Vinyl siding doesn’t only look great on your house; it brings great value. It is a reliable and stunning type of exterior siding offering the lowest life cycle cost over a home’s life.
And, while vinyl siding is designed to reduce the need for upkeep, minimal maintenance does need to be done to ensure it continues to bring that value for years to come. This routine maintenance does more than save you time; it saves you money.
- Perform Regular Inspections
- Vinyl siding resists the rot and pests wood siding invites, but it can warp or crack. It can also trap moisture if it is improperly installed, loose, or damaged. If a piece of siding happens to come loose, you need to fix it soon. If it flaps in the wind, bends, or curves, it will likely need to be replaced.
If you find any damage during your inspection, it is important to have a professional out as soon as possible to assess and repair to avoid further, and potentially more costly, damage. (If you are wondering how to know when your siding needs to be replaced entirely, read more here.)
A critical time to perform an inspection is after a storm to determine whether the elements damaged, cracked, bent, broke, or removed any part of your siding. In some cases, these damages can be easily overlooked, and it can be helpful to have a storm inspection performed.
- Vinyl siding resists the rot and pests wood siding invites, but it can warp or crack. It can also trap moisture if it is improperly installed, loose, or damaged. If a piece of siding happens to come loose, you need to fix it soon. If it flaps in the wind, bends, or curves, it will likely need to be replaced.
- Wash Annually
- Vinyl siding keeps it easy as a standard garden hose or power washer is typically all you need to rinse dirt and dust away. If you choose to use a power washer, be sure to set it to a lower pressure setting to avoid damaging the siding.
It is important to follow the siding manufacturer’s recommendations while performing your annual siding wash. Some manufacturers advise against pressure washers, while others have recommendations regarding the amount of pressure and the cleaners that should be used.
To wash an entire house, start at the bottom and work up to the top, then rinse back down from top to bottom to prevent streaking. Do not aim the water stream upward as the water can collect behind the siding; this can lead to mold and mildew growth.
- Vinyl siding keeps it easy as a standard garden hose or power washer is typically all you need to rinse dirt and dust away. If you choose to use a power washer, be sure to set it to a lower pressure setting to avoid damaging the siding.
- Keep Damaging Items Away
- A few common ways vinyl siding is damaged is from lawnmowers and other lawn and landscape care items used near the exterior house and repeated exposures to heat from barbecues. Do your best to keep things like these several yards away from your siding and always take precautions to keep heat sources such as barbeque grills and quickly flammable materials such as dry leaves, mulch, and trash from the house.
You can also help keep your siding in good shape by trimming shrubbery and trees away from the house so they don’t would the material.
- A few common ways vinyl siding is damaged is from lawnmowers and other lawn and landscape care items used near the exterior house and repeated exposures to heat from barbecues. Do your best to keep things like these several yards away from your siding and always take precautions to keep heat sources such as barbeque grills and quickly flammable materials such as dry leaves, mulch, and trash from the house.
If you want or need repairs or a full replacement, schedule your siding inspection to receive an estimate, free-of-charge, by reaching out to our team today.
