Cleaning House Siding?

[CharlesW]

Any suggestions on how to clean the steel siding on my house?
The only suggestions I have had so far involve a pressure washer. I`m not real comfortable with driving a bunch of moisture into the walls of my house. The upper areas would be washed from below and obviously the siding isn`t designed for raining up. It seemed like the same principle of spray something on and rinse it off should work with a garden hose. I could even use a pump up garden sprayer to apply a product, then rinse it with the water hose.
I have seen products that are intended for windows that spray on and rinse off by using a dispenser bottle attachment for the hose. There is surely something like that for siding.
Any suggestions? Personal experince would be of much interest.
I haven`t been to the store to check on anything yet.

And yes, I know that Spray & Wipe or AIO would do a great job. I have no interest in working from a ladder 15` or 20` in the air.:D

Charles

[Beemerboy]

I would think that a strong detergent the kind that they use on big rigs and buses would eat the dirt off the house. I have seen this done year ago but never really paid attention.

I drove a 18 wheeler and when I had the trailers washed at the trauck stops. They would spray on some strong soap let set then wash off and the trailers came out looking great!

[ben54]

I agree with Beemerboy, you should check out RV cleaning products. The one that comes to mind is Protect All. When I spoke with the person at Protect All, he said that the products were made for easy on/easy off application because of the side of the vehicles. I know a lot of people use the Quick & Easy Wash from protect all to wash their cars.

[CharlesW]

ben54
Your suggestions have merit, but I am trying to get away from having to actually wash every square foot.

Beemerboy
What you are suggesting is closer to what I had in mind only not using a pressure washer, just a low pressure system. Like my garden hose for instance.

I will check with Camper`s World. I bought my QEW from them and they seemed like good pople to deal with.

Any hands on experience with product names would be appreciated.

Charles

[onthespot]

Charles,

Besides detailing, I pressure wash houses...
The process I use for what you are describing is an equal mixture of panel cleaner and bleach - cut with water.
Panel Cleaner is essentially sodium hydroxide and bleach obviously contains sodium hypochlorite. When both products are combined and water added to them - the result is an awesome cleaner that really cuts through dirt, mold, mildew, etc. without the need for scrubbing. Depending on what you are cleaning (mildew? dirt?), a 10:1 mixture should work (10 parts water to 1 part panel cleaner/bleach)
If you feel uncomfortable using a pressure washer, your garden hose should be ok using the dispenser bottle attachment for applying the product - and rinsing with the hose itself...
You may need to make a stronger solution though if you are only using a garden hose to rinse. Most garden hoses only put out 30 psi at 1 gpm... Or rent a pressure washer that has an adjustable flow rate, and back your pressure off to around 500 psi...
Whatever products you decide to go with, I would suggest covering any shrubs, flowers, etc. that are around the house...

Onthespot

[Poorboy]

I say get the ladder and Spray and Wipe:lmfao :rolling :lol

[ben54]

How much S&W do you think that would take? LOL

[Poorboy]

Originally posted by ben54
How much S&W do you think that would take? LOL

that would depend on how big the house is:lmfao and if Charles has a big enough ladder:D

no really Charles you said your house is steel?:confused: are you sure it`s not aluminum?:dunno
I don`t think you`d have a problem power -washing , but I`d hire a licensed and insured company in case something did go wrong.

[CharlesW]

onthespot
So where do I buy Panel Cleaner?
My siding is not stained or terribly dirty. I`m not sure it wouldn`t clean up just fine with nothing but a hose spraying water to wash it down. It just seemed like there would be, (and is), a product to aid in that process. Just spraying plain water might tend to leave more streaks and water spots than I would be happy with.

:dunno

Charles

[CharlesW]

Originally posted by Poorboy
no really Charles you said your house is steel?:confused: are you sure it`s not aluminum?:dunno
I don`t think you`d have a problem power -washing , but I`d hire a licensed and insured company in case something did go wrong. Yes, it is definitely steel. It was made by Rollex Steel Building Products Company and installed in 1994.
I did find a sheet on care and maintenance and they suggest just washing with a garden hose and fresh water. Under extreme conditions, they suggest 1/3 cup of a household detergent (Tide), 2/3 cup of TSP (Soilax) to a gallon of water.
Then I lose interest. They say to use a cloth, sponge, or soft bristle brush with gentle rubbing action. Sounds like I`m back on that ladder again. Maybe I can get a soft bristle brush with a 20` handle.
I think maybe I will try the hose and plain water thing and see what happens.

Charles

(Maybe I`ll just go clean the car instead)

[Poorboy]

Originally posted by CharlesW

(Maybe I`ll just go clean the car instead)
:lmfao :rolling

I think the brush might be a good idea...even though I would not use one on a car, the RV stores must carry a nice long brush for doing really big RV`s and busses...I think also that a little aggitation might be needed to loosen the dirt,

but....watch out for swirl marks:lmfao :rofl

[oregontrail]

Consider renting some scaffolding. A couple of sections stacked on each will work well. You can keep back from the house enough to have a good angle. the main problem will be if your site isn`t level. I have used this on my house to paint. Make sure you have wheels to move the sections easily. It`s cheap to rent. and much easier on your feet than standing on ladder steps.

[onthespot]

I buy Panel Cleaner from a company called "Blue Ridge Products" in Georgia. You should be able to find a product similar in composition at an RV supply center. Just look for sodium hydroxide as the main ingredient in the product... However, if the siding isn`t too bad - perhaps try the least aggressive approach first, and just go with some type of cleaner sprayed on (perhaps Simple Green and water?) Brush it (all from the ground), and hose it off...
An RV store or even a hardware store should carry a telescoping brush handle and the soft bristle brush to attach to it - such as the one shown below...

http://www.higherpowersupplies.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/vm/Super-Handle.jpg

Onthespot

[JimS]

And when you`re done you still have to find someone who does windows. :(