover up the light fixtures, as well as the electrical outlets with plastic. Do not forget to seal the covering with duct tape. Also move all types of outdoor furniture, metals and any other item that can get damaged by water. As far as your garden plants are concerned, cover them with a plastic sheet, to protect them from the cleaning products that you are going to use. Once you have removed everything from the surrounding area, look for mold and mildews stains on the siding. Both mold and mildew stains would require special treatment, as they cannot be removed by normal cleaning. Know more about how to clean mold and mildew.

How to Clean Vinyl Siding
For cleaning vinyl siding, you can either opt for a pressure washer or the conventional method of cleaning, i.e. using a bucket and a cloth or a scrubbing brush. The choice entirely depends on you, but we are going to discuss both the methods in details. Let us first concentrate on the conventional method of cleaning, and you already know that for this, you would require a bucket, a handled brush and lots of time and effort. So, purchase a good brush with an extension handle and take a bucketful of water. Mix some detergent or liquid dishwashing soaps to prepare the cleaning solution.

Now, wet the siding with water by using a garden hose. First, start with the bottom and then move towards the top of the wall. Dip the brush in the soapy solution and then start scrubbing the siding with horizontal motion. Always start this process from the bottom and then move gradually towards the top. Once you have cleaned an area, rinse it immediately with clean water and continue in this way until you clean the entire vinyl siding. So, by now you must have guessed that the entire process is quite laborious and time consuming, for which many people prefer to use pressure washer for cleaning vinyl siding.

Using a pressure washer can make the entire cleaning process easy and less time consuming. So, fill up the tank of a pressure washer with water and liquid dishwashing soap or commercial cleaning product. Now, attach the garden hose to the pressure washer and then put on the washer. Hold the nozzle at a 45 degree angle to the wall, and start spraying water from the bottom to the top. For your convenience, divide the entire wall into some 3 to 5 feet width sections. Work on one section at a time and then proceed to the next one. Continue in this way until you clean up the entire wall. Always, rinse the siding with clean water before the cleaning solution gets a chance to dry out. Otherwise, you will end up with a wall, full of patchy marks.

The main concern about using pressure washer is that it generates high pressure, for which water may escape through the seams and rot the underlying wood structure or cause the development of mold and mildew. Therefore, never use a forceful and direct stream of water for cleaning vinyl siding and also do not point the hose up at the siding. Find out some more information on how to clean vinyl siding.

If you are encountering the problem of mold and mildew, then along with regular washing, you would need the help of some other products. The best product for mildew and mold removal is bleach. But, instead of chlorine bleach, use something non-toxic, like oxygen bleach. Chlorine bleach is toxic and it can cause extensive damage to your houseplants and vegetation. For other tough stains, you may have to use some commercial cleaning products, in which case, always follow the instructions mentioned in the label of the product. Hope that these few tips on cleaning vinyl siding have answered your common queries about how to clean vinyl siding.