How to clean weatherboard siding on your house

Think your wood siding needs a fresh coat of paint? Maybe. Or it could be that your wood weatherboards simply needs a thorough cleaning. Homeowners have always prized wood for its unparalleled appearance, but like any siding material, it requires periodic maintenance. With wood in particular, the challenge is to avoid doing more harm than good. For instance, you might be tempted to clean weatherboards with a broom and scrubbing brush, thinking it would make quick work of things. Do so at your own risk. Using such a harsh abrasive tool can actually cause several types of damage, including stripped paint, gouged boards, and loosened caulk, besides, if you really want to give new life to your wood siding, it’s likely that water alone won’t do the trick—you’ll need a good soap to remove the dirt and kill the moss,mould and mildew on the weatherboards. 

If you are not familiar with the use of soaps and chemicals i would recommend hiring a professional house washing contractor. "Mr Troy Hillard from Wash Rite in New Zealand said in most cases most houses can be washed for under $300 so its worth while talking to a local house washing contractor if your unsure what soaps to use".

STEP 1 MATERIALS AND TOOLS
- Low Pressure High Volume Pressure washer
- Garden Hose
- House wash soaps
- Ladder

Shut all the windows. As you go about your preparations, keep an eye out for mold. Dirt can be unsightly, but mold can be truly problematic. Left unchecked, it often causes wood rot, particularly in wet, humid climates. Note any location where you discover mold, so you return to and concentrate on those spots later in the cleaning process.

STEP 2
Apply the house wash soaps through the chemical injection value in your Low pressure high volume pressure washer, Apply the soap from the bottom of the house and work your way upwards, Mr Hillard from Wash Rite recommends washing small sections of the house at a time as you don't want the soap to dry on the house. Let the soap dwell for 10 minutes and keep on apply light layers of soap just so the soap does not dry on the house in that 10 minute period.

STEP 3
Rinse of the house starting at the highest point and working your way down to the ground level, This will ensure no soap is left on the house.

Take extra time to rinse of the windows to prevent soap drying on the windows and leveling residue marks on the glass.

STEP 4

Finish up by walking around the house and making sure all sections of the house are clean, If there are any stubborn bits you may have to go back and do step 2 and 3 again on that section.