Homes with bare wood exteriors are lovely and many homeowners do their best to keep their wood siding looking fresh and clean. However, this is no easy task. Wood siding is exposed to the sun, rain, wind, snow, and ice consistently and it is prone to having things like mold, moss, and algae grow on it. As a result, cleaning wood siding is an important part of making sure it stays beautiful for years to come. One of the important aspects of cleaning wood siding is to make sure you have a good power washing detergent specially formulated to take care of all your wood siding washing needs.

Killing Algae and Mold: Bleach

A quick Google search can show you that an effective way to kill algae and mold on your wood siding is to use things like household bleach (sodium hypochlorite). Household bleach will effectively kill both mold and algae, however, it runs the risk of degrading the wood itself. You may even see wood furring on your siding if you use bleaches like this. Unlike household bleach, commercial wood detergents that contain oxygen bleaches or sodium percarbonate

Tips for Using Commercial Wood Siding Detergents

• When using commercial wood detergents look for detergents that don’t have a harsh alkali unless you’re looking for something to help remove any left-over varnish from your siding.
  • Harsh alkalis are good at removing the residual wood finish from the siding but, these alkalis can be harsher on the wood than household bleach.
• When beginning to use a wood detergent try mixing a concentration that’s more diluted than the recommended amount first and try it on a small part of the siding. This is a failsafe that will help keep you from damaging any siding by using an overly harsh concentration.
  • If the weaker dilution doesn’t work increase it until you are satisfied with the results. If you notice any wood furring, it means the detergent is too concentrated.
• Wet the siding and apply the wood detergent using a sponge or soft bristle brush if you’re cleaning manually.
  • If you’re using a pressure washer wet the siding and then fill the pressure washer with the wood detergent of your choice, apply bottom to top, and rinse before the detergent has had a chance to dry.

Looking for Good Wood Detergents for Your Wood Siding?

Tidal Washer’s has a variety of effective wood detergents that will make cleaning your wood siding easy. If you would like to learn more about the options or contact Tidal Washer’s with any questions, click here!