Scrubbing Dirt Off the Face

From the first day I laid eyes on this property, one of the most glaring features was the filth on the front of the house.  When you drive by other houses in the neighborhood, the houses just look clean.  The siding is sharp, the colors are steady, the curb appeal is apparent.  But with this house, the yard is a mess, the shutters are missing, the bushes are uneven, the front porch light hangs sideways, AND on top of it all, the house has dirt and grime and mildew all over its fact.

Simply put, THE HOUSE JUST LOOKS DIRTY.

The front of the house is just filthy!

Looks like a previous owner tried to (poorly) power wash the grime off the front siding.  Still filthy!

So today, I decided to start tackling that (massive) project.  I have plans of installing shutters in the spring (when finances allow), and I want the siding to be clean for that installation.  Plus it just drives me nuts that my house is a myriad of colors.  The siding is hidden behind filth!  We were blessed with a late fall 80-degree day, so I took full advantage of that, knowing I was going to get wet with the spray.

I pulled out my best-$20-garage-sale-purchase-ever Snap-On power washer and went to work.  The power washer has been amazing.  And today was no exception.  The mildew was blown right off.  It's tedious work (much like the deck), but the results are instantaneous, so it keeps you moving.

Before...

And After!

All in all, I sprayed for a little over an hour.  The problem is that I can only reach so high!  But the bottom half of the house looks so much better.  It's frustrating that the project is still incomplete, but, hey, you can only do what you can do.  I'll probably have to get scaffolding to complete the top half.  But it will really help out.

Can you tell where I've already sprayed?!

I left one siding piece untouched to show the difference.

Working from the bottom up.  What a difference!

ALL of the front was gross!

Right half sprayed, left half still dirty.  A minor difference here on the garage.

Now...how to keep the mildew from returning?!  It's on the north side of the house!  Maybe a twice-a-year bath in vinegar or some cleaner?!

The house is clean up to the tops of the door and windows!!!

But still dirty up top!