Items like steel wool, wire brushes and paint scarper can leave permanent scratches, discoloration and even puncture wounds in your vinyl siding and should be avoided when trying to clean a home's exterior.
Avoid using any vinyl siding cleaners that contain organic solvents, undiluted chlorine bleach, liquid grease remover, nail polish remover, or furniture polish or cleaners. Any of these products might damage the vinyl siding's surface.
Sunlight can cause warping, melting and fading of your home's siding. While melting and warping are much more immediate issues to repair, vinyl siding's color can fade significantly within 10 to 15 years of installation, which can really affect the curb appeal of your home.
Vinyl Siding: Vinyl siding is generally safe to pressure clean, but excessive pressure can force water behind the siding, leading to mold growth and structural damage. Using a moderate pressure setting and the correct nozzle is key. Concrete and Brick: These robust materials are ideal candidates for pressure cleaning.
The most common visible problem with vinyl siding is physical damage from hail, basketballs, baseballs, weed trimmers, or rocks thrown from lawnmowers and snowblowers. Small chips and nicks aren't big performance issues; remember, vinyl siding is not watertight.
Commonly selected for its durability and cost-effectiveness, vinyl siding is a popular choice for home exteriors. Its impressive lifespan, typically spanning from 20 to 40 years, hinges on factors like local climate conditions and regular maintenance.
The most common mistake when installing vinyl siding is not leaving enough overlap between panels, which results in a messy and unkempt look.
Fastest Way to Remove Dirt: Pressure washing is one of the fastest ways to clean the vinyl siding. Cleans without Damage: If you do it correctly, pressure washing vinyl siding is safe and won't damage the siding.
Use Common Household Cleaners: For tougher stains on vinyl siding, consider using common household cleaners like Fantastik, Murphy's Oil Soap, Windex, or Lysol. Tackle a Variety of Stains: These products are effective in removing a range of stains, including dirt, grease, oil, rust, crayon, ink, and bubble gum.
Vinyl siding can withstand a powerful gas pressure washer (2,500-3,000 psi). Aluminum, stucco or soft-grain wood homes will do better with a less powerful washer (about 1,200-1,500 psi).
A hole in vinyl siding that's an inch or smaller in diameter is relatively easy to repair with patching or spackling material.
Direct Sprinklers and Irrigation Properly
Underground sprinkler systems near the foundation of the house are the first thing to check. If you have irrigation, make certain that pools are not left around the base of the house in certain spots. These steps will definitely help in deterring mold in your siding.
But if you throw a basketball, a football, a baseball, a golf ball, or some other type of sports ball at vinyl siding, it could crack, dent, or break it. You should be careful playing sports around houses that have vinyl siding on them. You don't want to accidentally damage their siding in the middle of a game.
We recommend cleaning your siding once a year to avoid build up and keep it looking its best. CertainTeed siding products are easy to clean and easy to upkeep. Check out the High-to-Low Maintenance Makeover and learn more about the benefits of low-maintenance.
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.
Vinyl siding can last between 30 to 40 years depending on your climate and how well you maintain it. In some cases, homeowners living in mild climates who immaculately maintain their vinyl siding could allow it to last upwards of 40 years.
Homemade Cleaning Solutions
This will help you remove dirt and grime without scratching or damaging the actual siding. Some good cleaning solutions include: Mix 70 percent water and 30 percent white vinegar together to make a good all-purpose cleaner that's easy on vinyl.
Cons: Potential damage: In inexperienced hands, a pressure washer can cause damage to your car's paint, trim, or delicate parts. High-pressure water can strip away protective coatings and even force water into vulnerable areas, leading to rust or electrical issues.
Soft washing is a low-pressure washing technique that uses a combination of soaps, bleach and water to clean exterior surfaces, such as roofs, siding, fences, driveways and sidewalks, without damaging the surface.
Insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers can potentially cause discoloration to your vinyl siding as well. Commonly used household maintenance products like caulking, driveway sealant, tar, motor oil and paint can all potentially damage your vinyl siding.
Common signs you can look for that indicate your vinyl siding wasn't appropriately installed are — cracks in your siding, warping or buckling, and high utility bills. Vinyl siding expands and contracts as temperatures change. Even the most expensive vinyl will buckle and warp if it's not installed correctly.
#1: Vinyl Siding Warps and Buckles
Warping and buckling are both problems associated with vinyl siding, these issues only occur when the siding is not installed correctly. Vinyl siding expands and contracts as the outside temperature changes. In the summer, when temperatures are high, vinyl expands.