Are You Maintaining Your Home’s Siding Properly?

Keep Your Home Looking It's Best!

The Correct Way To Maintain Your Home’s Siding

Keeping up with the routine maintenance of your home’s siding is a crucial step to making sure expensive issues don’t appear down the road. Keeping the exterior of your house free of soot and debris will drastically extend the life of your siding. Things like dirt, mildew, algae, mold and moss can quickly become very costly issues to repair. By just keeping up with routine cleaning and care you can prevent those types of problems from ever occurring and you’ll be able to enjoy a clean and beautiful home for many years.

It’s All About Curb Appeal, Here are some tips on keeping your house looking great:

You only get one first impression when trying to sell your home. Having an unsightly exterior and siding with poor maintenance can ruin potential sales for you and your immediate neighbors as well. When your home is looking clean and well maintained it increases the value of your property by elevating it’s curb appeal. Whether you plan to sell or not, keeping your home in good shape is important regardless and helps you have one less thing to worry about. A tidy and clean exterior says a lot about the homeowners and the condition of the house inside.

Eliminate Harmful Bacteria

Regular maintenance of your siding removes harmful and potentially dangerous bacteria such as mildew, mold, algae, fungi, moss and animal droppings. These substances if left unchecked can cause extensive damage both inside and out of your house. They can also lead to health issues for some people.

How to Clean House Siding Soap and Water Method

The traditional method of cleaning siding is to scrub with soap and water. For this, you’ll need a gallon of warm water mixed with 1/2 cup of trisodium phosphate. You can also use dish soap or laundry detergent.You’ll also need a soft-bristled brush attached to a long handle as well as a water hose. First, rinse your siding with clean water from the hose. Then scrub from the bottom up with the soap mixture and brush. Don’t do more than 10 feet at a time without rinsing so the soap does not dry on the siding.

If you have stains and mildew that is not coming off, call KOS Exterior Cleaning for an estimate (631) 560-8899 

Power Wash Method

The faster method to wash siding is to use a power washer (AKA pressure washer). You can buy a power washer or rent one for the day. However, we recommend calling KOS Exterior Cleaning if you want to go this route because incorrect power washing can strip paint and cause more damage. Professionals will rinse your siding and use a specially formulated soap to remove dirt and grime.

What about Cedar Siding?

Cedar siding is a beautiful material that always sets a home apart from the others in the neighborhood. However, unlike vinyl, cedar siding requires a special kind of care. For example, you cant just point, aim, and pull the trigger of your trusty power washer at cedar siding, blast away the dirt, and call it a day. Doing this will cause damage to your siding. You'll have very clean cedar shingles lying on your lawn. According to Dwight Barnett, a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors, “power washing can be successfully applied to cedar siding safely as the setting is turned to low pressure.” So as long as you are using the proper chemicals and the right setting it is possible to get it down on your own.

However if you find the idea of pressure washing your cedar siding overwhelming, we don't blame you! There's a lot that goes into the job. Pressure washing can be bad for cedar siding if you are inexperienced or don't understand the products you should use and how to apply them. Luckily, the pros here at KOS Exterior Cleaning are here to help you out.

Schedule a Siding Cleaning and Treatment Today

A house siding cleaning will keep your home looking new, prevent your siding from needless damage, and keep up the market value of your home. If washing your home’s siding by hand doesn’t interest you, don’t worry. Restoring your siding from environmental wear is better done by professionals.

The team at KOS Exterior Cleaning services Suffolk County, Long Island with expert siding cleaning and maintenance. Contact us to learn more and schedule your siding cleaning today (631) 560-8899.