Simple Steps to Stucco Cleaning

Homeowners with stucco siding should find it to be durable and weather resistant, carrying almost no risk of damage by termites and other pests and little need for maintenance. In fact, the only regular maintenance you have to deal with is stucco cleaning on the soffits and walls of your home, which in most cases takes little effort and uses typical household tools and cleaners.

Stucco is a porous material similar to concrete and masonry, and the methods for cleaning the three are very similar. You can simply use a jet or fan garden hose attachment or a pressure washer if your hose won't give you enough power. Using a brush or household cleaner made for exteriors can also work on stubborn dirt.

One of the keys to stucco cleaning is to pre-wet the surface from the bottom up. Doing so achieves three important things: It prevents dirty water from being absorbed into dry pores in the wall. It also helps the wall cast off water. and it loosens the soil for the next step.

Be careful not to hold your water stream too close to the stucco siding. You want to find just the right pressure balance during the stucco cleaning process, close enough to effectively remove grime and far enough to not damage to the stucco with too much pressure.

Start your spray at the bottom of the wall and then continue slowly up the wall until you reach the area directly under the roof line. Then go back down the way you came, slowly following the dirty water down the wall with a follow-through spray to make sure it gets removed completely from the stucco.

This simple process should do the trick perfectly in most situations. If you have significant staining from mildew or other elements, you'll need to look into more aggressive methods.

Simple Steps to Stucco Cleaning

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