Cleaning And Maintaining Vinyl Siding
Vinyl is one of the most popular siding choices in the U.S., and the reasons are simple: It's economical, looks good, and maintenance is easy. All you have to do to keep your vinyl siding looking clean and bright is to give it a quick hose-down or brief sponging a couple of times a year. Although vinyl siding is virtually maintenance-free, there are a few things to put on your to-do list if you want to extend the life of your investment and keep your vinyl siding looking like new.
Maintaining Vinyl House Siding
Wash it! You should hose off your vinyl siding at least once a year, but you'll make life easier for yourself if you use some vinyl siding cleaner and put a little extra TLC into it every once in a while. That way you won't have to scrub hard to remove a year's worth of built-up, caked-on dirt. There’s nothing back-breaking about cleaning vinyl siding. Just treat it well with vinyl siding cleaners and you’ll improve the overall beautify of your home! And just because vinyl is resilient that's no reason to be careless. Don't lean ladders, bicycles, or yard tools up against it, or it might scratch or break. Keep heat sources away from it! It's plastic and it can melt. Keep grills, smokers, patio torches, and other hot items a good distance from your siding.
Cleaning Vinyl Siding
With the right tools, cleaning vinyl siding is a simple process.If you've kept your siding relatively clean and it doesn't require any elbow grease, a spray hose can remove most of the dirt. If it's a little grungier than that, you might consider using some vinyl siding cleaners and a soft-bristled brush, such as a car-washing brush. Ordinary dish soap or laundry detergent will suffice as a vinyl siding cleaner. You can make your own quick and easy vinyl siding cleaner by adding 1/3 cup of laundry detergent and 2/3 cup powdered household detergent to a gallon of water. If there is mildew, you can mix white vinegar with water and wash it, or make a mild solution with 1 quart bleach, 3/4 gallons of water, and a little bit of detergent.
When you’re cleaning vinyl siding, remember to always start washing at the bottom of the siding, work your way up, and then rinse from the top down. This will keep dirty water from streaking and staining your siding.
If cleaning vinyl siding seems like too much of a hassle for you, you might consider using a power washer. You can rent one at your local home improvement store. But you’ll need to be very careful when using a power washer as a vinyl siding cleaner. First, make sure you test the pressure out on a small, well-hidden patch of siding to make sure it doesn’t cause chipping or pealing. Never point it up and always aim it at eye level or downward. If you spray upward, you may get water behind the panels. When moisture is trapped behind the vinyl panels, your troubles get very real, very quickly (e.g. mold growth).
Some simple steps for cleaning vinyl siding:
1. Make sure your windows are closed! You don't want to spray water into your living room.
2. Angle the spray away from doors and windows.
3. Cut the power to any outside lights that may get wet.
4. If you have shrubbery or flowers below, and you're using bleach or other cleaners, protect them with plastic.
5. Work from the bottom up when washing, and the top down when rinsing.
6. Don't take a break after washing but before rinsing! You don't want your vinyl siding cleaner to dry while on the siding.
With some simple vinyl siding cleaners and a minimal amount of effort, you’ll keep your vinyl siding and house looking immaculate.
Warning: include(/home/content/c/o/n/connect11/html/vinylsidingconnect/ssi/body_content_center_@.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/content/c/o/n/connect11/html/vinylsidingconnect/articles/maintaining-cleaning-vinyl-siding/index.php on line 55
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/content/c/o/n/connect11/html/vinylsidingconnect/ssi/body_content_center_@.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/php5/lib/php') in /home/content/c/o/n/connect11/html/vinylsidingconnect/articles/maintaining-cleaning-vinyl-siding/index.php on line 55