# Washing the house exterior



## doozie (May 21, 2005)

I never thought I'd be doing this, but where we live now I have vinyl siding and we have trees galore and pollen from pines, so some green and dark mold is growing on my house.

I've noticed it on quite a few other houses in the area and I don't want it to get out of hand.

I'm using oxy clean and a soft brush and a rag, followed by a rinse with the hose.

The eaves and outer gutters are the hardest, and Im finding I don't like the ladder much, I think I'm beginning to have some balance issues, or I just don't feel safe the higher I get, so we're going to put a round sponge on the end of an extendable painting pole for the rest of this job.
One side done, 3 to go.
The windows are also getting done as a result, so that's a bonus.

Does anyone deal with this type of mold and have any tips to keep it away?


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

doozie said:


> I never thought I'd be doing this, but where we live now I have vinyl siding and we have trees galore and pollen from pines, so some green and dark mold is growing on my house.
> 
> I've noticed it on quite a few other houses in the area and I don't want it to get out of hand.
> 
> ...


Yes, Bleach and a pressure washer.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Wet And Forget - exterior 

http://www.wetandforget.com/product-selector.html


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## miggyb (May 2, 2015)

doozie said:


> I never thought I'd be doing this, but where we live now I have vinyl siding and we have trees galore and pollen from pines, so some green and dark mold is growing on my house.
> 
> I've noticed it on quite a few other houses in the area and I don't want it to get out of hand.
> 
> ...


Short of cutting down trees, it's something you will have to live with. I usually "soft washed"(as opposed to pressure washing) a house before painting. (Vinyl siding when done in this manner, comes out looking new) I used a garden pump sprayer with a 10 to one mic of water to bleach, and a touch of dish soap. Apply to the area, working from bottom to top. If you work top to bottom the bleach solution will leave streaking that is impossible to get out. Let the bleach do it's job before rinsing thoroughly with a garden hose with spray attachment. Again work bottom up. Cover anything you don't want to bleach Good luck!


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## doozie (May 21, 2005)

Thanks for the replies, the oxy clean does work very good, and I'm scared of the bleach killing what little grass grows here, but I see the wet and forget can be sprayed easily too, so I may look for it for future cleaning. 
The bottom to top is something I will try on the other sides too.

I've never ever even seen or had to deal with this stuff that is growing on the house, deck, wooden porch, rocks, haha, you name it!


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Bleach does NOT kill mold spores.


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## ed/La (Feb 26, 2009)

I like car wash brush on stick and pressure washer. I work around the sun as much as possible. Dries slower and easier on me.


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## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

ed/La said:


> I like car wash brush on stick and pressure washer. I work around the sun as much as possible. Dries slower and easier on me.


I agree....brush doesn't work on my truck worth a doodle....but it does good on the house!


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