Hi, my new home projects continue. The exterior of my house is mainly Vinyl siding with some stone areas. I was initially planning on power washing since there is quite a bit of dust and dirt however after reading more into it, power washing makes me nervous about introducing water into the walls. Is there any option of using some sort of exterior shampoo and scrubbing it with a brush, washing it down with the garden hose?
Cleaning house exterior options
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I use a car wash brush. I found that it takes some mechanical agitation to work the grime loose. I use the Home Depot Pro HD Heavy Duty Simple Green, which is supposed to be plastic safe.
You can use a lower pressure setting on a power washer, although to get to the top of your home you might have to use a higher pressure setting.
The danger with a power washer is the tendency to want to bore down on stains and dirty areas. Don't forget you can point the spray vertical and have it fall onto the building as well as direct spraying, essentially the same as using a garden hose with municipal pressure (maybe 45 psi) but making more of the building accessible from the ground.
Brushing works quite well but the amount of "work" involved goes up exponentially. Most people want to reduce the work if they can, but if you're up to it there is nothing wrong with it, and it will get the building clean, in fact probably the cleanest considering you have vinyl siding to deal with.
Consider renting some scaffolding.
You have a massive choice of cleaners, but I would avoid any citrus based cleaners as they attack plastics, in some cases very aggressively, if not completely rinsed away. And there's always Ivory liquid.
The danger with a power washer is the tendency to want to bore down on stains and dirty areas. Don't forget you can point the spray vertical and have it fall onto the building as well as direct spraying, essentially the same as using a garden hose with municipal pressure (maybe 45 psi) but making more of the building accessible from the ground.
Brushing works quite well but the amount of "work" involved goes up exponentially. Most people want to reduce the work if they can, but if you're up to it there is nothing wrong with it, and it will get the building clean, in fact probably the cleanest considering you have vinyl siding to deal with.
Consider renting some scaffolding.
You have a massive choice of cleaners, but I would avoid any citrus based cleaners as they attack plastics, in some cases very aggressively, if not completely rinsed away. And there's always Ivory liquid.
If you use a pressure washer, what's more important than the PSI rating, is the nozzle you use. Choose a wide 40 degree nozzle over a narrow one. The more narrow the stream, less water they move at a higher pressure. Also keep the tip at least 6 inches away at first and see how it goes.
6 inches? I'd recommend no closer than a meter / yard, and if you can get the results you need by staying further than that, and three or more meters is not out of the question, then do that.
But as you say, it depends on the particular unit (they vary in pressure available) and the nozzle shape and diameter.
But as you say, it depends on the particular unit (they vary in pressure available) and the nozzle shape and diameter.
For those that might have an issue with algae and mold on their siding like here in eastern NC. Don't bother with washing. Just spray on Wet and Forget. This stuff is amazing. My pool fence which is white vinyl had the lovely stuff all over it. Took forever to pressure wash. I found Wet and Forget and tried it.
Well a year later and no algae or mold. I just use it once a year now and everything looks like new. Even on the concrete where it use to turn black now it doesn't. Follow the directions for mixing and use a pump sprayer to apply.
Wet and Forget
Well a year later and no algae or mold. I just use it once a year now and everything looks like new. Even on the concrete where it use to turn black now it doesn't. Follow the directions for mixing and use a pump sprayer to apply.
Wet and Forget
Originally Posted By: Johnny2Bad
6 inches? I'd recommend no closer than a meter / yard, and if you can get the results you need by staying further than that, and three or more meters is not out of the question, then do that.
But as you say, it depends on the particular unit (they vary in pressure available) and the nozzle shape and diameter.
Water sheds velocity very quickly once it leaves the nozzle. Especially on a large 40 degree fan type nozzle. When I got my 3,300 PSI Simpson, I experimented with all the different nozzles. Once you get past 30 degrees of fan spray, and more than 6" away force diminishes rapidly.
With that said, a solid stream from a 0 degree nozzle, has more than enough force to etch 6,500 PSI concrete from a foot away.
6 inches? I'd recommend no closer than a meter / yard, and if you can get the results you need by staying further than that, and three or more meters is not out of the question, then do that.
But as you say, it depends on the particular unit (they vary in pressure available) and the nozzle shape and diameter.
Water sheds velocity very quickly once it leaves the nozzle. Especially on a large 40 degree fan type nozzle. When I got my 3,300 PSI Simpson, I experimented with all the different nozzles. Once you get past 30 degrees of fan spray, and more than 6" away force diminishes rapidly.
