Learn How to Clean Vinyl Siding Without A Power Washer in today's post. Siding mildew or green algae are common reasons for the need for cleaning vinyl siding. The good news is that with a bit of elbow grease, siding cleaning isn't too hard!
Sometimes, you have to have the right tool for the job and sometimes, you don't. For example, a wet saw is needed when you are tiling a space or a hammer is needed to hang a picture. But, some projects you can make do without having the perfect tool. For example, when we built the closet loft we didn't have a table saw. Things would be much easier if we had every tool that was perfect for each job but the reality of it is that we can't invest in every single tool on the market. That's where this project comes into play.
Before we jump right in, I do want to say that I first shared this post many years ago. We've since bought a pressure washer for other projects. I still 100% stand by the idea that you don't have to power wash vinyl to get it looking great.
How To Clean Vinyl Siding Without A Power Washer
How embarrassing is our moss and algae covered siding on our shed? Oh, and just so you are clear, we do live on a hill but this is highly visible from the street. Yes, our neighbors have loved that we have let this go for 9+ months.
The reality of the matter is that it was just far down on our to-do list. I'm sure you can commiserate. The to-do list is never-ending and some things just take a backseat. Well, I finally had enough a few weeks ago and just jumped in to tackle it.
I wasn't exactly sure how to get started so I just went for it. I'll go ahead and share my supply list and then show you exactly what worked for me.
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Supplies for Clean Vinyl Siding
- Concentrated Cleaner (I love this one!)
- Bucket
- Long Handled Scrub Brush
- Rags
Watch the video of the process below or scroll down for a full step-by-step!
Cleaning Vinyl Siding Video
How to Clean Vinyl Siding
- Mix the cleaner with water. I mixed the cleaner for the 'heavy-duty' application because we had lots of scum (as you can see).
- Start on the bottom siding and work your way up using a long handled brush. This method worked best by far!
- Follow the brush cleaning with a warm water towel scrubbing.
As you can see, the bottom siding piece is still a bit dirty. I left that piece mostly alone because the soil level is right next to it. Any rain and it will splash up and stain. Plus, once you plant anything in that garden, it will be completely hidden.
How do I clean the siding on my house and how long does it take?
Use a bit of cleaner and a brush and start scrubbing! From start to finish, this section took us about an hour. It's kinda embarrassing to admit that when we just stared at it for months and months. Oops!
This project reminds me of when we removed our shutters. It's one of those projects where you scratch your head wondering why it took you so long to complete!
How to Prevent Green Algae Growth of Vinyl Siding
In my mind, there's two ways to help prevent algae from growing on the siding and it's water control (both with gutters and plants) and maintaining the siding with regular cleaning.
We don't have gutters on our shed so the rain just falls down the roof line. Recently, we did add monkey grass to the landscape beds around the shed and I've noticed a big difference in how clean the vinyl siding looks. The monkey grass helps soak in the water as it falls off the roof which prevents the water from hitting the dirt and popping back up to the siding.
Landscaped bed around shed with Monkey Grass
Our curb appeal has gotten some major love lately, which I'm thrilled about. We installed a Little Free Library, added a dry rock creek and trimmed back the boxwoods in the front which helped out so much! It's shaping up slowly but surely.
What else can I clean my vinyl siding with?
I've recently started cleaning with vinegar inside my house and have found it to be really great. You could mix up a mixture of 70% water and 30% vinegar and clean the siding with that.
Another idea is to make a baking soda poultice to clean really tough stains. I was able to remove marble staining by making a baking soda cream so I think it would definitely be helpful on tough stains on vinyl as well.
A few kind readers have responded with other ways to clean siding and have said that magic erasers work really well as well as Krud Kutter.
How To Clean Vinyl Siding Without A Power Washer!
Learn How to Clean Vinyl Siding Without A Power Washer in today’s post. Siding mildew or green algae are common reasons for the need for cleaning vinyl siding. The good news is that with a bit of elbow grease, siding cleaning isn’t too hard!
