The natural beauty that can only be reached with natural wood, attracts people to wood siding every day. Not only is it beautiful, but it protects your home against the elements. In order to maintain the natural beauty of your wood siding, there are some care instructions that should be followed regularly to keep it protected. Big Moose Pressure Cleaning is here to talk about some ways you can preserve the wood siding on your home.
Staining & Sealing Your Wood Siding to Protect It
In order to protect your wood siding, you should consider staining and sealing it. Using a high quality stain and sealer can protect your wood side from splitting, warping, and discoloration. If you don’t want to change the natural color of the wood, you can use a clear stain that offers the same amount of protection.
Beware of Moisture & Rotted Wooden Siding
The biggest thing threatening to destroy your wood siding, is moisture. Too much moisture will cause your wood siding to rot and develop a mold and mildew problem. Here are some ways to avoid moisture damage to your wood siding:
1. Caulk Around Windows– The caulking around your windows isn’t as effective after a certain amount of time and can allow moisture to escape. Replacing the caulking around your windows will protect your siding from moisture escaping from windows.
2. Keep Gutters Maintained– Keeping your gutters free from debris and in good working order will keep them from leaking water onto your siding.
3. Keep Landscaping Trimmed– If you have any trees or shrubs near your home, you should keep them trimmed. If bushes or tree branches are making contact with your wood siding, you often run into moisture problems.
4. Install Wood Siding Above Ground– If your siding is installed less that 8 inches from the ground, you may have a moisture problem and your siding won’t last as long.
Dirt Damages Wood Siding & Requires Pressure Cleaning
The second threat to your siding comes from dirt. As dirt accumulates on your siding, it ends up causing damage to your wood siding, including discoloration. In order to remove dirt, pressure washing is often necessary. That being said, great care should be taken when pressure washing wood siding. If it isn’t done properly, your wood siding could end up damaged by the excess pressure of the water used to clean it.
How to Remove Mildew from Wood Siding
Once a year you should remove any spots that you notice mildew is starting to accumulate. This can be done with a solution made up of 3 parts water and 1 part vinegar or bleach. This should be applied to the siding with a brush and if it is anywhere near plants, cover them to make sure they aren’t damaged by your cleaning solution. Gently scrub until you can no longer see any marks on your wood siding.
Professional Pressure Cleaning & Power Washing in McDonough, Barnesville, Fayetteville, Covington, Locust Grove & Griffin Georgia
Big Moose Pressure Cleaning has over 15 years of experience with pressure washing and has the expertise needed to cautiously clean your wood siding. Call us today!
