We hear people wanting to rid their house of the mold and mildew that’s growing on it quite often. It’s especially a bigger problem in areas with higher humidity (like the Memphis area). So here’s the solution (literally): Sodium Hypochlorite (aka: bleach). That’s right the same stuff that makes your white’s brighter also can make your paint brighter (or at least cleaner). There’s several challenges and safety concerns when using SH (bleach) that one should definitely be aware of.

• It requires skin, eye, and possibly breathing protection. Be sure to follow all the safety recommendations on the side of the bottle. The proprietary mix and method we use at Spitsbergen Window Cleaning and Pressure Washing is a bit stronger, and we require our crews to know exactly how to handle the solution to be safe!
• It requires plant and surroundings protection. The reason bleach gets rid of the mold and mildew is because it destroys anything organic that is growing on your house. If this runs down into your flowerbeds and onto your grass and is just left there, it will also cause damage and possibly destroy your favorite tulips (though probably not holly trees because nothing seems to get rid of those). We take pride in our zero-kill history on anyone’s plants and encourage people to be sure to rinse them thoroughly before and after spraying the house.
• It requires lower pressure. This may seem like no big deal if you plan to use a garden sprayer on your single story house; however, many pressure washing companies will attempt to use high pressure right up against your house to remove the dirt – DON’T DO THIS. You will find that this will also remove paint, wood, and damage siding (oops). While a pressure washer can be used, it must be used at a great distance and not for the purpose of cleaning (let the bleach do that).

That’s about it. There’s no perfect answer out there for the right strength (mix ratio) for this as it will depend on how thick the build up is on your house (and possibly on how much time you have to repeat the process – haha). If you’re out to DIY, just please be sure you take care of yourself first, a hospital bill normally runs much higher than our house washing invoices :). We’d be glad to make your world a more beautiful place! Please don’t hesitate to call or text us at 901.808.0006 or visit us at MemphisWindowCleaner.com!