Is your home’s siding looking like it could use a facelift? If it is, a thorough cleaning may bring it back to life. Even when siding looks like it desperately needs a new coat of paint, it may really only need a good washing.

You won’t be able to tell for sure if your siding needs painting until you wash it—which is an important first step if you need to paint. The challenge will be to do this as effectively and easily as possible, without damaging the siding.

The best way to clean siding will depend on the particular type of siding and the situation—your time, tools, energy, and whether your house is one story or taller.

The most time-consuming—but thorough—way to wash all types of siding, from wood to vinyl, is with sudsy water, a hose, and a stiff-bristle nylon scrub brush screwed onto the end of a telescoping pole. For lower parts of the siding, you can just handhold the scrub brush.

To hand scrub siding, mix TSP or a non-phosphate substititute with water according to label directions (often about 1/2 pound TSP to 2 gallons of water). Choose a bucket that the brush will easily fit into. Then, wearing rubber gloves and any other protective gear recommended on the detergent label, scrub the siding from the top down, working in areas about 20 feet wide and the full height of the wall. If possible, work in the shade.

Rinse with clear water as you finish each 20-foot section. Scrub in line with the siding panels (horizontally for typical lap siding). If the siding has signs of mildew, see How to Remove Mildew From Siding.

Hand scrubbing a house is a big job. And the bigger your house, the more you are going to feel like you are in training. If your home is more than a single level, be sure you follow all ladder safety precautions. (For more about this, see Ladder Safety.)

To make the work much, much easier, consider using a pressure washer but only if you have vinyl, steel, or aluminum siding—and use a tip that fans the spray at 25 degrees or wider. While pressure washing is a good alternative to hand scrubbing, be aware that it may not do quite as thorough a job. If you don’t own a pressure washer, you can rent one from a tool rental supply or a major home improvement center. (For more information, see How to Pressure / Power Wash House Siding.)

If your siding is made of wood, brick, stucco, or has been painted with paint that may contain lead, don’t use a pressure washer as it can cause the paint to peel, erode the surface, and drive water into the interior of the walls. 

Get Your Exterior Surfaces Pressure-Washed by Pre-Screened Local Contractors