Vinyl siding is a great solution for homes because it doesn’t require any maintenance, but sometimes it can get dirty. Here’s how to clean vinyl without using a pressure washer.
Vinyl siding is a popular option for homeowners today. It’s easy to maintain, and it’s also durable. However, there are some things that you should know before cleaning it yourself. Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean vinyl siding without scrubbing.
It’s possible that some of the links in this article are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link, I may get a commission. In addition, I receive money on qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. —
Your property may seem antiquated and messy if it has dirty-looking or green vinyl siding. Fortunately, this can be remedied by giving your siding a thorough cleaning.
However, what if you do not have access to a pressure washer? So, how do you maintain your vinyl siding?
You can clean vinyl siding without a power washer, but it will take more time and work. Clear the area surrounding your house, including trees and shrubs, make a cleaning solution, and then spray down your walls and scrub them with the cleaning solution.
What causes your vinyl siding to get dirty? What actions can you take to safely clean your vinyl siding? Is it necessary to purchase a cleaning solution or can you manufacture your own?
Let’s see what we can find out!
What Factors Affect Dirty Vinyl Siding?
Cleaning the exterior of your home becomes just as important as cleaning the interior at some point. This procedure may be time-consuming and challenging, but it will enhance the overall aesthetic of your home and provide you with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment once completed.
Before we look at how to clean vinyl siding and what products you may use to do so, let’s look at what causes dirt to accumulate. Knowing what kind of grime you’re dealing with can help you figure out what you’ll need to clear off the vinyl siding.
There are many causes that might cause dirt to accumulate on your vinyl siding, including:
- As vinyl pigments are regularly exposed to the weather and sunshine, they will accumulate chalk, which is a dull layer that forms on the surface of the vinyl siding.
- Natural elements such as falling leaves, the wind pushing trash against the vinyl, birds, rain, insects, and more are all common sources of exposure.
- Mildew – This may happen in humid regions or in places of the house where the vinyl doesn’t get enough sunshine, such as along the eaves.
- While most vinyl siding used for houses is engineered to withstand typical household stains such as grease and oil, some staining may occur due to causes such as algae build-up.
When cleaning your home’s vinyl siding, these are the most common filth kinds you’ll encounter. Let’s have a look at how to properly wipe them off.
Is it Possible to Clean Vinyl Siding Without Using a Pressure Washer?
When you witness individuals washing their vinyl sides in videos on the internet, or maybe you’ve seen your neighbors cleaning their vinyl sides, you’ll notice that they’re all utilizing a pressure washer to make their home shining clean.
This may cause you concern since it seems that you must use a pressure washer to clean your vinyl sides, and that any other approach is incorrect. Many individuals have this impression, however this is not the case.
You can clean your vinyl siding without using a power washer just as simply. You don’t need to drain your bank account to purchase an expensive pressure washer to clean your vinyl siding since you can clean it using a variety of basic home products.
How to Clean Vinyl Siding on a House Without Using a Pressure Washer
So, now that you know how to clean vinyl siding without using a power washer, how do you go about doing it? Cleaning your vinyl siding by hand is a difficult process that will take some time to accomplish, so make sure you set out the whole weekend for this work.
With that said, if you put your mind to it and develop a decent cleaning strategy, you may be surprised at how quickly you can do it. So, let’s look at how you may do this without using a power washer.
1 – Get Rid of Obstacles Along the Outside Walls
Before you begin cleaning your home’s vinyl siding, take a stroll around your property and search for any potential obstructions that may obstruct your efforts to clean your vinyl siding.
This is crucial for your safety since you will be cleaning the upper areas of the wall using a ladder. As you clean, be sure there’s nothing in your path that might cause you to trip.
On your tour around your home, move any rubbish, logs, or other materials away from the walls. Ascertain that you have enough room to work comfortably and securely.
2 – Trim Close to the Vinyl Siding Trees and Bushes
If your home has close-to-the-outside-walls trees and shrubs, you’ll need to trim them before you start washing the vinyl siding. Trees and shrubs should be trimmed to be at least 1 foot away from the wall.
This will give you enough room to easily clean the vinyl siding behind it. This can also assist eliminate impediments from the walls that might damage you if you trip or fall while cleaning.
Trimming these trees and shrubs will also help prevent pollen and grime from accumulating on the vinyl siding in the future, making cleaning the walls simpler the next time.
3 – Clean the Vinyl Siding of any large debris.
You won’t be able to clean your whole home in one day if you clean your vinyl siding by hand. To prevent injuring yourself by overdoing it, choose a side and then split the wall into thirds or halves. Clean the wall in these pieces.
Take your ladder to the portion you’ll be beginning with and inspect the vinyl for any damage. Lightly brush off any loose dirt or big bits of debris, such as leaves, that may be adhering to the wall using your brush.
When you use the cleaning solution you’ve previously made, this will help you clean the wall more effectively and keep your cleaning instruments from getting muddy while you clean.
