Cleaning Vinly Siding

Pollen, dust, tree sugars, and man-made contaminants can, over the course of years, diminish the beauty of your home.  You can clean vinyl siding -- There's a lot of advice out there on how to clean you vinyl siding.  And some of them seem contradictory.  What to do?  Shut off the electric!  Cover outlets outdoors,
That all depends on what problem you are facing.  Power washing is an option but remember!  Vinyl siding is meant to keep water from entering the structure -- water falling from "Up" falling "Down".  So, power washing needs to be done carefully and deliberately.  Don't aim the power washer so that the water is going to go up and under the siding.  Straight on, or aiming down from up.  Check out the Vinyl Siding Institute.  They have a  formidable knowledge base.

Always wear protective eye wear, goggles, or other protection, an old baseball hat might also be a good idea.  Cover or remove patio furniture.  Carefully examines the eaves for beehives and hornet hives.  If there are any, these need to be addressed before you begin.  For extremely large and large beehives, get professional exterminators, smaller hives can be sprayed with insecticide -- better at dusk.  Check with a local exterminator -- they will usually offer you free advice on how to rid yourself of this problem.
Cover your precious plantings!  Get a cover over your roses and your hedges, flowers, abutting lawn (no you don't have to cover the lawn -- just the first few inches -- remember you are doing one small area at a time.  Power washing is not the only option.  If you go to an RV supply house, they sell very soft, long-handled brushes designed to clean RV's and those brushes do very well for cleaning vinyl siding.  Use a bucket and soapy water.  You can use laundry detergent and hot water.  Go easy on the detergent try to keep drain-off controlled.  There are also green detergents on the market, if you do some research, which can minimize the impact  -- not only to the environment in general, but also to your plantings, lawn, and immediate area.
Do a small area at a time.  Start up, move down.  Mold can be treated with a sprayer with five parts water and one part bleach.  Be real careful with the bleach.  Get rid of the mold and try to wipe it up as soon as you can.  The bleach, if it reaches the roots of your plantings, will destroy the roots and you will find yourself in the desert.  For stains, an oxygen bleach is better and less destructive -- but still be careful and use with moderation and only for stains. 

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