|
If you are considering
washing your own home, knowing and using the
right cleaners to do the job can be a huge time
saver and give you much better
results.
Most of what you will be
dealing with will be mold, mildew, algae, dirt,
cobwebs, bird droppings and bug fecal. Other
contaminants not as noticeable are exhaust
emissions from cars, trucks, airplanes and
such. Also anything any nearby factories may be
putting out will also land on your
home.
The Vinyl
Siding Institute (VSI) recommends using the
following for small spots of mold or mildew.
Small spots of mold and mildew can be handled
with cleaners such as Fantastik or Windex. For
larger sections, a solution of vinegar (30%)
and water (70%) has proven successful.
Alternatively, you also could try the following
solution: 1/3 cup (2 2/3 ounces) powdered
laundry detergent (e.g., Tide, Fab, or
equivalent), 2/3 cup (5 1/3 ounces) powdered
household cleaner (e.g., Spic & Span,
Soilax or equivalent), 1 quart (32 fluid
ounces) liquid laundry bleach, and 1 gallon
(128 fluid ounces) of water.
In my opinion, the only way
to kill and remove mold and mildew is to use
the bleach solution. Its important not only to
remove it but to kill it as well. If you've
ever cleaned mold or mildew before with just
water you know it looks good at first but it
returns in a short time, that's because it was
never completely killed.
Something else you need to
know is that bleach is for killing and removing
mold, mildew and algae but does not clean well.
For dirt and grime you will also need soap in
your house wash cleaner. You can use the
laundry soap like recommended by the VSI or add
a few squirts of dish soap to your bleach
mix.
Now you have a home cleaning
recipe that will take care of most anything on
your home. It can be applied with a brush or
sponge. You can try using a pump up sprayer but
bleach is corrosive and will eventually ruin
the sprayer. It may work long enough to get the
job done and if you rinse it thoroughly it may
last even longer.
Remember that if you're going
to use your pressure washer's chemical injector
to apply the cleaner, it will be diluting your
mix quite a bit. Most injectors draw only 1
part chemical to 5 or 6 parts water. You can do
the math and try making your initial solution
stronger and see if you can get good
results.
Once you've found a good
solution, it should do most of the work for you
and you will only need to rinse the area clean.
After applying the solution allow it to dwell
for a few minutes and then use your garden hose
or a pressure washer using no more than 1000
psi and a wide fan nozzle to clean the area.
Try to spray straight at eye level with the
siding or you can force water underneath and
behind it.
It's important to rinse from
top to bottom and to be thorough as to not
leave any residue on your home. You can add
some dishwasher rinse aid like Jet Dry to your
mix if you want. An 8 oz bottle will treat 5
gallons of cleaning solution, this will help
the water sheet off the siding.
The bleach, water, soap and
rinse aid (optional) cleaning solution will
also work well on aluminum and painted wood
siding. It can also be used for vinyl fences,
plastic decking, painted shutters, lawn
furniture and most anything else that is
exposed to the elements and is covered in dirt,
mold and mildew.
Make sure when working around
your plants and shrubs that you wet them down
with water before, during and after the
cleaning process so no solution is allowed to
dry on them. The same goes for your windows,
don't allow the solution to dry on them and
you'll be fine.
Also wear eye and hand
protection and a ventilation mask when dealing
with bleach. Never mix ammonia with bleach or
anything else you aren't sure of.
Author: Barry Maddox
Company: Midwest Pro Wash
Website: Pressure
Washing
|
