A pressure washer is the easiest – and safest – way of cleaning your soffit and fascias. They can tackle even the most ground on dirt and you can keep your feet firmly on the ground. Firstly soak the area well with clean water to remove any loose dirt and debris.
Just done something similar. Use a bucket of hot water, a couple of glugs of Chlorox bleach, and a small squirt of washing up liquid (all amounts approx). Use a long handled softish brush, dunk it in the bucket, then generously brush the liquid along the soffit panels and gutter face.
The key is to begin cleaning with a gentle rinse using clean water to dislodge and wash away loose debris and dirt. When using a pressure washer for fascias and soffits, it's wise to use a low-pressure nozzle.
Spray the area with some vinegar and let it sit or 30 to 60 minutes, then wipe off with a cloth or sponge. Vinegar is better than bleach for killing mold because it soaks in below the surface to kill the mold roots. Bleach only takes care of the surface mold.
Any siding and window installer will agree that wood soffit and fascia are vulnerable to moisture damage. Prolonged weather exposure can lead to wet or dry rot, crumbling, or warping. Low-quality vinyl soffit and fascia may show cracks or gaps resulting from physical damage or temperature fluctuations.
The life expectancy of fascia and soffit largely depends on the material used and the quality of installation and maintenance. Generally, well-maintained aluminum or vinyl soffit and fascia can last 20-30 years.
If you seal the bottom edges and joints of soffits and fascia trim you've effectively created a bathtub. Water will then travel where you don't want it to or, maybe worse, it will fester and grow mold and mildew.
A simple mixture of water and vinegar can work wonders due to vinegar's natural acidity, which helps break down mold and acts as a natural disinfectant. DIY solutions provide a cost-effective and eco-friendly cleaning option for maintaining your soffits in top condition.
Dish soap can detach and lift contaminants like mildew from hard surfaces… but it is not designed to kill mold like vinegar can. Mildew is a form of mold, but it roots shallowly, preferring to grow on hard, non-porous surfaces like plastic, ceramic, and tile.
Using a pressure washer
A pressure washer is the easiest – and safest – way of cleaning your soffit and fascias.
You should clean your soffits and fascias once a year to maintain them. However, in bad weather, especially on older houses, your guttering, soffit boards and fascias may need repairing or replacing, even if you work hard to keep them clean.
Stick the wand inside your gutters at an angle. At low pressure setting, apply Simple Green Oxy Solve to an area that is small enough to be rinsed before it dries. Allow the cleaner to dwell on the surface for 3-5 minutes. Rinse at high pressure.
Soffit mold almost always appears with a dark grey or black coloration. The growth pattern tends towards radiating, circular spotting. Dimensionally, the mold growth is typically flat.
However, using a pressure washer makes it easy to keep these hard-to-reach places looking great. Here, we'll cover which accessories can help, and we'll discuss a few tips for safe and effective pressure washing to get your soffits and gutters looking like new in no time.
Most soffit and fascia panels will come with a guarantee for X amount of years (usually ten or more) but the exact time between replacements will depend on external conditions, the level of care they are subjected to, as well as the materials they are made from.
Vinegar is better at killing mold because it can work on both porous and nonporous surfaces. It also terminates molds at their roots so the mold won't return and is also safer than bleach. You can even combine it with baking soda to make it more effective.
Can you use Dawn to clean vinyl siding? As long as you dilute this dishwashing detergent in warm water, you can use it to clean your siding. Dawn and similar dishwashing soaps are able to eliminate greasy stains, dirt and other debris without causing damage to your siding.
Vinegar is a must have in any home's natural cleaning toolbox. an extremely versatile product and is used in baking, cleaning, deodorizing and even in toothpaste. It also can be used as a natural non-toxic treatment solution for getting rid of mold. it should work on the mold.
You'll need a large bucket of warm water (around 10 litres) with 120ml of dish soap or laundry detergent mixed in. Add two tablespoons of bleach to kill any mildew. Soak a large sponge in the solution and scrub along the soffit and fascia as far as you can reach from your ladder spot.
Fiber Cement Soffit
Fiber cement is a composite material made from sand, cement and cellulose fibers. It's a popular choice for soffit due to its durability, low maintenance and resistance to rot, warping, termites and harsh weather conditions.
Moss, Mold, Mildew & Algae Stain Remover
Simply spray and walk away! That's it. Wet & Forget goes to work with the wind and rain to gently clean the surface over time. NO RINSE: Easy Spray & Leave Application. EFFORTLESS CLEAN: No Scrubbing, Rinsing or Pressure Washing.
Don't get caulk in weep holes
Caulking over weep holes will cause a big problem because it will stop them from doing their job: preventing rot, mold, or rust from developing. Weep holes allow moisture behind the window to exit the frame. If you caulk over them, the moisture has nowhere to go.
While there are many quality sealants on the market, our top recommendation for sealing Fascia's and Soffits is the Soudal Silirub LMN — a superior quality low modulus neutral cure silicone sealant.
Why does water leak from soffits behind gutters? Water can leak from soffits behind gutters if a gap between two soffit sections or insulation comes through from underneath.