Vinyl siding is the most common type of siding. It’s affordable — but unless you’re the builder, that may not be your priority — it’s versatile and durable when maintained properly. We will give you tips on the best way to clean vinyl siding.
Proper maintenance is the key. Thankfully, with vinyl siding, that usually means regular cleaning. Siding cleaning does more than refresh the appearance of your home; it also protects against algae and grime that can build up and become unsightly.
Why Vinyl Siding Cleaning Is Important
When it’s new, vinyl siding is breathtaking, but when it’s dirty and grimy, it will also take your breath away, but for all the wrong reasons. That’s why maintenance is vital.
Cleaning your siding should fall into the same annual maintenance as gutter cleaning or sealing your driveway. That’s because siding cleaning is not just aesthetic; it’s functional.
Refresh After Seasonal Damage
The best time to clean siding is in the spring or summer, after the home’s exterior endured a beating from the snow and ice. It’s also now that you’ll see all the muck and mire that’s accumulated over the winter months.
Improve It’s Luster
When it’s clean, vinyl siding has a superior appearance, but the elements — bird droppings, passing cars, rain, snow, and windblown debris —quickly degrade that luster, making it appear dull and dirty. Most siding has a lighter color, so this dirt cannot be ignored.
Protect Against Algae and Mildew
But aesthetic benefits aside, vinyl siding cleaning is essential to protect against algae and mildew. If you go more than a year without a thorough siding cleaning, you can expect green algae to start creeping up. It’s neon green in appearance and very unsightly, decreasing the lifespan of your siding.
Although it’s not common in Colorado, because of the climate, your siding could also fall victim to mildew, which is a yellowish-gray and has similar effects as algae on siding.
Okay, so you understand that siding cleaning is essential now what?
You need to ensure you clean it once a year. But, to ensure that your siding is maintained and maintains its luster, you should invest in professional siding cleaning.
What is the Best Way to Clean Vinyl Siding?
Hiring a professional will always be the best way to clean vinyl siding. Why? Because after a pro siding cleaning, your home’s exterior will be restored, and the cleaning will maintain the siding for the entire year until the next cleaning.
DIY methods often don’t clean as thoroughly. Even if you get a pressure washer or use commercial-grade cleaning products, you may be left with some grime and algae, causing your siding to deteriorate.
Pressure Washing
Most homeowners think power washing vinyl siding is the most effective way to clean it. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Power washing can have catastrophic effects on siding, causing water damage to the exterior and requiring you to redo your siding. Pressure washing is far more effective and doesn’t damage the exterior of your siding.
Technique
Pressure washing is only unlikely to cause damage if you use a professional to conduct the pressure washing.
Vinyl siding is easily damaged. That’s why despite pressure washing being better for your siding than power washing, if you don’t use the proper technique, you can still damage your siding. For this reason, it’s best to follow best practices and work from the bottom up, using low pressure. As Grand Junction’s go-to professional power and pressure washing company, we have mastered the technique to clean vinyl siding, leaving no streaks or dirt behind.
Commercial Grade Cleaners
The cleaners you use will also help you avoid using high pressure to refresh your siding. There are plenty of store-bought vinyl siding cleaners, even some that you can attach to a regular garden hose. However, the most effective cleaners that will eradicate any trace of debris, grime, and algae will always be commercial-grade cleaners.
Since Colorado homes are exposed to snow and ice throughout winter, simple detergent is usually ineffective at penetrating months-old grime. The kind of cleaner we use at Curbside Cleaners is gentle on vinyl siding but breaks down dirt and debris and cuts through algae, restoring your siding to new condition.
Curbside Cleaners is a fully-insured, local business that serves the Grand Junction area. We conduct siding cleaning on residential properties in Downtown Grand Junction, Clifton, Fruita, Palisade, Redlands, Grand Valley, Fruitvale, and White Water.
We also follow EPA guidelines, protecting homeowners from any liability and potential fines. If you need exterior cleaning, consider our mobile pressure washing and power washing services, our teams of professionals have quickly become the preferred provider of these services.