How to Clean the Siding on Your Home - Xterior LLC.

How to Clean the Siding on Your Home

Use a soft brush to avoid damaging your siding
Read Time: 3 minutes
Oct 24, 2022

Siding is a popular material for the exterior of a home. Vinyl siding in particular is popular, with around a third of new homes clad in the material. It’s important to keep it clean, however, if you want your home to look its best, no matter what kind of siding it is.

To properly clean your vinyl siding, follow these steps.

Step #1

Gather the Cleaning Supplies

To clean vinyl siding, you’ll need the following supplies:

  • Cleaning solution
  • A long-handled brush with soft bristles
  • Pressure washer
  • Ladder
  • Garden hose

Step #2

Make or Purchase Siding Cleaner

You may be able to purchase a cleaning solution at a local hardware store. If you’d rather make your own, you can mix warm water with any all-purpose cleaner. If there’s mold or mildew on your siding, you may want to make a solution that’s 70% water and 30% white vinegar. This vinegar solution may also function as an all-purpose cleaner.

All-Purpose Cleaner Options

Dish soap can be a good all-purpose cleaner that can cut through a lot of dirt and grime. Just mix it with water before using it on your siding.

Step #3

Check Whether It’s Safe to Use a Pressure Washer on Your Siding

Some siding manufacturers don’t recommend using a pressure washer on your siding. Others say it’s fine at a lower setting. While a pressure washer can be a much faster way to clean your siding, you want to be sure that it’s safe to do so. Otherwise, you might damage your siding. Look up what the manufacturer of your siding recommends for what you have.

How to Aim the Pressure Washer

a man using a pressure washer to clean the siding on a house

If the manufacturer allows pressure washing, then feel free to use a pressure washer per the manufacturer’s recommendations. Make sure to aim the pressure washer’s stream directly straight at the siding rather than at an angle. This means that you’ll also need to use a ladder to reach higher sections of your siding.

Step #4

Use a Brush to Clean Your Siding

a contractor using a long-handled brush to clean the siding on a house

It’s important to use a brush with soft bristles. Something that is too abrasive could end up damaging the surface of your siding. A long-handled brush can help you reach farther up without needing to get up onto a ladder, but you can also use a soft cloth or a hand brush if you’d prefer.

Step #5

Rinse Your Siding

Once you’ve cleaned one section of your siding, it’s important to rinse it off before you move on to the next area. That way, you can wash the cleaner as well as the dirt, debris, mold, and mildew that it may have removed off of your siding while it’s wet. If you let it dry, you might have to wash it again.

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For informational purposes only.