How to Clean Vinyl Siding

Siding is an important part of any home, from choosing the right siding that fits with your style to ensuring its durability and longevity. Vinyl siding is becoming more and more popular, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a durable and extremely versatile option for siding, but it does require some routine care to keep it in tip top shape. Unfortunately, overtime vinyl can get stained by different external factors and it can start to affect the overall appearance of your home. Beyond stains, vinyl siding can accumulate mold, mildew, pollen, and other general grime over time and cleaning it semi-regularly is key in ensuring the longevity of your siding. Thankfully, though, vinyl is relatively easy to clean, if you know how to do it. Some people don’t get around to siding maintenance because they either don’t know where to start or are under the impression they need fancy gear like a pressure washer to get the job done. We’re here to help! Here are a few tips on how to clean vinyl siding on your own without any unnecessary tools.

Based on the Vinyl Siding Institute, you should clean your siding with a soft cloth or a simple long-handled, soft-bristle brush to get hard to reach areas. You want to avoid any abrasive tools like steel wool or rough brushes as that can work away at the siding finish and cause more issues in the future.

With the right tool in hand, you also need to be sure you’re using the right cleaning solution for your siding. Try to avoid any organic solvents, undiluted chlorine bleach, liquid grease remover, nail polish remover, or furniture polish or cleaners. These solutions, while maybe convenient if you already have them on hand, are more likely to damage the vinyl’s surface. What can you use? Check out any one of the following solutions you can use safely on your siding:

• Mix 70% water and 30% white vinegar for an easy cleaning solution. This is best for lighter issues, like mild mold and mildew stains.
• Some something a bit stronger, mix together one-third cup powdered laundry detergent, two-thirds cup powdered household cleaner, one quart liquid laundry bleach and one gallon of water.
• For a landscape-safe solution, mix together one gallon of water with one cup of oxygen bleach. The oxygen bleach will remove tough stains on the vinyl without killing your garden.
• You can use general household cleaning solutions that hold up the rules above, as well. These are great at getting tougher stains out of the vinyl.
• If you have rust stains, use cleaning solutions dedicated to rust.

Start cleaning your siding from top to bottom to avoid any streaking as you go. And that’s it! Once the cleaning solution dries, your siding will look like new.