How to Clean the Exterior of a House

Keeping your house exterior clean not only makes it look better, but it will help keep you aware of any problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Muriatic Acid
• Trisodium Phosphate
• White Kerosene
• Muriatic Acid
• Clean Rags
• Garden Hoses And Attachments
• Liquid Bleach
• Scrub Brushes
• Sponges
• Wire Brushes
• Clean Rags
• Oxalic Acid
• Power Washers
• Sponges

1. Wash your house once or twice a year, depending on your area's air quality and the amount of dirt deposited by the rain.

2. Rent a power washer, which uses your garden hose to shoot a high-pressure jet of water. Work from top to bottom to keep the dirty water below the areas you have just cleaned.

3. Make up a solution of 1 tsp. trisodium phosphate dissolved in a gallon of water. Use this to clean siding, masonry, rock, wood, and painted surfaces.

4. Treat mildew with regular laundry bleach applied with a sponge. Dark or heavy stains might benefit from a good scrubbing with a wire brush and a solution of 1/4 cup muriatic acid in 2 1/2 cups of water.

5. Get rid of rust on hardware and window screens with a kerosene-soaked rag.

6. Bring out the beauty of naturally weathered wood with oxalic acid applied with a scrub brush (read the manufacturer's recommendations for dilution).

Tips & Warnings

• While cleaning the exterior, keep an eye out for maintenance problems ' peeling paint, loose bricks or shutters, etc.

[aporeticus]

on 2/26/2009 Mixing bleach with acids (like vinegar) releases toxic gases.

on 6/30/2006 Mix 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid and 1/4 cup bleach in a one-gallon sprayer. Spray onto siding and trim; leave for 30 minutes and rinse with garden hose and spray nozzle.

on 6/30/2006 A tip I got, from an elderly gentleman working at a paint store, advised me to always start rinsing or washing at the bottom of a wall. He said as the dirty water runs down over the cleaned wall it will never streak. If you first start rinsing or washing from the top down you might end up with streaking as it runs down the dirty wall. This can end up being almost impossible to remove. I then rinse down. I have used this tip for years and it really works.
Rule: Wash up, rinse down.

on 11/22/2005 When using a powerwasher with a detergent feed, start at the bottom and work your way up. Follow this with a good rinsing from top to bottom. Remember, try not to shoot water behind the siding (at angles), it will run and streak later, or stay trapped back there.

on 11/22/2005 Use a 1 or 2 gal. pump-up sprayer to cover larger areas with a bleach-water solution. Adjust the mix ratio to your needs starting with 1 part bleach to 3 parts water for mild stains. Apply it starting at the top and work your way down. Do the same when rinsing. Always test your cleaners in a small out of sight area to be sure your paint is good enough to stand up to the cleaner without fading or peeling. It's better to treat mold and mildew when the area is shaded so you can let the solution work for a short while before rinsing. Heavy stains may require scrubbing with a stiff brush. Sorry, most jobs done well usually require some elbow grease.