4 – Collect all of your cleaning materials
Gather all of the materials you’ll need to do the task before starting the cleaning procedure. You’ll need a sturdy brush with firm bristles; if you don’t have one, a broom will do.
You’ll need some trisodium phosphate (TSP), which you can get at any hardware store, but this cleaning chemical isn’t required; we’ll go over a few alternative possibilities later in this post.
A medium-sized bucket, a garden hose, a water connection point for your hose, a ladder, and a lot of determination and elbow grease are all required. Make sure all of your tools are clean, and then continue on to the following stage after you’ve gathered all of your supplies.
5 – Combine your cleaning solution of choice.
You must now prepare your cleaning solution. You’ll need your bucket and the TSP or other cleaning solutions you’ve decided to use to clean your vinyl siding for this.
If you’re using TSP, make sure you mix the solutions with the right amount of water according to the directions on the package. If you want to clean your vinyl siding with additional chemicals, we’ve included a procedure for mixing a few possibilities at the conclusion of this post.
If mildew seems to be forming on your vinyl siding, you may need to add mildewcide to your cleaning solution to guarantee that the issue is resolved. After you’ve mixed your cleaning solution, you may put it aside for the time being and continue on to the following step.
6 – Using a hose, remove the vinyl siding.
Connect your garden hose to a garden faucet and spray down the vinyl portions you want to clean first.
To prevent any water getting below the vinyl siding and causing damage or perhaps leading to decay, spray the vinyl in a downward manner.
When spraying the vinyl siding, make sure your ladder is securely fastened, since the vinyl may become slippery when wet, posing a threat to you.
7 – Use a cleaning solution to scrub the vinyl siding.
After you’ve completed the preceding procedures, you can go on to the enjoyable part: washing the vinyl siding. Put on some gardening gloves for this step, since you don’t want to be burnt by the cleaning chemicals you’ve mixed when scrubbing the walls.
Scrub your home’s vinyl siding using a brush and the cleaning solution to remove all the dirt and grime that has accumulated over time. You may use a lot of pressure to guarantee that the dirt is removed from the vinyl.
After you’ve washed one strip of vinyl siding with your brush, rinse it with water using your garden hose. Then, using some new cleaning solutions, clean the part one more before rinsing it.
Repeat this cleaning procedure on each area of the wall before moving on to the next wall. This cleaning procedure is not simple and will take some time, so turn on some music and get as much done in one day as possible.
Stains on Vinyl Siding: How to Remove Them
Even though vinyl siding is normally stain-resistant, specific algae growing on the wall may occasionally discolor it. Some of these stains are tough to remove and will not come out with typical home cleaners.
When this occurs, contact your siding contractor and ask for a cleaner to come out and remove the stain, since they will have the appropriate solutions for the kind of vinyl siding on your home. Alternatively, you may try removing the stain off the vinyl siding using TSP.
Cleaning Products for Vinyl Siding in the Home
You don’t need to use pricey cleaning solutions like TSP if you don’t have stains and just want to give your vinyl sidings a clean to freshen them up a bit. Cleaning products from around the home may be used together to get the job done.
Vinegar and Solution of Bleachs are the two most often suggested cleaning solutions for vinyl siding. These two are simple to combine at home, but remember to protect yourself by using gloves and safety glasses.
Solution of Vinegar
Creating a Solution of Vinegar to help clean your vinyl sidings is easy and will not take you long. This solution is safer for the environment, and it will still ensure that your sidings are mildew and dirt-free after you have used them.
You’ll need white vinegar, water, baking soda, and an easy-to-use spray container to produce this solution. Combine the water and white vinegar in a 70/30 ratio, then combine 12 cup baking soda with 14 cup water in a separate container.
First, spray the vinegar water over your vinyl siding, and then remove part of the baking soda from the bottle using a brush. After that, clean your walls until you’re happy with the results.
Solution of Bleach
Mixing a Solution of Bleach is easy to do and is great for giving your white vinyl sidings that are beginning to turn green a new lease on life. You will need detergent, water, bleach, and then a spray bottle for easy application for this cleaning solution.
In a gallon of water, combine 1/3 cup powdered detergent, 1 quart liquid laundry bleach, and 2/3 cup powdered home cleanser. Fill a spray bottle halfway with bleach and you’re ready to clean your vinyl siding.
Last Thoughts
It might be an eyesore to have filthy vinyl siding on your house, but happily, it can be restored. You can clean your vinyl siding without a power washer, but it will take a little more time and work. You should have no problems completing the procedure if you follow the recommendations in this article. Good luck with your vinyl siding cleaning!
The “how to remove green algae from vinyl siding” is a popular question that I am going to answer. If you want to learn how, this is the article for you.
Related Tags
- best homemade vinyl siding cleaner
- how to clean house exterior without pressure washer
- best vinyl siding cleaner no scrubbing
- homemade pressure washer detergent for siding
- how to clean vinyl siding with a pressure washer