Little black specks

Residential
1

Hi all,

From time to time I encounter a home with these little black specks, like raised freckles. It’s obviously most noticeable on white trim but upon inspection they are elsewhere as well.

I’ve heard a zillion explanations of what they are, but still don’t know. They are hard, and don’t rinse off with pressure and don’t wipe off with our normal cleaners, detergents, or brighteners. If you scratch it with your fingernail, some of the raised dot will scratch off but not all of it.

Does anyone know definitively what this is, and has anyone here found a practical way to remove these dots, short of sanding the surface?

Thanks in advance -

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2

Artilary fungas, also known as buckshot fungas.

Clorox wipe and they almost always go away. Most of the time they leave spots on the siding.

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3

Well now I know. Thank you.

4

I’ve came across it a few times. Mostly from where they have old wet mulch or damp shrubs, sometimes it’s above a deck.

5

They will stick on the windows and everything they come in contact with

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6

Tough to clean. I’ve tried magic erasers, Clorox wipes, and a handful of other tips people have shared.

Not cost effective versus time required. Every homeowner gets a heads up that we don’t clean artillery fungus if we find it.

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7

I agree with not cleaning these. Educate the home owner and move on. It they want it cleaned charge then accordingly and let them know the spots may still remain.

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8

Tell them to get rid of the mulch and switch to pine needles too or they’ll just get worse.

9

same—we dont clean them either. I tell them they are attached to the siding and only way to remove is mechanically by scraping them (which is true)

10

http://dea.human.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/exploding-fungus-attacks-house.pdf

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11

those look like little road tar spatter. Would the same mechanism for removing road tar remove these little pests?

12

LOL, knock yourself out. You can become an industry hero you find an easy way to remove.

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