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How to Clean Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding is often touted as being maintenance free. It's not. True, vinyl doesn't need to be repainted or replaced like wood siding or shingles, but if you want your vinyl siding to maintain its appearance and remain free of mold and algae, it needs a thorough washing at least once a year.

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The Right Way to Clean Vinyl Siding

The first rule of washing vinyl siding is also the one most often broken: don't use a pressure washer. Yes, pressure washing is the fastest and easiest way to wash your siding, but it also has many shortcomings, not least is that it may void the warranty on your vinyl siding. Pressure spraying can also force water behind your siding, which is designed to repel water coming down from the sky, not up from the ground, and this moisture can damage your house's frame. Finally, if mold or algae has begun growing on your siding, pressure spraying won't kill it. The inconvenient truth is that the best way to clean your vinyl siding is to hand wash it.

Hose it Down

Begin cleaning your vinyl siding by rinsing it with a garden hose to remove the biggest bits of dirt and debris. Use a gentle spray, and rinse from the top down. Use a ladder if necessary to ensure that the water is spraying down, not up, onto the siding.

Gather Your Cleaning Tools

You don't need a whole lot in the way of supplies to clean your vinyl siding: just dishwashing soap, a bucket, and a sponge or soft brush. Use a quarter cup of soap per bucket of water to make your cleaning solution. An extra-large sponge like you'd use to wash your car is more than adequate to get the job done, but you'll spend a lot of time climbing up and down and moving your ladder. An even better tool for the job is one of those soft, absorbent, brushes that are sold as car-washing accessories. Make sure you get one that can be screwed onto an extension pole (some come with their own telescoping pole) so that you'll be able to clean up to the eaves with your feet on the ground.

Don't Leave Streaks on your Siding

There are three things you should do to avoid leaving streaks when you clean your vinyl siding. First and foremost, clean from bottom to top (I don't know why this works, only that it does). Next, clean a relatively small area at a time, then rinse it thoroughly (remember to spray down, not up, at your siding) before moving on. A good rule of thumb is to only wash what you can reach without moving laterally before rinsing. Finally, clean your siding on a cloudy day. This keeps the sun from drying soap on the siding before you have a chance to rinse it off. If you do have to clean your vinyl siding on a day when the sun is shining, time things so that you're always working on a side of the house that's in the shade.