Materials
- Concentrated Cleaner
- Rags
- Long Handled Brush
- Bucket
- Water
Instructions
- Mix the cleaner with water. I mixed the cleaner for the 'heavy-duty' application because we had lots of scum (as you can see).
- Start on the bottom siding and work your way up using a long handled brush. This method worked best by far!
- Follow the brush cleaning with a warm water towel scrubbing.
Notes
What else can I clean my vinyl siding with?
I’ve recently started cleaning with vinegar inside my house and have found it to be really great. You could mix up a mixture of 70% water and 30% vinegar and clean the siding with that.
Another idea is to make a baking soda poultice to clean really tough stains. I was able to remove marble staining by making a baking soda cream so I think it would definitely be helpful on tough stains on vinyl as well.
A few kind readers have responded with other ways to clean siding and have said that magic erasers work really well as well as Krud Kutter.
HOW TO PREVENT GREEN ALGAE GROWTH OF VINYL SIDING
In my mind, there’s two ways to help prevent algae from growing on the siding and it’s water control (both with gutters and plants) and maintaining the siding with regular cleaning.
We don’t have gutters on our shed so the rain just falls down the roof line. Recently, we did add monkey grass to the landscape beds around the shed and I’ve noticed a big difference in how clean the vinyl siding looks. The monkey grass helps soak in the water as it falls off the roof which prevents the water from hitting the dirt and popping back up to the siding.
If you need a jumpstart on other outdoor maintenance ideas, I have a printable outdoor maintenance checklist that can help! I also did a whole podcast episode on Exterior Maintenance. And, if you have any other tips for preventing green algae growth on siding or other ways to clean vinyl siding in general, I'd love to hear! Leave me a comment below.
Pin For Later: How to Clean Siding Without A Power Washer
Julia@Cuckoo4Design
I actually already cleaned our siding with a magic eraser and it worked really well.
Tony O'Malley
The name brand Magic Erasers are pretty expensive. I went on Ebay and found a box of 100 foam micro scubbers (the same thing) for around $5 with free shipping! They work great.
Ashley Mayes
Good to know!!
Denise o'Neill
My father in law used a magic eraser on his colored vinyl siding and it left marks which you can see. I don't know if he used a wet or dry one but you can definitely see where he used the marker.
Donna
We did too!!!!! Crazy clean and crazy long to do it!!!
Chuck Andrews
Isn't that labor intensive?
Ashley Mayes
Not at all but this is just a shed. If you were going to to wash a garage door without a power sprayer, then that's doable too! I'm not sure I'd tackle a whole house full of siding but definitely some spaces are super easy.
nancy
Just apply Wet and Forget and the rain will keep it clean. I use it to clean my pavers, siding and composite deck. it will take some time but you just spray it and forget it....IT WORKS LIKE MAGIC
Meg | Hello Farmhouse
We handwashed our whole house last weekend just like you did here! I bet our neighbors thought we were nuts to wash our two story house with a brush at the end of a pole, but it worked beautifully!
Ashley Mayes
Wow, I can't believe you did the whole house in a weekend. I'm lazy I guess! I need to do the front of our house as well. I was surprised how easy it was without the power washer although I'm sure a power washer would be great as well.
Billie
I'm sure power washers are great for some people, but we live in an old farmhouse and when I tried it was blowing paint off the house! This is going to sound stupid...I tried TSP cleaner on ours once and actually went back to Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner pretty quick. I know...who uses bathroom cleaner on their house? Me. That's who!
Ashley Mayes
Oh, that's great to know. I'll try that next.
Cheri Jones
I washed the sides of our carport with Krud Kutter house spray, hooked to a hose, used my car washing brush & then rinsed. It came out super shiny clean and it was super easy. I love using the Krud Kutter products. I also used it on the sides of our mobile home before I painted it. It also came out really clean and was super easy to use.
Ginger
Krud Kutter is good, I have used it, but found Awesome is cheaper and works just as good, I wish there was some kind of wax to apply after to keep it clean. I had my vinal siding pressure washed with hot water last year, and it's worst this year, so back to Awesome from the dollar store.
