How To Keep Your Vinyl Siding Looking Brand New

Vinyl siding is one of the most popular textures that homeowners choose for the exterior of their homes. Vinyl is durable, beautiful, cost-effective and, typically, homeowners can easily recover the costs associated with adding vinyl siding when they resell their homes.

However, homeowners with vinyl siding may walk outside sometimes and notice a discoloration of their home’s exterior. Maybe your vinyl was originally white and now it looks green!

If you live in a more wooded area then it’s possible that pollen has accumulated on the side of your home. If you live in a desert climate, then it’s possible that dirt has accumulated on the side of your home. It’s even possible that some combination of the two or some other foreign gunk has begun to collect on the sides of your home, causing it to lose its natural, beautiful color.

If that describes your experience, then perhaps it’s time for a thorough cleaning of your vinyl siding. Fortunately, vinyl is one of the more easy textures to maintain especially if cleaned regularly. However, if you’ve never thoroughly washed your vinyl siding before, then here are some pro tips that will keep your vinyl siding looking brand new.

Regularly Scheduled Thorough Cleaning

The first and most important key to keeping your vinyl siding looking new is to clean your exterior regularly. Most manufacturers recommend that you clean your vinyl siding at least once per year. The more frequently you clean, the easier it will be. The longer you wait in between cleaning, the more gunk will build up and accumulate on your home.

When cleaning your vinyl siding, most manufacturers recommend using a soft cloth or a long-handled, soft-bristled brush in order to get optimal results out of your cleaning project.

Manufacturers also recommend that when cleaning your vinyl siding, you should start at the base of your home and work your way up.

Finally, make sure that when you’re finished cleaning you rinse off any excess solution of the exterior of your home so that you can avoid staining of the vinyl.

Cover the Plants

Before you start cleaning it’s a good idea to make sure that anything you don’t want to get wet or exposed to the solution is covered with a plastic cover.

First, turn off the power to your home’s exterior lights and electrical outlets at the circuit panel.

Next, cover those lights with plastic backs or sheets which you can hold in place using duct tape.

Then, close all of your windows and exterior doors and make sure that you move any of your outdoor furniture out of the way. Any immovable items can be covered with plastic sheeting or bags which you can then fasten with duct tape.

Finally, cover your plants with plastic bags and make sure to water the soil of the plants as well before beginning your project.

Choose the Appropriate Cleaning Solution

Certain chemicals can actually do more harm to your vinyl finish than good. Most manufacturers will be able to recommend a safe and quality cleaning solution to you.

If you want something cheap, or all natural, then consider making your own solution at home using 70% water and 30% vinegar. That should be enough to give your exterior a nice clean look. The only consideration, obviously, would be the smell.

There are plenty of safe, premade cleaning solutions to choose from to clean your vinyl siding. However, it’s always best to check with an expert to make sure the solution that you’re using is appropriate for your project.

Before cleaning your vinyl with the solution, it’s always a good idea to rinse the house. After cleaning your vinyl with solution, rinse the house again.

Take Care of Cracks and Breaks

Vinyl is durable. However, a neighbor’s kid may hit your house with a baseball. A storm may come through and send a tree branch into your exterior. Life happens and when it does, often times your vinyl siding will pay the price.

It’s almost impossible to prevent cracks and breaks. However, it’s important to inspect your vinyl siding regularly, and when you notice a crack or a break, it’s important to replace the broken parts as soon as possible.

If you have a crack in your siding and you don’t address the situation immediately, you’re going to leave your vinyl susceptible to molding and moisture.

If handled immediately, you can fix these minor issues for a relatively inexpensive price compared to what you would have to pay to deal with infrastructural damage caused by mold or moisture.

Power Washer Versus Soft Cloth

If you have severe mildew or gunk accumulating on your vinyl siding then it might make sense to use a power washer. However, it’s only recommended in extreme circumstances and only if the manufacturer of your vinyl would recommend pressure washing.

The reason that pressure washers aren’t usually recommended is that pressure washing can sometimes cause water to leak through your walls and even your attic causing damage to the interior of your home. Further, if you aren’t careful using a pressure washer, you could possibly end up with a broken window, broken vinyl or further damage to your property caused by too much pressure.

If possible, it’s best to use a soft cloth or soft bristled brush to clean your vinyl. When used with the proper cleaning solutions and applied properly, those tools should usually be enough to get your vinyl siding sparkling like new.

Vinyl siding is beautiful, popular, durable and cost-effective. Following these tips will ensure that your vinyl siding will also be easy to maintain!

As long as you clean your vinyl properly, follow these tips and clean regularly (at least once per year) then you’ll be able to keep your vinyl looking new and beautiful, just the way you remember it.

Get Vinyl Siding from Feldco

There are many signs that your siding needs to be replaced. If you’re experiencing any of these signs, Feldco has you covered. We offer vinyl siding replacement and we’ll install it as well. Feldco makes the process easy and convenient for you. We offer many different styles and colors to choose from.

Learn why over 500,000 homeowners trusted Feldco for their home improvement projects. Talk to a Feldco product specialist and get the home of your dreams. Start your project today and get a free quote now!