How to Remove Green Mold on Siding – Every homeowner around the world will most likely to encounter green mold around their house at least once, if not more, in their lifetime. The occurrence of green mold is very common, especially if you are living in humid area with lack of sunlight, which are very ideal for mold growth. Other than green mold, there are still a lot of types of mold that may grow in your house. However, green mold is the most common one. The term ‘green mold’ represent several mold species that generated green color in one or more phases of their life. Some of those species are Aspergillum, Cladosporium, and Penicillium.
Other than green color, these species also creates brown, grey, and yellow color during their life cycle. You can determine the first stage of green mold growth by spotting dark specks on several areas in your house, such as walls, siding, and even furniture. If you do not remove these spots immediately, it may grow into a thicker mold, creating fuzzy layer on the surface. If you try to rake the mold’s surface, you can see spores flying everywhere. You may also smell the typical odor produced by mold.
Green mold on siding appear over time naturally. Once your house siding starts to look greenish, it diminished your house’s exterior appearance. Green mold siding may also possess some health risk, especially if you are living with vulnerable groups, such as infant, people with compromised immune systems and respiratory problem, elderly and children. The exposure to these groups may induce some symptoms, such as itchiness, skin rashes, headache, dizziness, inexplicable tiredness, eye problems (teary eyes, itchiness, and redness), runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. Make sure to contact doctor immediately if these symptoms occur.
See also Some Tips and Information to Deal with Green Mold in Bathroom
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Remove Green Mold on Siding
When your house started to turn greenish, it will affect the looks of your lovely house. Fortunately, green mold on house siding can be removed by several ways. Cleaning the whole sided surface is better than just the areas with green mold. The steps on green mold removal siding will be explained on the following list below:
- Make sure to cover all electrical outlets on your house’s exterior with tape. Do not forget to shut all doors and windows. Cover plants and landscaping around your house with plastic sheets. It is important to cover these things from the cleaning product you use.
- Spray your siding down with water from your garden hose. Use medium force on the nozzle and start spraying from the top. Do not spray from the ground. Some water will seep behind your siding and cause unwanted damage.
- Mix warm water and trisodium phosphate solution into a big bucket. Every 8 liters of water, uses approximately ½ lb. trisodium phosphate or refer to the manufacturer instructions for specific requirements. Test the mixture on small areas of green mold on siding. If the mixture does not work, use a mixture of chlorine bleach and water with 1:4 proportion.
- Scrub your house siding with a stiff, long-handled scrub brush soaked with either the bleach or TSP solution. Apply extra force on the moldy areas. Start your work at the top of your house.
- Rinse every 20 feet section with water from your garden hose immediately after you finish scrubbing.
The steps mentioned above work to remove green mold on aluminum siding. To remove green mold on vinyl siding, there might be slight differences. Some people believe cleaning vinyl can only be done by using pressure washers. It is surely the simplest solution to remove those disturbing green mold. However, it may not be the most reasonable and effective way to do it. You can use the steps mentioned above to clean your vinyl siding from green mold. Other than TSP and bleaching solution, you can also use vinegar solution. Vinegar is generally more eco-friendly compared to bleach and TSP solution. It is also more effective to kill mildew and mold on porous surfaces.
Those are some tips to remove green mold on siding based on its materials. If the mold keep appearing even after vigorous cleaning, then maybe it is the time to call for professional help. The results will be surely worth all the pennies and your house will have a fresh look like before.
