Clean your Siding and Refresh your Home’s Appearance
Email To Friend | share this article | Posted by Anna on May 13th in Siding.
Just the other day, I happened to notice how dirty my siding was after a long, wet winter. My previously white house is now mud-splattered and a dirty off-white. You may also be contending with more than dirt, such as mold and algae. If you’re not ready to repaint, there are a few quick and inexpensive methods to refresh you home’s appearance.
Just plain, old-fashioned washing is one way to clean up in a hurry. Sometimes a regular hose just doesn’t cut it, and a pressure washer is required. You can rent one or a painting contractor will come equipped with one. Because they can be quite powerful, it is recommended that a skilled professional use them. Too hard of a stream can severely damage your house.
Pressure washing typically works well, however special care should be taken with different siding materials. Pressure washing is not advised for vinyl siding as there may not be adequate water-proof materials behind the siding. A hard stream of water will penetrate the cracks, and cause water damage. Be sure to use only eco-friendly cleaners that won’t harm your landscape, and rinse from the top down to discourage water from seeping through the cracks.
Aluminum siding can be washed with a pressure washer on an appropriate setting. You can also use biodegradable cleansers, or trisodium phosphate.
Stucco siding can be cleaned in much the same way as aluminum, although with only a regular garden hose and a much diluted cleaning solution.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you just have to repaint. Any quality painting job should adequately clean and prepare the siding beforehand. This may even include sandblasting older wood. Request free estimates from pre-screened contractors today to help you decide what your home needs this spring.
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May 15th, 2008 at 9:34 am
[…] washing, or pressure washing, will work for common outdoor surfaces such as concrete, wood, aluminum, or vinyl. It can eliminate stains, grit, dirt, mildew, moss, or […]
May 28th, 2008 at 9:55 am
[…] some caustic chemical to clean the exterior of your house. You can usually get away with simply pressure washing it with water. Just try not to blast water up under the lap in the siding and be careful not to […]