Is There a Green or Black Powder Growing on Your Siding?

Even though spring cleaning gets most of the attention, fall cleaning is an essential part of home maintenance in North Texas. Plants keep growing, the hornets become more active, and there’s still a lot of nature activity before things start to slow down in December. If you’re maintaining your house from this second wave of the long growing season, you may have seen a powdery organic growth start to form on your siding. Darker siding and large bushes can hide it. But once you see it, you’re probably wondering how to go about the organic growth removal process:

Is There a Green or Black Powder Growing on Your Siding?

Here are some questions we can answer for you:

  • What is it?
  • How do I remove it?
  • It’s not mildew, is it? Is it dangerous?

Don’t worry. It’s probably not mildew. If you’re worried about mildew and black mold around your home’s exterior, check where humidity is high and air circulation is low. This includes the vent flashing on your roof, between your outdoor air conditioning condenser unit, and around the gutter seams. Your windows frames are also a tempting target for dangerous dampness, so check for drafts and water damage for autumn gets underway.

The growth on the flat panels of your siding started off as fungus. This fungus probably started growing in spring and summer when nearby trees were releasing pollen. Since them, a collection of moss, lichens, and molds found it and started using it as a food source. While the mold that might be mixed into the growth isn’t ideal, it’s not necessarily the stuff of indoor nightmares and respiratory problems.

Instead, the main concern with this organic growth is eventual damage. The buildup is taking root in your siding and, while the root systems are tiny, they will start to make the material crumble. The growth can also find its way to the underlying wood and your roof shingles. The best way to remove the growth is to hire an expert power washer. They know the right combination chlorinated chemicals to kill the growth without damaging the surrounding materials. They can also safely wash your home’s siding and brick walls to stop growths you haven’t seen yet.

Go to 214 Pressure Washing here to schedule an appointment.

Schedule Pressure Washing to Protect Your Exterior Walls

Anything exposed to the elements will start to develop damage over time. This applies to the metal fixtures on a building’s exterior as much as it does to a car’s body and frame. The same moss growing up the side of the tree in your parking lot will take hold along the side of your building. But regular power or pressure washing can keep your building looking like new. It can even help protect it and minimize expensive repairs. Here’s how:

Schedule Pressure Washing to Protect Your Exterior Walls from Organic Growth

Stop plants from taking root in porous exterior materials.

Concrete, brick, and wood are porous. Even if the wood surface feels smooth, microscopic holes and pores in the surface allow organic growth to hold onto the surface and develop roots or stickers. These small feelers can dig into the surface layer, forming new cracks and making the material crumble. Ivy, moss, and fungus can slowly eat through the surface, weakening the overall material and discoloring it. You can get the walls power or pressure washed, which use heat and pressure respectively, to clear out current buildups of organic growth. The deep clean also removes roots and stickers so the plants are less likely to take hold again.

Prepare the surface for a stain or topcoat.

If your building is in a particularly humid region or is adjacent to a wooded area, then regular pressure washing appointments can help keep the organic material at bay. But if you want to ensure seamless protection against the growth, a nonporous sealant can keep the walls even safer. Get the exterior pressure washed to deep clean and prepare the surface for application. The combination of a tight sealant and regularly scheduled washes offers a stronger defense against organic growth.

Whether you have moss that is discoloring the walls or stubborn ivy that is burrowing into the surface, it has no business being on your building. Go to 214 Pressure Washing to get it removed.

Medical and Economical Dangers of Green Algae

Green algae can accumulate anywhere with the proper conditions. Moist humidity – something Texas has plenty of – can provide the perfect environment for the growth of mold and algae.

Not only can this mossy, slippery, green carpet be unsightly, it can also cause numerous health problems to humans, animals and the environment ranging from toxicity to slips and falls.

Medical and Economical Dangers of Green Algae

Additionally, green algae breaks down cement, resulting in future expenses if not properly maintained.

Green algae can also be a catalyst for other contaminants such as moss, mold, or mildew. 

There are numerous applications available to remove green algae from concrete and other surfaces, but many of these processes involve harsh or harmful chemicals which can be a turn-off to potential customers who walk past your business and smell or see them.

While bleach can certainly remove the stains and smells, it can also serve to further toxify the soil and landscape around your building which can kill existing vegetation as well as destroy microorganisms in the soil that are necessary for new, future growth of desired plants.

A more economical, effective – and less toxic – way to rid your property of this unappealing blanket of green, is through proper and regular pressure washing from people who know how to eradicate the problem.

In addition to initial removal of the stains created by algae, mold, moss, and mildew, a professional pressure washer can provide tips and tricks for ways to help prevent the build-up of this messy health hazard.

Contact us today to see how we can make your location look clean and inviting.