How To Clean And Restore The Appearance Of Your Home's Vinyl Siding
Keeping your home's exterior well-maintained and clean can improve the appearance of your home and help increase its value. As your home's siding becomes dirty and stained, it is a good idea to clean it to restores its appearance with cleaners and water from a pressure washer. If you are planning to paint your vinyl siding a new color with an approved vinyl siding paint, you should prepare its surface by cleaning it thoroughly. Here are some tips to help you clean to remove specific stains and dirt from your home's vinyl siding.
Bird and Insect Droppings and Stains
Residue spots and dirt from wind and rain can appear on your siding, causing it to look unattractive. Bird droppings can collect on the side of your house, and as you clean it off it can be helpful to wear rubber gloves and a face mask to prevent any bacteria or viruses present in the bird droppings from harming you.
Use a solution of dish detergent and warm water and a sponge to wipe the bird droppings from your siding. You can wipe sticky insect stains from your siding with the same process.
Tree Sap
If you encounter tree sap that has dripped upon your siding, apply some Goo Gone or baby oil to a rag and rub it over the tree sap until it dissolves from the siding. Follow this up by spraying the the oil or cleaner from the vinyl with a pressure washer and a low-pressure tip to prevent it from damaging it.
Mold and Mildew
Mold and mildew growth on your siding can be a problem in climates that are humid and rainy most of the year. When mold and mildew grows on your siding, mix up a cleaning strength solution of bleach and water. Wearing rubber gloves, apply this cleaner onto the siding of your home, wiping it from the surface with a cleaning rag. Begin at the bottom of the siding and work your way up. Be sure to work in small areas as your clean the mold and mildew and rinse it with clean water. This helps you keep track of where you have cleaned and prevents the solution from drying upon the vinyl, as this can cause the vinyl to become damaged.
You can also apply the bleach solution with a pressure washer with a low pressure sprayer, and allow the bleach solution to sit on your siding for several minutes. Once the solution has sat for the required period of time, rinse it clean with your pressure washer to remove the solution, working from the bottom to the top.
Rust
Rust can also be a concern on some areas of your siding that are in contact with an object made of metal. Rust stains will usually show up as vertical lines down the side of the siding. Use a pressure washer with a solution of rust remover, such as CLR, and water. Spray it over the rusted areas until the rust has been removed. Be sure you don't spray the pressure washer upward, as it can spray water beneath the siding and your home, which can cause moisture damage.
Use these tips to help you clean and remove spots and stains from your home's vinyl siding.