Since vinyl siding is an exterior wrapping material for your home, it is exposed to many elements and dirt. These elements include molds, mildew, pollen, insect and bird dropping, rust, spider webs among others. Although this building material is known to take this abuse in strides, with time it may cave in. As such, to prevent this, you will have to clean it as a maintenance practice.
This article will look at how to use bleach on vinyl siding, other alternatives for cleaning siding, tips, and safety measures to consider when washing vinyl siding. Keep reading to learn more or you can visit this website A & B Vinyl Siding Contractors for a lot of references about vinyl siding.
Therefore, does bleach damage vinyl siding when used to clean? No, bleach does not damage vinyl siding if used correctly and in proper dilution ratios. Proper dilution is in the ratio of bleach: water, which should be 0.4:1. Failure to dilute bleach, you risk damaging your vinyl siding since bleach is highly corrosive. Still, on using bleach, make sure you rinse your vinyl siding immediately after washing.
How to Use Bleach on Your Siding
If you want to remove molds and mildew from your vinyl siding, bleach is your best shot. Matter of fact, bleach is effective for getting rid of molds, mildew, stubborn baked-on dirt, soot, and stains. So, how do you clean vinyl siding using bleach? The following is a step-to-step procedure
- Mix bleach and water by adding one-quarter of laundry bleach to one gallon of water to have a cleaning solution.
- Pour the cleaning solution in a pump sprayer.
- Cover the plants around your home with a plastic sheet to prevent the bleach from damaging them. Remember after you are done rinsing the vinyl siding, uncover your plants to avoid overheating your plant since it could result in their death. Alternatively, to protect your plants, wet them down before cleaning your house.
- Spray the solution using the pump sprayer working from bottom to top.
- Allow the solution to stand on the vinyl surface for about 10-15 minutes.
- After 10 minutes scrub the surface from bottom to top using a long-handled brush with soft bristles.
- When you are satisfied that the surface is clean, rinse off the bleach.
Alternatives for Cleaning Vinyl Siding
Other than using bleach, there are other methods for cleaning your vinyl siding. They include:
- Vinegar
Home cleaning solutions such as vinegar are also useful when it comes to getting rid of the grime from the exterior surface of your house. Other than vinegar you will need some water to make a solution and soft cloths or microfiber for scrubbing the stains.
For this process, you will need to mix water and vinegar in the ratio of 70 percent of water to 30 percent of vinegar. The rest of the steps will follow that of using bleach.
- Laundry Detergent
Another home cleaning solution you can use is the laundry detergent. Mix one-third of a cup of laundry powder detergent with one-quarter liquid laundry detergent bleach and add a two-third cup of powdered household cleaner. Use the resultant solution to clean your siding following the process highlighted above.
Using Cleansers Designed for Vinyl Siding
If you are having a hard time accessing home cleaning solutions you can use cleaners that are specifically designed for vinyl sliding. Manufacturers of vinyl siding recommend that you check with your local building material shop for such cleaners. You can also request the cleaners from your siding contractor.
Before using your cleaner make sure, you test it on an inconspicuous area to be sure that it does not cause damage to your siding.
Apart from using bleach to clean off the mold and mildew, you can use a mold and mildew remover found in your local building material shop.
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