With that said, a solid stream from a 0 degree nozzle, has more than enough force to etch 6,500 PSI concrete from a foot away.
Originally Posted By: Rat407
For those that might have an issue with algae and mold on their siding like here in eastern NC. Don't bother with washing. Just spray on Wet and Forget. This stuff is amazing. My pool fence which is white vinyl had the lovely stuff all over it. Took forever to pressure wash. I found Wet and Forget and tried it.
Well a year later and no algae or mold. I just use it once a year now and everything looks like new. Even on the concrete where it use to turn black now it doesn't. Follow the directions for mixing and use a pump sprayer to apply.
Wet and Forget
This is good stuff.
I had some small patches starting to grow on the north side of my house and I sprayed the stuff on. After the second rain, the mold was gone and I haven't had any problems since.
For those that might have an issue with algae and mold on their siding like here in eastern NC. Don't bother with washing. Just spray on Wet and Forget. This stuff is amazing. My pool fence which is white vinyl had the lovely stuff all over it. Took forever to pressure wash. I found Wet and Forget and tried it.
Well a year later and no algae or mold. I just use it once a year now and everything looks like new. Even on the concrete where it use to turn black now it doesn't. Follow the directions for mixing and use a pump sprayer to apply.
Wet and Forget
This is good stuff.
I had some small patches starting to grow on the north side of my house and I sprayed the stuff on. After the second rain, the mold was gone and I haven't had any problems since.
When power washing, use care in choosing an appropriate tip. PW also saves water vs. a hose. The Jomax product will work well. I've even used cheap, non-scented liquid laundry detergent + bleach. It won't damage the vinyl and is readily available. Don't suck bleach through the PW though as it may damage the pump.
Originally Posted By: Rat407
For those that might have an issue with algae and mold on their siding like here in eastern NC. Don't bother with washing. Just spray on Wet and Forget. This stuff is amazing. My pool fence which is white vinyl had the lovely stuff all over it. Took forever to pressure wash. I found Wet and Forget and tried it.
Well a year later and no algae or mold. I just use it once a year now and everything looks like new. Even on the concrete where it use to turn black now it doesn't. Follow the directions for mixing and use a pump sprayer to apply.
Wet and Forget
Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: Rat407
For those that might have an issue with algae and mold on their siding like here in eastern NC. Don't bother with washing. Just spray on Wet and Forget. This stuff is amazing. My pool fence which is white vinyl had the lovely stuff all over it. Took forever to pressure wash. I found Wet and Forget and tried it.
Well a year later and no algae or mold. I just use it once a year now and everything looks like new. Even on the concrete where it use to turn black now it doesn't. Follow the directions for mixing and use a pump sprayer to apply.
Wet and Forget
This is good stuff.
I had some small patches starting to grow on the north side of my house and I sprayed the stuff on. After the second rain, the mold was gone and I haven't had any problems since.
It is amazing for the correct application and for the right type of expectation. It’ll clean off any type of moss , algae or the like-it isn’t really a good general cleaner for dirt, stains or grime, unfortunately.
For those that might have an issue with algae and mold on their siding like here in eastern NC. Don't bother with washing. Just spray on Wet and Forget. This stuff is amazing. My pool fence which is white vinyl had the lovely stuff all over it. Took forever to pressure wash. I found Wet and Forget and tried it.
Well a year later and no algae or mold. I just use it once a year now and everything looks like new. Even on the concrete where it use to turn black now it doesn't. Follow the directions for mixing and use a pump sprayer to apply.
Wet and Forget
Originally Posted By: opus1
Originally Posted By: Rat407
For those that might have an issue with algae and mold on their siding like here in eastern NC. Don't bother with washing. Just spray on Wet and Forget. This stuff is amazing. My pool fence which is white vinyl had the lovely stuff all over it. Took forever to pressure wash. I found Wet and Forget and tried it.
Well a year later and no algae or mold. I just use it once a year now and everything looks like new. Even on the concrete where it use to turn black now it doesn't. Follow the directions for mixing and use a pump sprayer to apply.
Wet and Forget
This is good stuff.
I had some small patches starting to grow on the north side of my house and I sprayed the stuff on. After the second rain, the mold was gone and I haven't had any problems since.
It is amazing for the correct application and for the right type of expectation. It’ll clean off any type of moss , algae or the like-it isn’t really a good general cleaner for dirt, stains or grime, unfortunately.
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