Tired of that unsightly green and black mold and algae ruining your home’s curb appeal? Here’s a simple, five-minute method to effectively clean your house siding and restore its original beauty.
Understanding the Problem
It happens to the best of us; there’s nothing to be ashamed about. Everyone is going to get it at some point. Everybody has a side of the house that gets this green black mold and algae. This guide will show you a method that takes five minutes once a year.
Alternative Cleaning Methods
There will be comments saying it’s just bleach, or just bleach with whatever. If you want to find a spray bottle that’ll reach up 30 feet, go buy bleach, go buy some other chemicals, and mix your own, no problem.
The method described here has been learned over the years, and it does not follow the instructions on the product. This method works really, really well.
Products for Cleaning Siding
Previously, a couple of products have been mentioned for this. One is Home Armor House Cleaner, and the other one is 30 Second Cleaner. The 30 Second Cleaner will be used here.
Everyone gets, if you have whether it’s vinyl siding or painted up on your house, there’s a side of your house or two sides of your house, and what ends up happening is you get this green funk, green black funk on it, and that happens once a year.
Step-by-Step Cleaning Process
Here’s a slightly different method than the instructions suggest. The first thing you want to do is on your 30 Second bottle, if you’re using this, is pull the red tab. The red tab makes it fan out, so if you want a fan, you pull it, and it shoots straight.
Every single hose has one of these little brass shutoffs; you can get them at Lowe’s, Home Depot. The 30 Second cleaner can be purchased at Lowe’s, Walmart, or any similar store.
Turn the bottle onto clean. Start at the top (this goes against what you’re supposed to do) and spray at the top and come down. Let it sit for approximately two minutes, three minutes. Then, with it on clean again, spray it one more time, let it sit for two or three minutes, then rinse it.
Important Considerations
It is advised to buy one of the spray bottles and then buy some kind of refiller as well too, because when you start to tip your bottle, you may, if you’re going shooting up high along the house, it’s going to run out or it’s going to hit because you’re holding it at such an angle. Make sure your bottle is consistently full.
After just 20-30 seconds, it’s already cleared off even before rinsing it; it’s white.
The Importance of Avoiding Pressure Washers
You may be thinking about using a pressure washer. However, if you use a pressure washer, especially on homes built with vinyl siding on the sides on these peaks here, you’ll actually force water up under those slats, and water can get in behind.
Allow the cleaner to sit for about two minutes, and then rinse it.
Additional Tips and Tricks
If you have windows that have a little bit of this mold or mildew on them, just hit it with this, leave it for three minutes, come back and rinse it off, and they turn bright bright.
Identifying Untreated Areas
If an area wasn’t treated, you can easily spot the difference. For example, you can see how the siding is white where it was cleaned, and then it turns green down in the corner where it wasn’t treated.
Dealing with Heavily Shaded Areas
The back of a freestanding garage, which faces the woods, is a good example. On the side that gets mostly shade because of a tree, it’s dark green, with a little bit of black. Green typically represents algae, and black and gray typically represent mold and mildew. Algae has chlorophyll in it, so that it can use the sunlight to actually produce its own food. It doesn’t survive well in really bright light, it just needs a little bit of light.
If the hose pressure is low, and the cleaner wasn’t applied effectively, some areas may not be fully covered. It might be necessary to go back and spray it again to ensure full coverage.
Achieving Optimal Results
Most products say spray and leave it on for five to ten minutes, but it can be more effective to spray it all at once, and once you see that algae start to disappear and while the product is still on there wet, hit it again with a second coat.
It’s important not to let this stuff dry out on the house. Preferably, do this when the side of the house is not being pounded with sunshine, because it’ll dry too quick.
Rinse the siding thoroughly. Areas that were striped and green can become absolutely perfectly clean.
Readily Available Solutions
A 30 Second Cleaner or Home Armor works well; both of those products are available. You can get them at Home Depot. Both of those have the various sprays; they have a jet spray and they have a fan spray. You can use it on anything around the house that’s green, and it’s instant results; you don’t have to spray it and wait for three weeks.
