Content creators on social media recommend it so those that are just starting out and getting their info from those sources think it’s the way to go. Jury is still out if it’s better or worse than using laundry detergent as a surfactant.
I’ve just never felt the need for it. Houses have always cleaned up fine without it. Seems like an unnecessary cost but to each their own
Content creators on social media do not wash buildings for a living. I am simply stating any one washing without some kind of soap in their bleach is going to find them self in trouble washing down the road.
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Thats my point… garbage in / garbage out
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Ill tell you that when I used to do YouTube research that a couple times it wasn’t recommended across different creators. The reasoning would vary between causing streaks on oxidized surfaces to it being a waste of money and time. All seemed like reasonable things so I just went with it. Houses would be clean after just SH after we were done but when switched back to using surfactant it felt better looked better no more going over heavy spots more than usual. YouTube was good for maybe learning how to ask and search the right questions on the forum.
Would it be worth giving oxalic acid a go to neutralize the bleach? Will that white wash the areas that I use it in?
@CaCO3Girl - would you mind chiming in at your convenience the possible chemistry pitfalls that could occur when putting an oxidizer such as bleach on vinyl siding with no surfactant soap in the water and bleach mixture. Thank You. 
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They were not clean because SH doesn’t clean. This is why when you wash your whites you have to use bleach AND soap.
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Yea I get that now it was the bad information out there that led me in the wrong direction.
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Wow, what a thread! Before you used SH on this dark siding did you do a color swatch test?
I suspect what has happened is the SH has actually hurt/burned the color. Now you are going to say but it comes off with purple power and a magic eraser……are you aware that magic eraser is basically like a piece of sand paper? So you added a caustic solution to the surface and then did a sanding and it came “clean”. Did it really though, or did you just do a mini paint stripping of sorts?
If you really think any of these chemicals will work please run a dang test. Get a pack of plastic cups and a huge pack of toothbrushes. Fill up each cup with the correct mixture then use a toothbrush to apply it to the siding on a trouble spot. Apply, leave on for the recommended dwell time, then rinse off with a water spray bottle. Also try different strengths of the same solution. Out of curiosity, I would also run a test on an undamaged piece of siding with the original SH conditions and see if you are actually burning the color.
The fact is, you need to find something that will work without manually touching each piece of siding. So you need a chemical solution, not an elbow grease solution. If none of this works you should probably just file an insurance claim.
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Hey there, thanks for the bat signal 
. I really think he burned the siding. This is why chemical compatibility testing is so important. A surfactant will help clean. A surfactant will help water slick away. A surfactant will not stop a chemical reaction between color and SH.
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Just to introduce myself, I really am a chemist. I found this forum years ago because I was creating a line of chemicals to be used in pressure washers and I needed to know what yall liked and didn’t like about your chemicals.
I’ve since moved on to a regulatory position at a major chemical company but if someone @ ‘s me I will come back and chime in on chemical discussions. To be clear, I have never pressure washed anything in my life!!! I just have a broad knowledge of chemicals and cleaners.
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That myself and many other long timers on the forum know. Thank you for your time.
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Thank you for the post. I washed this whole house with the same mixture and everything else looks good. I believe I may have forgot to rinse this side altogether because there was also a plant that was withering, and I had to remove orange stains off of their white window sills on that side. Brushing also worked good but it took a ton of scrubbing. Here’s a test spot where I scrubbed these panels super super good with purple power and a soft bristled brush. It took scrubbing and drying 3x to get these results. No magic eraser was used in this spot.
Absolutely you have been one of the ones I look up and see past replies and posts! Your the bomb!
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This is basically the equivalent of sanding off the burn in my opinion. Again, just an opinion, it’s possible that these super sanded areas will not weather and age well.
Please run the toothbrush test with SH. Also, you may want to contact the siding manufacturer to ask about the siding issue you are having. It’s likely not their first call about this type of thing.
I totally see what you mean about sanding it down. What do you mean by doing the toothbrush test with SH? Like a really hot mix? Because I’ve already put SH on this side twice more and it doesn’t change anything. How could I find out the manufacturer, should I just ask the homeowner?
She essentially is saying what you will find on here 100x… “do a test spot”. She’s suggesting that you do a test spot of everything, including SH on an unaffected area which may confirm what she suspects you did in the area you’re struggling with.
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@LoganWashesStuff - at this stage of the game, unless some one else has a better idea, I would rinse the entire house with water only and see how things look after a couple days. Post pictures of course after couple days. Any other suggestions for him to try more than welcome.
Bleach doesn’t clean anything. Read the definition of soap and what it does. Do you never use soap when you’re washing your car or your hands or do you just spray it with bleach.
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