Cleaning your home’s exterior can be an intimidating task, but it doesn’t have to require hours of arduous work.
With a few time-saving tips and products, you can keep the outside of your house looking fresh and inviting year-round.
Below, read on and explore eight of the most effective and easy ways to clean your home’s exterior.
1. Spray Away Mold and Mildew
Scrubbing, rinsing, and repeatedly climbing up and down ladders to remove mold and mildew growth from your home’s siding and other exterior surfaces is tedious and tiring. Fortunately, you no longer need to put in all that effort thanks to innovative products like Wet & Forget’s Xtreme Reach Hose End.
This easy-to-use attachment connects right to your garden hose, allowing you to spray up to 30 feet. Just one bottle of Wet & Forget formula treats up to 2,000 square feet, removing moss, mold, mildew, and algae stains from roofs, decks, fences, siding, and more. The solution keeps working long after you apply it, so your house stays clean for months with a single treatment.
With no bleach, scrubbing, rinsing, or ladders required, Wet & Forget saves you time and hassle while delivering professional-quality results.
2. Wash Windows at Record Speed
Washing the many windows around a home often feels frustrating and onerous because many homeowners approach it as a one-person job using inefficient tools and products. Taking a strategic two-person approach and using natural cleaning solutions can cut your window washing time dramatically.
Start by recruiting a family member to wash the exterior of each window while you do the interior side. Tackling both sides simultaneously makes the process far quicker and can even provide some entertainment, such as making silly faces through the glass at your cleaning partner.
For the actual washing, fill two buckets with a solution of equal parts warm water and vinegar, which cleans glass effectively without harsh chemical fumes.
Use balled-up newspaper to wipe down the window panes and avoid leaving behind lint and fibers that paper towels often deposit. With teamwork and the right tools, you’ll have sparkling windows in no time.
3. Vacuum Your Window Screens
Window screens collect dirt, dust, and pollen over time, so it’s wise to clean them at least annually. To avoid the chore of removing all screens, lugging them outside, hosing them down, and waiting for them to dry, try this quick vacuum trick instead.
Simply detach each screen and use a vacuum cleaner with a soft-bristle upholstery attachment to suck away most of the debris in seconds. Every few years, you can deep clean screens with water and mild soap if needed, but regular vacuuming keeps them looking clean with barely any effort.
Watch: Cleaning Window Screens with a Vacuum Cleaner
4. Clean Outdoor Light Fixtures Fast
Exterior light fixtures prominently display your home’s design style, but dirt and grime can detract from their aesthetic appeal. Cleaning the glass panes on fixtures mounted on walls or ceilings tends to be tricky, but a creative technique using common household items makes this maintenance task a cinch.
All you need are glass cleaner, paper towels, and two foam paintbrushes with widths that fit into your light fixture’s frame. Spray the glass panes with cleaner, and use the paintbrushes like extensions of your hands to scrub away grit and deposits. The foam surface and slender shape of the brush allow you to thoroughly clean all surfaces of the glass in minutes. With this clever approach, your outdoor lighting will continue showcasing your home in the best light.
Watch: How to Clean Glass on Outdoor Light Fixtures
5. Remove Grime from Outdoor Furniture
The patio furniture that gives your outdoor living space a welcoming vibe for entertaining inevitably collects dirt, pollen, sap, and more when exposed to the elements. You can revive your outdoor furniture’s like-new look without much elbow grease using a powerful hose-end sprayer.
6. Brighten Up Vinyl Siding
Over time, vinyl siding can become dingy and faded from sun exposure, sprinkler spray, and other outdoor factors. While repainting or replacing siding is costly, there’s a simple maintenance step that restores vinyl’s original vibrant color.
Using a soft brush or microfiber cloth, apply a vinyl siding cleaner to the discolored areas following the product’s instructions. Formulas like Corte Clean contain detergents and oxalic acid to remove rust, mildew stains, and embedded dirt without harsh bleach.
A thorough cleaning rejuvenates the vinyl’s color and sheen. Plan to clean vinyl siding annually before switching on the sprinklers for summer to prevent future mineral buildup.
7. Remove Cobwebs Outside
Cobwebs lurking in corners and crevices outside your home are annoying eyesores and can be difficult to reach, especially if they’re dangling from the eaves or deck railings. But with the right long-handled tool, you can wipe them out in seconds.
Look for a telescoping extension pole that extends to over 10 feet when fully expanded. Attach a microfiber mop or soft-bristle brush head to the end of the pole to safely sweep away spider webs from a distance without needing to break out a ladder. Periodically running your extended cobweb brush around the exterior ensures no mess goes unnoticed.
8. Make Metal Features Shine
Exposed metal features like wrought iron railings, copper gutters, and brass door hardware add character to your home’s exterior. But weather, water, and sun take their toll on metal surfaces over time, causing tarnish, corrosion, and faded color.
Specialized metal cleaners and polishes available from hardware stores can restore these surfaces to a like-new sheen with minimal rubbing. Look for a water-based formula free of ammonia and acids, which can damage metal. Brush the cleaner onto railings, hardware, and other features, let it sit briefly to lift stains, then rinse. Buff gently with a microfiber cloth.
Regular touch-ups keep your home’s metal architectural details looking their best.
So, Is Exterior House Cleaning Hard?
While cleaning the many surfaces on your home’s exterior can feel daunting, the right techniques and products allow you to tackle this seasonal maintenance efficiently. By working smarter, not harder, you can keep up your house’s curb appeal and prevent long-term damage without eating up all your spare time.
My best advice for you? Focus on quick tasks such as using a long tool to whisk away cobwebs in a couple of minutes. For occasional deep cleaning tasks, take advantage of specialized products such as hose-end cleaners that reduce manual labor.
The bottom line is that small time investments pay off in preserving your biggest investment — your home.
FAQs About Exterior House Cleaning
What is the easiest way to clean the outside of your house?
Use long-reach tools like hose-end spray cleaners and extendable poles with brush heads to easily clean high exterior areas. Recruit a family member to wash windows with you and perform other tasks. Always read product instructions carefully and test in an inconspicuous spot first.
How often should you clean the outside of your house?
Do a walk around your home weekly to spot small cleaning tasks like sweeping cobwebs and wiping down outdoor furniture before debris accumulates. Schedule seasonal deep cleaning for features like windows, siding, and metal architectural details. Some areas, like roofs and decks, require cleaning every few years.
What natural ingredients work well for cleaning the outside of a house?
Vinegar and water in equal parts makes an effective natural window cleaner. Baking soda can boost the cleaning power of vinegar. Lemon juice removes tarnish from copper features. Always test natural cleaners on a small patch before using them on an entire surface.
What should you not use to clean the outside of your house?
Avoid abrasive brushes or acidic cleaners that could harm delicate surfaces. Don’t use bleach products, which can cause fading, on vinyl. Don’t use ammonia-based products on copper and brass. Avoid getting water behind the siding where it could cause interior damage.
What equipment helps make outside house cleaning easier?
Long-handled tools like brooms and scrub brushes allow you to reach high exterior areas safely. Telescoping extension poles equipped with brushes or microfiber pads gather cobwebs and dust. Power sprayers like hose-end cleaners blast away dirt with high-pressure water. Wet/dry vacuums remove leaves, dirt, and debris from lawns, decks, and walkways.
