For years, vinyl siding has been the most common material used in construction in the US. Unlike other siding materials, it won’t flake or rot; it is a durable material that will look great for a long time and can also increase the energy efficiency of your home. However, there is a downside; over time, vinyl siding can take on a dull and dirty look. Thankfully, vinyl siding is very easy to clean on your own, without professional help. If you want to clean your own vinyl siding, here are a few tips for accomplishing it.

Prepare The Outside Of Your Home

Before you begin to clean the vinyl of your home, you need to make sure that you take appropriate steps to prepare the area for the work you’re going to do. This will help to make sure you don’t damage anything while cleaning, which will save you money and hassle in the long run. A few steps that you should take include:
  • Shutting off the flow of electricity to outlets on the outside of your home. This is a great idea on two levels; it protects the outlets and your wiring from damage, and it protects you from accidentally shocking yourself. If you want to go a step further, you can use clear baby-safe ‘plugs’ to block the outlets.
  • Close all doors and windows. Nothing worse than finding out you’ve been power washing the inside of your house by accident.
  • Cover any plants to prevent damage from the detergent.
  • Cover any etched glass, colored glass, metal, or anything else that might sustain damage from cleaning solutions you’ll be using.

Cleaning Your Vinyl Siding

Cleaning your vinyl siding is a much simpler process than you would think. Here are the steps to the process:
  • Fill a large bucket with about four gallons of water and 1/4th of a cup of laundry detergent. Mix them together.
  • Use a hose or pressure washer to spray away any dirt or debris stuck to the vinyl siding. If you’re using a hose you can be as close as you like, but if you’re using a pressure washer, be sure that you don’t get too close to the vinyl siding, or you risking damaging the siding. Be careful that you don’t force the water through the seams in the siding, or you could create mold and mildew problems.
  • Using a sponge, a mop, or another cleaning tool, apply the water/laundry detergent mixture to the siding. Work from the top down, scrubbing away any dirt or debris that remains. If you were able to use a power washer, you may find that there is little to no dirt or debris left, but a hose will not remove it all.
  • Using your hose or pressure washer, remove the soapy water before it dries. If it dries, it can leave marks on the siding, which defeats the whole purpose of cleaning your siding in the first place.
  • If you encounter mildew that you cannot remove with the means you have, you can make a very mild bleach solution by mixing 1 part bleach with 5 parts water and apply it to the problem area. Remove the mildew with a scrubbing brush if it remains.