As home exterior experts, we don’t just install and repair roofs – we also help homeowners by installing and maintaining all types of siding on the exteriors of Cincinnati homes. New siding helps your house look fresh and new, but properly maintaining the siding you already have can also create a great fresh and new look, but without the expense or trouble of a new installation.
What can you do to keep your existing siding looking its best?
Keeping Home Siding Clean
If part of your house stays in the shade most of the time, your vinyl siding can accumulate algae, not to mention mildew and mold, and it’s important to remove algae, dirt, mold, mildew, and dust in order to keep your siding looking fresh.
But let’s start with what NOT to do: you do not want to rent a power washer to clean siding (not even vinyl siding). A power washer can damage the siding and can push water underneath the siding, allowing moisture to collect along your walls, which can cause major damage over time. Cleaning siding typically doesn’t require anything dramatic. You can probably use something as simple as a scrub brush with a long handle.
Siding Cleaning Tips
Cleaning siding is typically more of a matter of thoroughness and time, rather than brute force or fancy equipment. The mother-and-daughter team of Vicki and Steph Kubiak have written about cleaning their vinyl siding, complete with photos to illustrate, and they do a great, straightforward job of cleaning their siding, simply and correctly.
Their hand washing approach involves the following equipment:
- A ladder
- A small scrub brush
- A long-handled scrub brush
- A garden hose with a sprayer attachment
- Dishwashing liquid
- “Outdoor cleaner” (available at most garden supply stores)
- A tank sprayer
- A cordless chemical sprayer
Depending on the size of your home, and the number of helpers you have, cleaning your home’s siding can probably be done in a single day, or over the course of a weekend. All it takes to keep your siding looking fresh and clean is to put the effort into it a few times per year, and you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to keep your siding looking like it was just installed.
Of course, if you would rather have a few seasoned Cincinnati roofers from one of the best siding companies in Cincinnati come and clean it for you, of course, we are happy to oblige. Not everyone wants to spend their weekend up a ladder with a scrub brush, and we’re happy to help you out in that case!
Harper Siding and Roofing can give you an estimate on vinyl siding installation, repair, maintenance, cleaning, or any other work your home’s roof or exterior may call for. Give us a shout at 513-444-6098 and let us give you a hand. The difference in how your house will look – as well as how well it will weather the seasons – may astonish you.