In our first substantive post, we’ll be discussing the types of staining we see most often on homes and buildings. Compiling information from our own experiences we hope this post will help our customers make an informed and cost effective decision when considering home pressure washing.
So, you’ve noticed that for whatever reason your home’s siding has unsightly stains. These stains, ranging from colors of green, orange, yellow, and even black are the direct result of exposure to the elements. Dust, dirt, organic matter from plants, weather patterns, exhaust fumes, sunlight, lack of sunlight, even something as simple as the mulch one uses can drastically effect your home’s appearance.
For example; in our area many homes with white siding have in recent years have begun to show harsh yellow stains. While we are still unsure of the exact cause of the issue, we can at least make an educated guess as to what is causing them. Presumably, the greatest factors in the Johnstown area are the ever changing weather and our proximity to the coal fired power plants in Seward, New Florence, Homer City, Ebensburg, and Clover. The exhaust from the power plants can get caught in the wind or a storm system and taken miles away, all the while, mixing the chemicals found in the exhaust with other particles in the air or into the water that comes down as rain. Over time, continued exposure to these conditions could result in the staining of siding by chemical reaction. These stains are exceptionally stubborn and require (in our experience) detergents that are highly specialized and caustic to remove effectively, but the results speak for themselves.
Very quickly one can see that more often than not staining is caused less by cheaply made or sub-par quality siding and more so by the geographic location of the home and its proximity to certain projects or facilities that create large amounts of dust or exhaust that gets swept up by the weather.
Another common cause of staining is your home’s proximity to large trees or areas with dense foliage.
Plants are our friends. They clean the air and produce life giving oxygen, but they have to get you somehow. Typically, plants are the cause of the green and/or black staining on the home’s siding in the form of molds, mildews, and moss. Ideally the best way to prevent these stains is to remove as many plants as possible from around your home’s exterior…but that is a little drastic. Yes, unfortunately where there are plants staining is possible and probable, however they are also the most common and the easiest for pressure washing service providers to remove, be it with detergents, hot water, or both in combination. (which is how we do it!)
The last type of staining we’ll be mentioning really isn’t a stain at all, but it is something that can hopefully be prevented before calling in the pressure washers.
If you have ever noticed small black dots accumulating over your home’s siding, railings, or decking then you have been hit by “shotgun” spores, AKA Artillery Fungus.
Artillery Fungus is a wood-decay fungus that populates moist mulch beds. When the fungus is ready to reproduce, it shoots out spores that are able to travel up to 20 feet away! In most cases the small black spores are almost impossible to remove completely unless they are fresh, even with the aid of a pressure washer that uses heat and detergents. However, if you are looking to diminish the effects of these nasty stain shooting organisms there are a few approaches. The first and “simplest” approach would be to remove all wood mulch from around your home and replace it with stone, be it pea gravel, gravel, or another type of decorative stone ground covering. other approaches include yearly upkeep of mulch beds, making sure to turn old mulch and replenish with new mulch, or choosing bark mulch or chipped wood like what is used in playgrounds over regular wood mulch.
We hope this post has been informative and interesting and we thank you for reading. check back next week for another post!