Customer lives in an area where there is a lot of forestry. She has a problem with back mildew growing on her wood siding. She had p.w done in the past and mildew returned within a few months. Last pw co. used jomax and no bleach. they wee afraid bleach would destroy wood. Can I use 12% bleach to eradicate this mildew on wood siding without doing any damage?
black mildew on wood siding
- Thread starter desi
- Start date
reedsterstl
Member
IF you don't let it dwell on the wood too long. About 10 minutes at the maximum dwell time. Jomax calls for outdoor bleach to be used with it. I don't think they did her right. You have to add the bleach to JOMAX for the formula/JOMAX to work correctly.
reed
reed
Carolina Prowash
Exterior Surface Pros
Desi,
Bleach can be used effectively without damaging wood when used in the proper dilutions and dwell. Many contractors are very successful doing so. Our product of choice would be a Sodium Percarbonate cleaner - it is a safer product for the applicator, the wood and environment. It will get rid of the mold & mildew as bleach does. When you put bleach on the wood, it is also going to require neutralization....this will brighten the siding. Depending on the Sodium Percarbonate product you use, you may or may not have to neutralize.
Mildew can return for multiple reasons.....if there is no sealer present, the wood is not protected at all. It is possible she has a veggie based sealer on the house which can actually promote the mildew growth. If she only wants the house cleaned of the mildew and not resealed, you may need to tell her that she would at a minimum need to have to put a stronger mildewcide on. We have used a product called Anti-Growth on brick & roofs that has thusfar, been effective.
Best of luck
Bleach can be used effectively without damaging wood when used in the proper dilutions and dwell. Many contractors are very successful doing so. Our product of choice would be a Sodium Percarbonate cleaner - it is a safer product for the applicator, the wood and environment. It will get rid of the mold & mildew as bleach does. When you put bleach on the wood, it is also going to require neutralization....this will brighten the siding. Depending on the Sodium Percarbonate product you use, you may or may not have to neutralize.
Mildew can return for multiple reasons.....if there is no sealer present, the wood is not protected at all. It is possible she has a veggie based sealer on the house which can actually promote the mildew growth. If she only wants the house cleaned of the mildew and not resealed, you may need to tell her that she would at a minimum need to have to put a stronger mildewcide on. We have used a product called Anti-Growth on brick & roofs that has thusfar, been effective.
Best of luck
JohnB
JohnB
Celeste .. I got a question ? As you Know I am a hood cleaner and concrete cleaner.. but as fate has it I have some buildings to clean also .. They both have grease that has come off of the roof on to the side of the building .. These Buildings are Stucco .. Just wondering if I use Bleach with hot water is this going to discolor the stucco ???
I use a whitco machine 3500 psi / 4 gpm at 200 degrees...
To give you some idea of the surface to be cleaned I will tell you that one type of stucco is light tan and semi smooth ..
The other type is dark tan and looks like stone..
The locations are Buffalo Wild Wings and Burger Kings...
Ihave really got my work cut out now I do the fire equipment, hood cleaning, and concrete already and now the building .. ( Damn I am Tired)
Any help will be appreciated.........
I use a whitco machine 3500 psi / 4 gpm at 200 degrees...
To give you some idea of the surface to be cleaned I will tell you that one type of stucco is light tan and semi smooth ..
The other type is dark tan and looks like stone..
The locations are Buffalo Wild Wings and Burger Kings...
Ihave really got my work cut out now I do the fire equipment, hood cleaning, and concrete already and now the building .. ( Damn I am Tired)
Any help will be appreciated.........
Carolina Prowash
Exterior Surface Pros
John,
First question - is it true stucco or the dryvit stuff? Before you try any cleaning, closely inspect the walls as if there is a loose spot and you hit it with any pressure, you're going to have a mess - it'll blow off easily. You also have to watch out for the pointies in the stucco - low pressure or you can break them off.
Find an inconspicuous spot to do a test with the bleach. If the stucco is colored throughout, bleach should not alter the color at the right dilution (low side I would think) If the stucco is painted, you may run the risk of lightening the paint.
This would probably be an excellent opportunity to sell a seal job - once sealed, you'll be able to clean it much more easily without as much concern for damaging the surface. At a minimum you'll be able to successfully keep your pressure as low as possible so as not to damage the peaks on the surface.
First question - is it true stucco or the dryvit stuff? Before you try any cleaning, closely inspect the walls as if there is a loose spot and you hit it with any pressure, you're going to have a mess - it'll blow off easily. You also have to watch out for the pointies in the stucco - low pressure or you can break them off.
Find an inconspicuous spot to do a test with the bleach. If the stucco is colored throughout, bleach should not alter the color at the right dilution (low side I would think) If the stucco is painted, you may run the risk of lightening the paint.
This would probably be an excellent opportunity to sell a seal job - once sealed, you'll be able to clean it much more easily without as much concern for damaging the surface. At a minimum you'll be able to successfully keep your pressure as low as possible so as not to damage the peaks on the surface.