Easiest Way to Clean Vinyl Siding

Materials Needed:

• HomeRight SteamMachine 53
• Hose attached to water source
• Extension cord

Spring is the perfect time to clean and freshen your home inside AND outside! While most spring cleaning projects seem to be focused on the indoors, I'd like to draw your attention to the OUTSIDE of your home and garage. I don't know about you, but after living here for two years, the siding on our garage was getting pretty dirty. Ok, fine...it was downright disgusting. The combination of mold, mildew and a couple year's worth of pollen had decided to take up residence on our siding and it was embarassing and nasty. A quick search on Pinterest showed me that the "best" ways to clean such gunk off your siding usually involved a bucket of hot water and a boatload of chemicals - ummm...no, thank you. I knew there had to be a better, EASIER way - and I'm delighted to tell you there IS!!!! The HomeRight Steam Machine model 53 was the key to a fast, chemical-free way to siding that looks brand new. No joke...Come along with me and let me show you what I mean... Vinyl siding is fantastic stuff and it's promoted everywhere as "maintenance-free" - and while it's true that you won't need to paint it - *ever* (yay!) - you WILL at some point find that it needs a good cleaning. Over time, mold, mildew, and pollen will accumulate and cause some nastiness on your siding.

Yes, by all means you can grab a bucket of water and dump in a bunch of soap and chemicals, and scrub every inch. by. hand. OR you could just use the HomeRight SteamMachine model 53 and get it all done quickly *without* the use of chemicals. That's what we did and the results are nothing short of amazing.

Here is the key to your success - the HomeRight SteamMachine model 53 -including all the wonderful attachments that will make your life so much easier. For this project, you'll only need a few of these accessories - I'll show you which ones. The rest you will set aside for all the other things you're going to want to clean after you finish this job. ;)

STEP 1:

All you'll need to properly clean your vinyl siding is the HomeRight SteamMachine with the two extension wands, the large brush/mop head, and the little measuring cup which is all provided in the kit. Oh, and a hose hooked up to a water source to rinse off all the yuck after you're done steam cleaning.

STEP 2:

Using the provided funnel and measuring cup, pour filtered or distilled water into the SteamMachine - making sure not to exceed the volume capacity. I just filled the measuring cup twice and that was enough to do one entire side of our garage.

STEP 3:

Now, before we go any farther, I'm afraid it's time to show you the nasty "befores". Are you ready? Brace yourself....it's GROSS.

STEP 4:

Plug in your machine and wait approximately 8 minutes for it to heat the water so you have sufficient steam to loosen and remove all the gunk on your siding. Once the orange steam pressure light on top turns off, it's ready to be used. Simply hold the brush/mop head at the proper angle for your siding (as shown here) and press the trigger button to release steam. Moving along the length of your siding, the steam will loosen all the yuck and the brush head scrubbies (very technical term) will lift and deep clean. I enlisted the help of Mr. 1915 so I could snap a few photos.

STEP 5:

After you've gotten a section of siding done, grab your handy dandy hose and simply spray down your siding, working from top to bottom. No wiping by hand - just a quick rinse with the hose to remove all the yuck the SteamMachine just loosened and lifted for you. Watch the dirt, mold and grime quite literally disappear before your eyes and do a quick happy dance before moving on. :D

STEP 6:

Check out the "done" and "not yet done" sides of the garage! Isn't that crazy? It looks like brand new siding. Thank you, HomeRight!

STEP 7:

Now step back and admire the way your siding looks as good as new. Can you even believe it??

As I type this right now, I can look out my office window and see our garage...and I'll be honest. Seeing is so clean and fresh STILL makes me smile.

So by all means, clean up and tidy the inside of your home - the DIY experts page here at HomeRight has tons of great ideas and ways for you to clean the inside of your home. Just don't forget the outside. ;) I'm willing to bet that this SteamMachine would work fabulously on vinyl fencing, too! Not to mention kids toys, swings, and picnic tables. With all the attachments that come with the HomeRight SteamMachine model 53, you'll have your home inside AND outside clean and sparkling in no time. And all with NO chemicals.

Win for you.

Win for your kids.

Win for the planet.

Happy steaming!

If you'd like more budget-friendly ideas for your home, I'd love to have you come visit me over at 1915 House, where I share all sorts of DIYs, simple decor ideas and yummy recipes. Stop by and say hi!