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
- Clean Rags
- Garden Hoses And Attachments
- Liquid Bleach
- Scrub Brushes
- Sponges
- Wire Brushes
- Oxalic Acid
- Power Washers
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-
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).
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1
Tips & Warnings
While cleaning the exterior, keep an eye out for maintenance problems ' peeling paint, loose bricks or shutters, etc.
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Comments
-
aporeticus
Feb 26, 2009
Mixing bleach with acids (like vinegar) releases toxic gases. -
aporeticus
Feb 26, 2009
Mixing bleach with acids (like vinegar) releases toxic gases.
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Jun 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.
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Jun 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.
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Jun 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.
