Spring is finally here, and with it, many houses have green and gray stains on their vinyl siding. This is algae, mildew, and mold. It grows best on the north side of the house because that side is away from the sun. It is worse in years with a lot of rain. There is a product that removes these stains with very little work. It is a product called Wet & Forget. It removes mold, mildew, and algae stains gently over time from roofs, concrete, brick, siding, tennis courts, awnings, boat sails, and wood decks without scrubbing or pressure washing.
To use the product, dilute one part Wet & Forget to five parts water. Apply it with a pump garden sprayer. You should apply Wet & Forget to a dry surface in order to get the best penetration. Total saturation of the surface with Wet & Forget is essential to obtain good results. It’s best applied on a cool dry day with no rain for four to five hours after application. Morning or evening is best. This will ensure that the surface being treated stays wet for an extended period. With the garden sprayer you can treat the whole back of a house in fifteen minutes.
After the first application, use Wet & Forget as a maintenance tool. Re-apply at the first sign of re-growth. If an area is particularly bad, another application should be made approximately one month from the first application. Vertical surfaces that don’t have good exposure to the elements might require some assistance using either a water hose or a light brushing.
Wet & Forget’s gentle cleaning action takes time but won’t damage any exterior surface. Just apply Wet & Forget to any exterior surface and forget about it. Mother Nature does the rest. The wind and rain gently clean the surface.
With a pH of 8, Wet & Forget is close to neutral. Most mold, mildew, and algae removal products are either highly acidic (pH 1) like vinegar or highly caustic (pH 12) like bleach. Caustic or acidic products can damage the surface being cleaned. Wet & Forget is very gentle and safe to apply to any outdoor surface. Results can be seen within days for those less contaminated areas and over several months for more distressed areas.
Some people use a power washer to remove these stains, but if you do this, you must be very careful not to set the pressure too high as it is easy to damage the siding.
Spring is also a time when birds are looking for a place to build their nests. The vents on the side of your house are a perfect place for them. To keep them out of your vents there is a product called pest barricade that you can attach over the outlet of your vents.
If your house has a basement with a sump pump, you should remember to reattach the black hose that leads the sump pump water away from the house. This hose gets removed every winter to prevent water from freezing in the tube thus blocking it.
