Your house has been washed and is now sparkly and clean; we’re done, right? Now hold on for just a second…
Once your house wash is completed, you’re (hopefully) looking at it with satisfaction. But in the back of your mind, there comes that still small voice. “Ha!” it whispers, “I may be gone for now, but I’ll be back in a year or two!” This still small voice of course is that of the dreaded enemy of all homeowners – mildew (cue dramatic music)!
In all seriousness, mildew is something that you’ll never beat completely as a homeowner. But if you get your house washed on a cycle (we recommend 2-4 years depending on the property), you will keep the mildew from ever gaining serious ground. However, that can get pricey, and you may not want to have to have your home washed so often. The solution? A little service that some people don’t realize exists – siding sealant application. Contrary to what it sounds like, this sealant doesn’t make your siding waterproof or something (although that would admittedly be pretty cool), but it does make it MILDEW-proof. Well, sorta. Basically how it works is after the house is washed, the sealant is mixed with water as it runs through the wash system. It is then sprayed onto the siding (the sealant we use at AHW can be used on gutters, soffit, etc. as well, but is most effective on vinyl) and allowed to sit there. Techniques then vary by company. Some will let the sealant sit for a few minutes and then rinse the area to which it was applied, while others will simply spray on the sealant and then move on. We have found that either technique will work and one is not necessarily superior to another.
With your siding now armed with protection against the little green villains (mildew, algae, and mold – a.k.a. the three stooges of siding), you should now have some extra time before having to call your washing company back out to do any more work. The sealant doesn’t last forever, nor does it work perfectly, but it’s definitely a nice little add-on that can help preserve your home’s nice clean look for months to come. For more on this topic, you can check out this article about a specific type of sealant from our friends at Envirospec. https://envirospec.com/envirospec-catalog/chemicals/plex-master/ . Until next time!