Ashley Mayes
Good to know! Thanks Ginger.
Angel
What kind of cleaner did you use? I've heard bleach is best for projects like this but I wanted to see if there were any suggestions for something better especially without that harsh smell. Even outside cleaning with bleach makes me nauseous.
Thanks for the instructions & motivation to get those places we've ignored cleaned & now my husband can't use the pressure washer excuse!
Ashley Mayes
I have the exact one directly linked in the post but it's a concentrated simple Green.
T
The link directs to the Walmart website, but not to the product. Am I missing it or could you please note the cleaner here in the comment section.
Leslie
I wash my siding on my house with simple green. Not as harsh as bleach.
Ashley Mayes
Totally agree! Simple Green is the best!
Matthew
Simple Green, bleach, water, a 5 gallon bucket, a soft bristle brush head, and various poles (extension, short, long, etc.). Took some muscle and time but I was able to do it fairly easily. Just used a regular hose, no pressure washer.
Donna Kinsey
I use a product called JoMax. NO PRESSURE washer needed. It eats the dirt and mildew right off the siding. I mix it up in one of those pump up sprayers and spray it on - let it sit about 5 minutes and then rinse it right off with a water hose. The pump up sprayer lets me reach very high places. It requires little to no scrubbing. For extra tough spots, I DO use a pole brush. This makes the job SO much easier. JoMax can be found at Wal Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. Mix it with Clorox and water. Just trying to make your cleaning easier!
Ashley Mayes
Oh, good to know! Thanks for sharing.
Donna
Great suggestion! Trying this one next. The magic eraser was crazy! It worked great on white siding, husband loved it. He did it. I would do a brush and bleach. I’ll try Jomax next! Entire house in an afternoon.
Ashley Mayes
Hope it works great for you!
Jaice
Look into a product called wet and forget .....no scrubbing required. It works over time,
Ashley Mayes
Interesting! Will do.
Kim Gebauer
Auto brush with telescoping handle house wash from menards garden hose follow instructions on cleaner did 28x50 ranch house in under 2 hrs. Works great on all dirt!
Ashley Mayes
Oh, good to know!!
Kristen
Hi there! I was wondering if you were worried about the cleaner dripping into your garden/plants below. It looked like you didn't have much there at the time, but say I were to try this during the springtime, would my plants die from the chemicals dripping into the plant box?
Ashley Mayes
You know, I don't think it would be too much of a problem. We didn't slop it around so I think if you were semi-careful you'd be good to go.
johnchip
For the amount of labor and liniment you had to put out, the powerwasher would be much more time and labor cost effective particularly as you get the the top and also the rinse off factor by hand and bucket.. Also I have done this with a clorox solution very simply. All well and good but how much did the new XBox you had to buy the kid cost you? ;)~
Ashley Mayes
Lol! Yes, the power washer would be faster but we don't own one. So, this totally works if you don't have one. Our little guy is still willing to help around the house but I'm assuming that will change as he gets older. I bet allowances come into play pretty soon. Thanks for stopping by!
Miranda
I agree. A power washer is the way to go especially for two story houses. Even that small shed seemed to be a lot of work. Power washers are not that expensive
Lisette
Hello there, on the other side of the ocean,
To prevent that rain splashes and make the bottom of your wall dirty, you could put a patch of gravel. It only has to be 10 cm wider that the overhang of your roof. In my case it was 50 cm. No more dirty walls.If you put a foil under that gravel, you don't have to weed anymore.
Ashley Mayes
The gravel is a fantastic idea! Thanks so much!
Tina
I put a layer of shingles on the ground around my shed, and they work great at keeping the grass and weeds from growing in the area as well as keeping the dirt from splashing up onto the siding....
Ashley Mayes
Wow! I've never heard of doing that but it sounds like a great idea!
