cleaning house siding...

[Greg Cuetara]

I have cedar shingles for my siding. It is time to paint this spring. We are trying to sell the house so we want things to look good.

I know the prep is probably the worst and most important part of the whole process. What is the best way to prep the siding?

I have heard mixed reviews of using a pressure washer. One person said to use a bleach mixture and wash it on the siding with a hose and then use a scrub brush to finish the job. I would rather rent a pressure washer for a day and run around like a mad man but also want to do it right.

I am really looking for a down and dirty way to clean things up before I put another coat of stain on.

Any do and donts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

[Von Bickley]

Greg,

Before you rent a pressure washer or start scrubbing, try one thing. Mix 1 part bleach to 2 parts water in a pump-up sprayer. Hose down a small area that you want cleaned, then spray the bleach/water mixture on that area. Let it set for just a few minutes and then wash it off and see how that works.

It works for me.......

[Joe Pelonio]

Even low strength bleach mix can damage or kill plants, so you have to tarp them.

Around here the main problem is moss, and some people pressure wash 2-3 times a year.

[Pat Germain]

Forget the cedar and cover your house with some nice vinyl siding. There are likely a few hundred dealers in your immediate area. They'll be glad to install some vinyl windows while they're at it.

[Neal Clayton]

Forget the cedar and cover your house with some nice vinyl siding. There are likely a few hundred dealers in your immediate area. They'll be glad to install some vinyl windows while they're at it.

i hope that was sarcastic.

but if anyone wants some vinyl windows i happen to have a few. rarely opened and only thrown out of a second story opening into the back of my truck once. they're all being replaced with proper wood windows i've been building lately.

i wouldn't pressure wash cedar. the water won't hurt it but it's not exactly a very hard wood to begin with, the pressure could fray it pretty badly.

i agree with the idea of trying a regular spray with the garden hose first, and see how it works.

[Edward Norton]

I have cedar shingles for my siding. It is time to paint this spring. We are trying to sell the house so we want things to look good.
Thanks,
Greg

I do nothing like this without a power washer. Garden hoses are like me, old and out dated.

I've cleaned many a homes using "Stain Solver". I mix 1/4 a cup with a gallon of water then put the suction tube on my washer into the jug and let er rip!

I purchase my stain solver in 50 pound pails but you can get it in smaller containers. I don't know if external links are allowed here but you can Google stain solver and find the site I purchase from.

Note: If you've never used a power washer then practice on a scrap piece of the siding if you have it. If not use any scrap wood you have laying around. Most pressure washers can drill a hole through a 2x4!

[Jim Kountz]

Be very careful with any bleach solution!! We do a lot of log homes and always bleach and power wash after construction and before any sealer is applied. You can really make wood look like total trash with bleach. A mild solution of standard ol dish detergent will almost always work better actually unless you have alot of staining going on. We mainly have to deal with fingerprints and smudges from handling the logs with grimey hands so we dont really need to bleach sometimes. If you must use bleach use a very mild solution and dont leave it on very long. The pressure washer is going to get 90% of the dirt and grime anyway so you might want to just try it by itself first.
Trust me Ive gotten myself in quite a pickle using bleach before. Ive done this ALOT over the years.

[Greg Cuetara]

Trust me Ive gotten myself in quite a pickle using bleach before. Ive done this ALOT over the years.

Jim, this is exactly why I asked here. I was hoping others have a lot of experience with it and can tell me the do's and donts. I am thinking renting a pressure washer for a day might be the way to go and to use either a mild form of bleach or just detergent to clean things up.

Greg