Clean Wood Siding With Bleach

Clean wood siding your home s exterior really takes a beating.

Clean wood siding with bleach.

Clean wood siding with a bleach solution for mold. Cleaning vinyl siding will preserve the appearance of the exterior of your home. Cedar siding can add an attractive rustic charm to your home but in some instances your siding may require a thorough cleaning with powerful solutions. The natural bleaching action creates the impression of a cleaner surface which in reality is only bleached but still needs cleaning.

Mold mildew and algae are just a few of the causes of dirty vinyl siding. When mildew gains a foothold homeowners often turn to diluted chlorine bleach sodium hypochlorite a k a. Vinyl siding becomes dirty and stained over time. As a cleaner bleach provides minimal results.

How to safely clean wood siding on a house. It wasn t so long ago that trisodium phosphate tsp was a go to choice for tough cleaning jobs especially on exteriors. Your standard household whitener it appears to make mildew vanish but on porous surfaces such as wood or vinyl siding chlorine evaporates too quickly to get to the fungi s roots guaranteeing regrowth. Do not clean wood mold with chlorine bleach products.

Diluted in water and applied often with a stiff scrub brush it can. It is highly toxic to vegetation. The chemical name for chlorine bleach is sodium hypochlorite. It will eat the fibers that hold the wood together and discolor the siding in order to avoid cleaners that contain chlorine bleach you can check the product label.

Bleach is commonly used to clean dirty siding and is especially effective at remove mold mildew and algae from the surface. As a result use of bleach on wood shifts the ph from wood s natural near neutral ph to a basic ph that will damage the cellular structure. Give it an occasional cleaning to brighten up its appearance get rid of mildew and prevent discoloration. Many people say oxygen bleach is better than chlorine bleach for fighting mold and mildew.

Wipe the area clean with a damp towel and allow the wood to air dry. Use powdered oxygen bleach to remove mold from wooden deck or siding if it s green. Even if you don t have any mold vinegar is a great ingredient to use when you need to clean wood siding that may be covered with ordinary dirt and grime. The smell of vinegar will linger on the wood for several hours but will dissipate naturally.

Master the proper technique and you can use a pressure washer to clean the wood siding on your home safely without incurring damage to the material.