We Clean Dirty Siding!

Quick Answer

Your siding gets dirty because the job it has protecting your house, never ends.

It’s outside. Every day. All year.

So, it’s a good thing we are too - to keep it clean, protected and ready for many more years of service.

Around Rehoboth, Lewes, Bethany Beach and throughout Sussex County, your siding gets exposed to rain, humidity, pollen, dirt, shade, trees, insects, algae, mold, mildew and, closer to the Delaware beaches, salt and sand carried by coastal wind.

And we clean it all!

But just like the deck attached to your house, how we clean your siding starts with knowing what it's made of.

Vinyl isn't aluminum.

Fiber cement isn't cedar.

Painted wood isn't PVC.

Different siding materials have different surfaces, finishes and manufacturer recommendations. What's growing or collecting on the siding matters too.

So, before we decide how to clean your house, we look at the house we're actually cleaning.

Identify first. Clean second.

Your siding doesn't get to come inside when the weather gets bad.

-Rain hits it.

-Wind blows dirt against it.

-Pollen sticks to it.

-Trees shade it.

-Birds do their thing (you know what we mean)!

-And, spiders apparently consider parts of it prime real estate.

-For homes closer to the Delaware coast, wind can carry salt and sand inland too.

Then the sun comes out and one wall dries almost immediately while another side of the same house stays shaded and damp.

That's why your house doesn't necessarily get dirty evenly.

One side can look great.

Another can look green.

The front can still look presentable while the back of the house looks like it has been quietly growing something.

Same house. Different conditions.

Why Is One Side Of My House Turning Green?

Remember that question from the deck?

Here it is again.

Algae, mold and mildew tend to show up where conditions favor moisture and organic growth. Dirt and pollen accumulating on a surface can provide additional material for growth, while shade can allow surfaces to remain damp longer.

Even siding manufacturers acknowledge the pattern. CertainTeed notes that mildew can appear in damp areas and places receiving less sunlight or rainfall, while LP specifically tells homeowners to check shaded areas that don't dry completely after rain or periods of humidity.

So walk around your house.

-Where are the trees?

-Which side gets the least sun?

-Where does landscaping crowd the house?

-Does a sprinkler regularly hit the siding?

-Where does rainwater splash?

-Which wall takes longer to dry?

Sometimes the green stuff isn't the mystery.

The interesting question is why it keeps coming back in the same place.

Vinyl Is Tough, But It Still Has Rules.

Vinyl siding is everywhere for a reason.

It's durable, relatively low maintenance and doesn't need to be painted like traditional wood siding.

But low maintenance doesn't mean self-cleaning.

Dirt and grime accumulate. Pigmented exterior materials can develop chalking. Algae can stain the surface. Mildew can develop on dirt sitting on the siding, particularly where conditions stay damp.

And here's where things get interesting.

CertainTeed doesn't recommend power washing its vinyl or polymer siding because high pressure can contribute to moisture intrusion, damage or discoloration. The manufacturer instead recommends gentler cleaning methods appropriate to the particular problem.

So when somebody sees green siding and thinks: More pressure! We say, Not so fast!

And it's why pressure isn't our starting point.

The siding is.

Aluminum Isn't Vinyl With A Different Name

Older homes throughout Delaware can still have aluminum siding, and painted aluminum brings its own considerations.

-Age matters.

-Condition matters.

-The finish matters.

-Older painted siding may already show oxidation, fading or chalking before anybody starts cleaning it.

That means a dirty-looking surface isn't necessarily just dirt.

If a finish has weathered over many years, cleaning can't turn old paint into new paint.

And aggressively attacking an aging finish in pursuit of “clean” can create a different problem.

This is another reason we want to know what we're looking at before deciding what to do about it.

Cleaning removes what's on the surface.

It doesn't reverse the age of the surface itself.

Fiber Cement Looks Tough Because It Is. But Don't Take That As A Challenge.

Fiber cement siding such as James Hardie is designed for exterior durability.

That doesn't mean the correct way to clean it is to see how much pressure it can withstand.

James Hardie specifically advises against using a pressure washer on its siding because it can damage the surface. Its guidance calls for low-pressure water and non-abrasive cleaning appropriate to the contaminant being removed.

And there's another useful lesson in Hardie's recommendations.

Dirt is one cleaning problem.

Oil and grease are another.

Mold and mildew are another.

The manufacturer recommends different approaches depending on what's actually on the siding.

There it is again: What is the siding made of? And...What's making it dirty?

Answer those two questions and we're a lot closer to knowing how it should be cleaned.

Cedar And Wood Deserve Some Respect

Wood siding changes the conversation again.

Cedar shakes and clapboards can be beautiful precisely because they're natural materials.

They can also be painted, stained, sealed, weathered or left to age naturally.

That means we're not simply cleaning “wood.”

We're cleaning this particular wood surface in its current condition.

Too much pressure can damage wood fibers and finishes.

The wrong cleaning approach can affect paint or stain.

Older or weathered wood may require considerably more restraint than a tougher synthetic exterior surface.

That's not a weakness in wood.

It's simply the material we're dealing with.

And if we've learned anything from decks, driveways, roofs and everything else we've cleaned in this series, it should be this:

The surface gets a vote.

Salt, Sand And The Side Facing The Beach

We've already established that you don't have to live directly on the ocean to experience coastal exposure.

-Wind carries salt and fine particles inland.

-Rain and humidity add moisture.

-Pollen arrives every spring.

-Trees contribute organic debris.

-Then all of it meets the outside of your house.

-A home in Bethany Beach won't necessarily experience exactly the same conditions as one farther inland near Milton or Georgetown.

-Even different sides of the same coastal home can experience different exposure depending on prevailing weather, sun, shade and surrounding vegetation.

That's why maintenance doesn't need an arbitrary anniversary.

Watch the property.

If one side gets dirty faster, clean it when the condition warrants it.

Your house doesn't own a calendar.

It does have siding.

Sometimes Dirty Siding Is Telling You Something

This is where cleaning becomes useful beyond appearance.

Suppose one area keeps developing algae or mildew considerably faster than everywhere else.

Look around.

-Is a sprinkler spraying the house?

-Is a gutter overflowing above it?

-Is vegetation trapping moisture against the wall?

-Is water splashing repeatedly onto the siding?

-LP's own maintenance guidance specifically tells homeowners to keep sprinklers from spraying siding and to keep gutters working properly so water is directed away from the exterior.

Cleaning removes the symptom.

Sometimes paying attention helps identify the reason it keeps returning.

That's maintenance.

Don't Let The Dirt Become Part Of The House

A little dirt becomes more dirt.

A little green patch becomes easier to see.

Pollen gets another season piled onto it.

Salt, sand and ordinary grime keep arriving.

And eventually somebody looks at the house and says:

When did the siding get that dirty? Probably a while ago. You just noticed it today.

That's why exterior cleaning works particularly well as maintenance instead of rescue.

You don't need to wait until your white siding looks green or your shaded wall has developed its own ecosystem.

Pay attention to the house.

When it starts looking dirty, that's usually a pretty good indication that it's time to clean it.

We Clean Dirty Siding

Vinyl.

Aluminum.

Fiber cement.

Cedar.

Wood.

Painted surfaces.

Different materials.

Different conditions.

Different kinds of dirt.

We don't need to make cleaning complicated.

First, determine what the siding is made of.

Then determine what's on it.

Then use an appropriate cleaning method to remove it without unnecessarily attacking the surface underneath.

Because siding has a hard enough job already.

It spends its entire life outside.

Let it get dirty.

We'll clean it.