I am looking for some tips that can help me clean the vinyl siding on the 2nd story of my home. Home was built 3 years ago, siding is white. It is not terribly dirty but of course the mold/dirt shows on the white vinyl especially on the side getting the afternoon sun. I I have a true wrap around porch so the pitch of the 1st story roof is not steep, but I would prefer to not get on it. I am looking for suggestions on a mix I could use to possibly clean it from a ladder from the ground? I can reach the siding with my pressure washer but the concentration of the water stream is none. Any soft washing solution recommendation that would work would be appreciated . Thanks
This is a forum for professional washers, it may be a better idea to just call one and have them do it for a reasonable price instead of cobbling together your own equipment.
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A heck of a lot easier too…
Where are you located? I bet there’s someone on here that could help you out.
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@bnew17
If we suggested a chemical mix, how would you apply it to the second story of your home? Majority of the time (like nearly every time) we’ll use watered down bleach, but we don’t run it through our pressure washer pumps as it will destroy them. You could purchase a downstream injector kit with accompanying JROD for your particular machine (if your machine would accept it), purchase an xjet, purchase a 12v pump system designed for use with bleach, or use a manual pump up sprayer designed to withstand the abuse bleach will put on its seals. Bleach is the answer most of the time. However, there are several different methods of delivering the bleach to the surface (all useful in their own way and for various scenarios). Ultimately, you’d want a machine with appropriate accessories that allow for it to be able to send bleach where you need it to go without damaging your machine, your lawn, your car’s paint job, your neighbor’s car’s paint job, etc. And, you’d have to know at what rate your method of bleach transport diluted this almighty chemical because if you dilute too much you are wasting your time and energy, but, when not diluted enough, you’ll possibly destroy something you weren’t hoping to. What mix ratios we use with our equipment is unimportant to you as each and every machine out there varies depending on variables such as injector size, hose length, and more. Also, the average homeowner does not have easy access to /or need for the higher concentration bleach that we are purchasing in bulk quantities. Can your job be done with ordinary Clorox laundry bleach? Most likely, but you’d need to know more about your machine, how it mixes it, where it mixes it, how much it mixes it, and how it applies it in order to determine that answer.
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E-Z House wash or hire a professional. Spoiler alert, this house wash is just watered down bleach and surfactant. Also, it probably won’t reach the highest points without getting on a ladder.
This is a site for professionals, but if you’re not willing to hire someone that will do the whole house right and fast, this will work for you. Just buy twice as much as they advertise you need.
Thanks for the tip. I bought some EZ House Wash from Home Depot and it worked great. Saved me 300-400 dollars. I applied with a pump sprayer which is not most ideal, but it did work.
I don’t mean to take work away from all the hard-working professionals on here, but the fact is, if you’re the type of person that rather do something yourself, you weren’t going to hire someone no matter what anyone tells you.
FYI, you can buy that stuff with a garden hose attachment that downstreams it on so you didn’t need a pump sprayer. Did you dilute it when doing that? If not, you were applying 5% bleach. Yeah, that will clean the siding fast, but also kill any plants you got it on.
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I hired a contractor 2 years ago to clean this same 2nd story. It did not get cleaned last year which is why it was as dirty as was. I also hired the same contractor to clean my parents 2 story home last year (stucco),so yes I will hire, but at the same time if it is a task that I have the means and time at the moment to do, then I will.
The instructions on the label said for tough stains to not dilute at all. I went that route. I did wet all shrubbery prior.
