Your home’s siding was a huge investment. And because your home’s siding is sort of like your home’s skin, it’s bound to be the first thing people notice about your home. That being the case, keeping your siding in Calgary looking new is one of the best things you can possibly do to keep your home looking nice, clean, and attractive on the outside.
Spend all the time you want on perfecting your landscaping, artfully trimming your trees and shrubs—but if your home’s siding is not clean and is instead, for example, green with mildew, then obviously your home simply cannot look its best. If you follow these tips, though, you can keep your house looking pristine all year long:
- It’s best to wash your siding by hand: It shouldn’t surprise you, but most home siding, especially vinyl siding, is designed to be pretty easy to clean, and can, in fact, pretty easily be cleaned by hand with water, detergent and rags. For those hard-to-reach places, pull out the ladder, or else get a soft bristled brush with a long extendable handle. Prewash with water from the hose to loosen dried-on dirt and gunk, then wash with a soft rag or a soft brush until your house is clean. If you do this once a year or so, your home will always look among the cleanest in your neighborhood.
- Buy the correct detergents: Before you use any detergent on your siding, make sure that it is free of bleach, grease remover or acetone, which can destroy the surface of your siding in Calgary. If you’re looking for a DIY method, mix vinegar and water (30 percent vinegar, 70 percent water). You’ll likely need a lot of vinegar to clean your whole house at those ratios, but it’s a super-effective and all-natural solution.
- Protect your siding from potential dangers: While you’re cleaning your siding, do a cursory examination of the yard around your home, looking for anything that might cause cracks or breaks in your siding. Rocks thrown from lawn mowers, falling tree limbs and even errant baseballs and soccer balls can create unsightly breaks in your siding. We wouldn’t suggest edging your home with stone or gravel, as you’re likely to shoot a rock or two into your siding while mowing the lawn. And we’d suggest keeping your trees well trimmed, especially if you get winter storms. Remember to keep your kids’ sports equipment away from the house, too, so they don’t kick a soccer ball or pass a basketball and crack your siding.
- Inspect for cracks as you clean: While you clean, check for cracks in your siding. These can lead to bigger problems later, such as structural mold issues. Catching it early can save you lots of money.
- Don’t use a pressure washer: We know it seems like it would be much easier, but a pressure washer can pit certain types of siding, leaving them looking quite unattractive. You can check your manufacturer’s website, as some siding can take pressure washing at lower levels of pressure.
At Rhino Exteriors, we’ve been in business selling top-quality siding in Calgary for over 11 years. We offer siding and installation and serve over the communities surrounding Calgary. If you are in the market for new siding or siding repair, or just have questions about the maintenance of your home’s siding, please visit us or call us today!