How to Clean Vinyl Siding

Vinyl is one of the most popular siding materials. The reasons why many
homeowners choose vinyl siding is because it’s designed to last for a long
time for up to 20 or 40 years: this will depend on the thickness and quality
of the material. Often manufacturing companies offer a lifetime warranty for
vinyl siding that can be transferred to new owners, and this, of course,
gives buyers confidence in choosing vinyl siding.
Another reason to choose vinyl siding is also because it’s very easy to
maintain and can be easily cleaned. It can be washed by a jet of water from
a water hose, but we recommend a more thorough cleaning of your siding
once every two years. If you live in a wet and cool climate then we
recommend you clean your siding more often (at least once a year to a few
times a year) to prevent moss growth from appearing and spreading.
In today’s post we will talk about how to properly clean your siding and
remove even toughest spots without damaging it.
Tools You Will Need To Clean Your Vinyl Siding
First things first. Below is a quick list of the tools and materials you will
need to give a good scrub to your vinyl siding.
Let’s begin with a few basic tools you’ll need to get ready for cleaning your
siding:
● Bucket
● A pair of rubber gloves
● Soft brush
● Soft sponge or another nonabrasive cleaner
● Power washer or a garden hose
When it comes to the cleaning liquids and materials, we recommend these:

● Homemade vinyl siding cleaner
● Warm water
● Soft Scrub
● Washing up liquid
● Laundry detergent
● Vinegar
● Laundry Bleach
If you have never made a homemade vinyl siding cleaner before, don’t
worry, it’s very easy. Just follow the instructions below.
How to Make Your Own Homemade Vinyl Siding Cleaner
You’ll be relieved to learn that for the homemade vinyl siding cleaner all
you need is a bucket with warm water and mild all-purpose cleaner,
powdered laundry detergent, washing up liquid, or Soft Scrub. You will also
need a large soft sponge that you can dip into the bucket with the solution
to scrub or wipe the vinyl strips.
Homemade Vinyl Siding Cleaning Recipe
The recipe below is just a suggestion that we know already works.
However, you can always add your own twist to it to make it more or less
concentrated depending on how powerful it needs to be.
● ⅓ cup of laundry detergent or Soft Scrub
● ⅔ cup of washing up liquid
● 1 gallon of warm water
Adding Soft Scrub or Stain Remover to your solution will make it a lot more
powerful, allowing you to remove even the toughest stains very quickly with
minimal scrubbing.

If you want to make your homemade solution even more powerful, you can
add 1 qt of laundry bleach to the mixture. Adding laundry bleach to the
mixture will allow you to remove mildew or mold from the siding as well as
prevent it from spreading.
Here’s another solution that is a little bit more ecologically friendly:
● 70% warm water
● 30% vinegar
This solution is also very effective when it comes to removing tough stains,
but it’s more natural and organic. You can use it if you’d rather stay away
from bleach and harsh chemicals.

Steps To Clean Vinyl Siding
Now that your homemade vinyl siding cleaner is ready, it’s time to discuss
the steps you need to take to clean your siding.
Put your gloves on. Start cleaning by dipping the soft sponge into the
bucket with your homemade cleaning solution and applying it to each strip
of siding. You can also use a soft brush to clean each lap of the siding.
Before each strip of siding dries make sure to clean it with a power washer
or a garden hose.

Try This For Tougher Spots

If you come across any tough spots and stains (for example, pen marks,
paint drips or grease) don’t worry, you can get them off either by using a
cleaner with ammonia or by adding laundry bleach or vinegar to your soapy
solution as shown above. However, never mix bleach and vinegar, and

never mix bleach with ammonia. This combination can cause chemical
burns to your lungs and eyes.
If you need, you can use a nylon scrubbing pad to remove tougher stains.
Mold and mildew can be removed by a soapy solution with laundry bleach
added to it. Add 1qt of laundry bleach to the 1 gallon of warm water. Always
make sure to use laundry bleach and not chlorine bleach, and always use 1
part of laundry bleach to at least 4 parts of water.
One important note: never use harsh chemicals, like straight chlorine
bleach, paint remover, or furniture cleaners on your vinyl siding. These
types of chemicals can cause irreversible damage to your siding.
We hope that you enjoyed these tips. If you’d like to read more tips about
how to take care of your siding, subscribe to our Facebook page –
https://www.facebook.com/rotrepair/, where we post regular updates about
how to take care of your siding, how to spot dry rot, fungus or termite
damage on your siding. On our Facebook page we also post regular
updates about the projects we are currently working on. If you have any
questions about how to repair or maintain your siding, you can always call
us (916) 833-1379 and we will be happy to assist you.