Removing Mold and Mildew Outside Your Home

Mold or mildew on the outside of your home is not only unsightly, it can cause wood to deteriorate and rot over time. Here’s how to go about removing it.

To remove mold on nonporous surfaces, mix up a bleach solution (1 quart bleach to every 3 quarts water with a little detergent added). For porous surfaces, use an anti-microbial cleaning product that’s made to kill mold.

1. Cover any plants before spraying.
2. Wear protective clothing and rubber gloves.
3. Apply the solution to the mold or mildew using a pump up sprayer.
4. Allow a bleach solution to remain on the surface for 10-20 minutes, and an anti-microbial cleaning product for the time recommended on the label.
5. Clean the surface using a scrub brush or pressure washer, working horizontally from bottom to top.
6. Rinse the surface with a garden hose or pressure washer, working horizontally from top to bottom.

Watch this video to find out more.

Further Information

• How to Prevent and Remove Mold (article)
• Eco-Friendly Mold Control for Your Home (video)
• How to Remove Black Algae Stains on Asphalt Roofs (article)

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

In order to get rid of mold and mildew on the outside of your home, you have to kill it and remove the spores. On nonporous surfaces—like vinyl siding—a solution of bleach, detergent, and water will work. On porous wood or masonry, you’ll need or an anti-microbial cleaning product.

Protect lawns and other vegetation from over-spray and run-off before you apply the cleaner with a pump-up garden sprayer to a wet surface. Once the cleaner has a few minutes to work, begin cleaning with a scrub brush or pressure washer. When cleaning, work horizontally from bottom to top in small sections and then reverse that to rinse from top to bottom.