How to clean the outside of your house

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Short answer: Cleaning the outside of your house comes down to a soft wash: a cleaning solution applied at low pressure that kills mildew and algae, followed by a gentle rinse. High pressure is the one thing to avoid on stucco, siding, and brick, since it can crack stucco, force water behind siding, or wear down softer materials over time.

Why soft washing, not high pressure

Stucco, vinyl siding, block, and brick all clean the same way: a cleaning solution does the work of breaking down mildew and algae, and only low pressure is needed to rinse it off. High pressure aimed at a wall can crack stucco, drive water behind siding panels, or wear grout and mortar lines down over repeated cleanings.

That's different from how a driveway gets cleaned. Concrete is tough enough to handle real pressure with a surface cleaner, but a house wall is a different material entirely, and the method has to match what it's actually made of.

What's growing on your house

Green streaking on the north and shaded sides of a house is usually mildew and algae, which thrive in Florida's heat and humidity, especially anywhere the sun doesn't reach for most of the day. It spreads fastest under trees and near sprinklers that keep a wall damp.

Rust-colored stains near hose bibs or sprinkler heads often come from iron in irrigation well water rather than dirt, which is why they can show up even on a house that otherwise looks clean.

Doing it yourself safely

A garden hose and a soft-bristle brush can knock down light dirt and dust on the lower sections of a house you can reach safely from the ground. For mildew and algae, a labeled outdoor cleaner applied with a pump sprayer, left to dwell per the label, then rinsed with a hose, mirrors the soft wash approach without pressure equipment.

Test any product on a small hidden spot first, since siding colors and stucco finishes can react differently. Skip anything that involves climbing a ladder to reach upper stories or the roofline. Those heights are better left to someone with the right equipment and footing.

Protecting what's around the house

Plants and grass next to the foundation get wet down before a wash and rinsed after, whether it's a DIY spray or a professional visit, so runoff doesn't sit on them and cause stress. Pets are fine to stay inside during the work.

Windows, outdoor light fixtures, and anything else you don't want soaked should get covered or closed up before you start spraying.

When it's worth calling in a pro

A house that hasn't been washed in a year or more, has heavy black streaking, or sits two stories tall usually calls for a professional soft wash rather than a DIY afternoon, both for the reach involved and for getting the cleaning solution's dwell time and rinse right across the whole exterior.

A professional visit typically opens with a test stripe on the worst section, so you can see the result on your own house before the rest of the work happens.

In Volusia County

Volusia County property records cover 235,236 homes, and 56% were built before 1990 so plenty of exteriors in the county have had decades of Florida heat and humidity to grow mildew and algae. Puma's price list puts a typical house wash at $279.

Questions people ask

Can I pressure wash my siding myself?

High pressure risks forcing water behind vinyl siding panels or cracking stucco, so a hose and a labeled cleaner applied at low pressure is the safer DIY route for walls.

How often should the outside of a house be washed?

Most Florida houses need a wash every 6 to 12 months, sooner near the beach or under heavy tree cover where algae and mildew build up faster.

Does soft washing kill mildew or just hide it?

A cleaning solution applied during a soft wash is meant to kill mildew and algae at the surface, not just rinse away the visible green, which is why it holds up longer than a plain water rinse.

What if my house has both stucco and siding?

Both materials get the same soft wash treatment: a cleaning solution at low pressure and a gentle rinse, so mixed exteriors don't need two different approaches.

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House washing across Volusia →