LESLIE: David from New York has a question about mildew on siding. Let’s see what’s going on.
DAVID: I have a house that’s – it’s a Gambrell (sp) with a full dormer on it. My deck is built right off the back and I don’t have a gutter on the top. So obviously, I have mildew – I have cedar clapboard siding, so I have mildew about — almost three feet up on the house and about 18 inches out onto the deck. A friend of mine had a pressure washer and he just tore up the siding with it.
LESLIE: Ooh, yeah.
TOM: Right.
DAVID: I was wondering if, number one – if there was a recommended pressure setting for using it or if I should not use it at all and just use something else.
TOM: It’s a two-step process. You have to apply a mildicide first if you’re trying to get rid of mildew.
DAVID: (inaudible)
TOM: You can’t just blast it off because: number one – you’ll damage the siding; and number two – you don’t really attack the – sort of the spores that attach it to the siding and it grows right back. So use a mildicide first. Spray the mildicide on and let it sit for 10, 15, 20 minutes. Don’t let it dry on there but just let it sit and then rinse it off.
LESLIE: And a mildicide can be bleach and water; it can be Jomax; it can be a variety of things.
TOM: It’s OK to use a pressure washer after you have a mildicide on but just use like a fan spray attachment on it. Like don’t use the …
LESLIE: And stay like 12 inches away.
TOM: Yeah, don’t blast it away. Because it does – it is going to wear off the more worn, more weather damaged upper surface fibers of the wood. And so, if you get too close, then you could damage it. So you just have to use it very carefully. But it is a great tool for getting that off; as long as you apply the mildicide first, Dave.
DAVID: Alright, terrific. Hey, thanks a lot.
TOM: Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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