sh
Every house has one side nobody talks about.
The front looks fine. The back looks fine.
Then there is the side by the trees.
It starts out a little green. Then it gets a little more green. One day a friend asks if you picked that color on purpose.
You say yes. Nobody believes you.
That green is not dirt. It is alive, and that changes how you clean it.
What the green stuff is
Most of it is algae. Algae is a tiny plant. It loves shade, and it loves walls that stay damp.
The black dots are often mildew. The gray line at the very bottom is mud. It splashes up when it rains.
Why a hose does not fix it
Water can knock some of the green off. But it does not kill what is left. In a few weeks, it grows back.
It is a bit like cutting the grass and hoping it gets the hint.
Why you should not blast it
Siding is not one solid wall. It is made of long pieces that overlap. A strong spray can push water up behind them, and then the water has no way out.
What does fix it
- We wet your plants first, so they stay safe.
- We put a cleaner on the wall, with low pressure.
- We let it sit, so it kills the growth.
- We rinse from the top down, then rinse your plants again.
That is a soft wash. It cleans the wall and leaves it in one piece.
Algae, mildew or mold?
Here is a simple guide.
- Green film: almost always algae. It likes shade and damp walls.
- Black dots: often mildew. It likes the same spots.
- Dark streaks that run down: often algae too, or dirt the rain carried.
- A gray band at the bottom: mud that splashed up from the ground.
People often call all of it mold. On the outside of a house, the fix is the same. Kill it, then rinse it.
We only clean the outside. We do not test for mold, and we do not treat the inside of walls.
Why the north side is the worst
Around here, the north side of a house gets the least sun. It stays wet the longest after it rains.
Trees make it worse. So do bushes that touch the wall. So does a gutter that drips.
That is why one wall can look fine and the next one can look like a science project.
When it is not growth at all
Some siding looks dirty, but it is really faded.
Rub the wall with your finger. If it comes away chalky, the finish on the siding is breaking down in the sun. That is called oxidation.
A wash will not bring the color back. That takes a different job, called oxidation removal.
What you can do between washes
- Trim bushes so they do not touch the siding.
- Point sprinklers away from the walls.
- Fix gutters that drip or spill over.
- Look at the shady side each spring. Green means it is time.
Things we hear a lot
Is the cleaner safe for my plants? We wet the plants first and rinse them again at the end. That keeps them safe.
What about my pets? Keep them inside while we work.
How long does it take? Most homes take a few hours, in one visit.
Do you need to come inside? No. We need an outdoor spigot, and that is it.
Will it get rid of spider webs? Yes. Webs in the corners and under the roof edge wash away with the rest.
Can you wash a two-story house? Yes. A soft wash reaches the top of most homes from the ground.
Why a store-rented pressure washer is risky
A rented pressure washer is strong. That is the whole point of it. But siding is thin, and the pieces overlap.
Spray up at the overlaps, and water shoots behind them. Spray too close, and you can crack older siding or leave marks.
A soft wash gets the same wall clean with about the push of a garden hose. The cleaner does the hard part.
What about stucco and brick?
Stucco is rough and full of tiny holes. Growth hides in the holes, so stucco needs more time with the cleaner and no pressure at all.
Brick is tough, but the mortar between the bricks is soft. We test a small spot first and go easy.
The gray band at the bottom
That dull strip along the bottom two feet is not algae. It is mud, splashed up by rain and the lawn mower.
It comes off with the wash. Mulch or stones along the wall can help keep it from coming back so fast.
Painted wood and trim
Old painted trim needs a gentle hand. A strong spray can peel paint that is already loose.
We clean trim at low pressure, and we show you any paint that is already failing before we start.
What your neighbors see
You see your house from the front door. Your neighbors see it from their kitchen window.
That means the green side you never look at might be the side they look at every morning with their coffee.
They are too polite to say anything. That is what neighbors are for.
Green on the fence and the deck, too
If your siding is green, look at your fence and your deck. They are often green too, since they sit in the same shade.
We can clean them on the same visit, each with the right method.
Algae and older homes
Older homes around here often have more shade, bigger trees and bushes planted close to the walls. That is why many older homes grow more green than new ones.
It is not a sign the house is failing. It is a sign it needs a wash.
Does washing help the siding?
Growth holds water against the wall, and dirt feeds more growth. Taking it off lets the siding dry out after it rains.
A clean wall is also easier to check. Loose pieces, cracks and failing paint are easier to spot when they are not hiding under green. It is one of the easiest ways to look after the outside of a house.
What to do before we come
- Close the windows and doors.
- Bring pets inside.
- Move chairs, pots and toys away from the walls.
- Make sure an outdoor spigot works.
How long a clean wall stays clean
On most homes around here, a soft-washed wall stays clean for a year or two.
A wall under heavy trees may turn green sooner. A wall in full sun can go longer. A quick look at the shady wall each spring is the easiest way to know.
A real one from Hatboro
The photo at the top is a home we washed in Hatboro, PA. That is the wall before we started. You can see the same house after the wash in our portfolio.
Another real one, from Drexel Hill
In September we worked on an older stone house in Drexel Hill, PA. It has blue siding up top.
That siding had two problems. Some of it was dirt. Some of it was chalk from the sun. We washed off the dirt, and we took the chalk off by hand. This photo shows the house when we were all done.
The side by the trees can come out of hiding now.
Want your siding clean again? Get a free quote.