Mike11C
I go the easy route and, it goes much faster. I mix a 50/50 solution of bleach and water in a one gallon pump sprayer. I spray about a 20 foot long section, from top to bottom, and then just spray it off with the hose. Some stubborn areas may need to be re-done but, this works like a dream. Quick and easy! Better yet, NO scrubbing!
Ashley Mayes
Good to know, I'll give that a try next time.
Barbara Zuviceh
That's exactly what I do.
It works every time and it's easy and quick.
Having a quirky back that doesn't always allow me to do much bending or up and down movements, I decided to pull my pump container around with my solution in it and my extra bleach, after I put them into my wagon that I use for gardening.
Saved my back a lot of pain.
I don't own a pressure washer and had to pay someone 2oo.oo one time to clean my house for me.
That s when I thought of my solution.
I spent some of the money to go out and have some fun by doing to job myself. Lol
Rosemary
Thanks for sharing. This reminds me of my garage door that has marks on it. We have new neighbors next door who have built a brand new garage and it's actually very pretty. And then I look at my garage and realize it needs some loving. my grandson fired his paintball gun saying that the paintballs are 'biodegradable'. It's true, however they don't automatically wash off the garage door and we have gummy spots on the door which have since attracted dirt, bugs, etc.. This inspires me to get out there and clean that off this weekend.
Ashley Mayes
Yes!! Just tackle that sucker. You will feel so much better when you just do it.
Terri
I put Apple Cider Vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it on , use the telescopic brush with very little scrubbing and it rinses right off.
Ashley Mayes
Good to know! Thanks for sharing.
Bay Company
I use a product called spray nine. You know that black crud everyone calls acid rain, that turns gutters black??.....just spray and wipe...same with storn doors. Amazing product.....rejuvenates like new.
Ashley Mayes
I've never heard of that but I'm totally checking that out or next time!
Jake
You should of used Wet & Forget!
Ashley Mayes
Oh, good to know! I will try that out next time around.
Charlene
Your post was a life saver. My husband and I have moved back into our old mobliebhome. It has been vacant for three years so its definitely been a task. My husband is an over the road truck driver so he's hardly home. He and my daddy did the underpinning last weekend while he was home. So I decided to scrub the siding of our home. Your post was a life saver. I used dish detergent and bleach tho with a long handled car brush and bucket. I got the entire front done. It looks amazing. Thanks for the post.
Ashley Mayes
So happy to hear that you were able to clean your siding with dish detergent and bleach. And, a long handled car brush is super smart! Yay for saving money and for having clean siding.
shane
Start by rinsing the grass with water. Get some bleach and put it into a pump up sprayer. Dilute it with water and add dish soap for surfactant. spray siding from bottom to top. rinse off with a hose. a wall that big would take less than 5 minutes to clean that way and itll kill the algea completely.
Ashley Mayes
good to know, thanks Shane!
Betsy Cline
Great job! What a satisfying result. The monkey grass is a beautiful touch, too. I've always used a power washer but I might just try your method next time!
Justin slowinski
Don’t. This method is incorrect.
Justin slowinski
Yikes! No one should be listening to this at all. I own a pressure washing company and you’re basically telling people without knowing if they have oxidation on their vinyl siding to clean it in this manner. You could be causing thousands of dollars worth of damage to peoples homes. Do some research, and look up vinyl siding, oxidation, and disturbing it. Scrubbing with a brush is the last thing that you want to do. Hope this helps. Do yourself a favor and hire a professional that knows what they’re doing, like I do.
Melissa
Meguiar makes a wheel cleaner that lowers through grease. The vinyl siding on the front of my house has an almost greasy dirty feel to it. Would using aThe vinyl siding on the front of my house has an almost greasy dirty. Feel to it. Would using a little of that diluted in water be harmful? I’m a single lady and right now a little low on cash for hiring somebody. I’m also nearly 60 and I’m not entirely sure I can get a power washer into the car from being rented out of the car and then used properly.
Jennifer furst
What products do you recommend for severe oxidation on 2 story house? We bought this house and it’s 40 years old and has never removed the oxidation buildup.
Jennifer Furst
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