Vinyl siding and insulated vinyl siding are among the most straightforward home exterior materials to maintain. Clean them annually, and you’ll prevent dirt accumulation, thwart mold and mildew stains, and add years of life to your siding.
Here are some simple steps to maintain your siding:
How to Clean Your Vinyl Siding
Prepare to Wash Your Home
Take these steps before you give your home its annual cleaning.
- Gather the right supplies – When washing vinyl siding, you’ll need a garden hose, mild soap, a bucket, and a long-handled soft bristle brush.
- Cover up any brick facing on your home so it’s not affected by the runoff. Use Simple Green® cleaners, which are non-toxic.
- Shield your landscaping from soapy water by throwing a tarp over it.
- Read the manufacturer’s guidelines for your particular home siding. Be sure you abide by them, so you don’t risk voiding your warranty.
- Spot-check your preferred cleaner. Don’t risk harming your vinyl siding. Try your cleaning solution in an obscure place on your vinyl and ensure it is gentle enough that it won’t harm your exterior.
- Skip the temptation to power wash your home. While it may work for some siding types, why risk creating a problem when you’re simply trying to wash your home? Those who choose to power wash and accidentally aim the water upward can cause it to be driven behind the siding, creating the perfect storm (giving mold, mildew, and rot the ideal spot to breed). Openings in your home exterior (windows, doors, and plumbing) create particularly vulnerable areas that could cause water infiltration by pressure washers.
How to Wash Your Siding Successfully
- Start at the bottom of your home and work up with your cleaner, brush, and hose.
- Be sure to rinse your cleaning solution thoroughly before it dries.
Take Extra Time to Deal With Stubborn Stains on Your Siding
- If mold and mildew have wreaked havoc on your vinyl siding, make a solution of 30% vinegar and 70% water and apply it to the trouble spots on your exterior.
- Are you up against mulch residue? This can form from artillery spores from a dreaded fungus in shredded wood mulch around your home exterior. The only thing you can do about this problem is to replace your shredded wood mulch with bark mulch before your next siding replacement.
Additional Vinyl Siding Maintenance Tips
Safeguard Your Exterior From Patchy Discoloration
A certain amount of fading occurs over time due to the sun’s UV rays, but siding typically fades uniformly. Fading is the least obvious when you pick a lighter color siding.
Whenever you need to use stain or a sealant on your home exterior, make sure it doesn’t come into contact with your vinyl siding. Additionally, insecticides and herbicides can sometimes stain vinyl, so keep them at bay to preserve your home’s looks.
Avoid Painting Your Siding
A host of manufacturers void their warranty if the vinyl siding is painted. As the saying goes, “If it’s vinyl, it’s final.” So make sure you love the color of your vinyl before you have it installed, and acknowledge it’s best to leave it that color.
Do a Periodic Visual Inspection of Your Siding
Every spring and fall (and after severe storms), walk around your home and look carefully at your vinyl siding. If you spot any cracks, breaks, rot, or damage to your siding, contact a professional and have it repaired. The longer you leave damage unaddressed, the more costly the problem will be to solve.
Protect Your Twin Cities Home with Attractive New Siding
We’ve got you covered if you’re in the market for new vinyl siding. At Beissel Window & Siding, we’ve served Minneapolis & St. Paul homeowners for over 70 years and plan to keep going. Our employees have hundreds of years of shared experience, so you can count on us for your home remodeling needs.
We know that moisture intrusion creates costly problems over time. That’s why we go the extra mile when sealing under your siding. It may cost us more money up front, but we would rather do that to save you from leaks or issues in the future.
