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How to Clean Stucco and Stone Exteriors

How to Clean Siding

Siding, whether made from wood, aluminum, or vinyl, is a long-lasting, attractive, and affordable exterior surface. The method you should use to clean it depends on the specific type of siding you have.

Vinyl Siding

Vinyl siding needs less maintenance than any other home exterior surface. It never needs painting and doesn’t dent or warp. Pollutants and chemicals in the air can eventually cause surface pitting on vinyl siding, though, making it stain easily and appear dull. A thorough washing once or twice a year will remove dirt and pollutants before they cause any deterioration.

Pressure-washing: Pressure-wash vinyl siding using trisodium phosphate (TSP), laundry detergent, or vinyl siding cleaner purchased from a hardware store.
Handwashing: Whenever you’re handwashing walls, be sure to wash from bottom to top and keep the water clean. If you start at the top, the wash water will drip down, causing hard-to-remove streaks on the siding below—and if your water gets dirty, then dirty water will drip down onto already clean siding. Wet the surface well before you start, use a solution of laundry soap, TSP, or bleach, and rinse the surface thoroughly after you’ve finished.

Aluminum Siding

Treat aluminum siding as you would vinyl siding, washing by hand or with a pressure washer. Expect to see (and remove) chalking, a white powder caused by oxidizing paint, on aluminum siding. Aluminum siding will dent under pressure, so if you’re pressure-washing, use the lowest setting that seems to be effective. If you’re washing aluminum that’s been painted, consider washing it by hand—pressure-washing will cause loose paint to chip away.

Wood Siding

Wash wood siding by hand or with a low-pressure setting on a power washer. High-pressure washing can chip paint and force water into the siding, causing it to warp or buckle. Maintain painted wood siding by repainting it every five years; refinish stained wood siding every three years.

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