Avoid Vinyl Siding Repairs by Cleaning
Of all the known siding materials, most professionals today would recommend the use of vinyl, even if it’s a contracted job. Easiest and the quickest to install, very cost efficient, requires very minimal in terms of maintenance; this seems to be the most friendly siding material in existence.
But yet, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its own set of negatives. It isn’t impervious to damage, for instance, and considerable stains are factors that could make the vinyl material brittle. That means keeping your vinyl clean can lengthen the life span of your vinyl siding. So, without further ado, check out these handy guidelines on how to avoid vinyl siding repairs by cleaning.
The most regular pickle of vinyl siding is its liability to staining. Candidates of which comes in the form of lodged gravel, accumulated dust, and other such sorts. Cleaning for this mess however is blessedly conventional. A solution composing 10% detergent (or a liquid house soap or just any kind of washing liquid that has non-bleach properties) and warm water is already enough to remove most stains. You can either brush or wipe it with soft damp cloth. On some instances, a direct water pressure from a garden hose is sufficient enough but you have to be careful not to force the liquid into the inner workings of the siding.
For heavier stains, chemicals such as naphtha are found to be successful. Dampen the cloth with the fluid and gently rub the stain away. Actually you can even use bleach, as long as there is paid attentiveness on the concentration. Only allow a 1:10 ratio bleach solution, and use bleach only if naphtha proves to be unsuccessful.
Be careful, however, in using cleaning agents. If you inadvertently wipe out the color, there is no way to repair the damage but to replace. And if the vinyl siding has an amount of age in it, the replacement would be noticeable than the other faded vinyl material. And you have to replace the entire section.
Conversely, you can choose to buy cleaning agents that is designed for vinyl cleaning. The Restora® Heavy Duty Cleaner available at www.flood.com is an exemplar example for a safe cleaning agent. This cleaning agent removes deep stains such as mildew, oxidation, chalk, and even algae stains. You can use it in junction with the Restora® Lo-Lustre Vinyl Revitalizer. This product restores vinyl surfaces to a “brand new” surface and shine.
In a nutshell, attentive cleaning makes vinyl siding repair a lesser occurrence than usual. Yes, they say that vinyl is 100% maintenance free, and it is for the most part. Just habitually check those areas that get stained rather heavily, because they are the most liable to get brittle faster than the rest.