How to Combat Exterior Mildew
Mold and mildew stains are pretty common around windows, particularly on the outside. Excess moisture can lead to an abundance of mildew, making your home’s exterior look unsightly. Luckily, it’s not difficult to remove this exterior annoyance. Here’s how to combat exterior mildew on the outside of your home.
Confirm the presence of mildew
Not sure if there’s mildew lurking on the exterior of your home? A simple test will tell you if mildew has begun to form even before you can see it. Just place a drop of household bleach on the area you suspect may have mildew. If you see bubbles forming in the bleach and the area where the bleach is bleaches out, there’s mildew.
Create a mildew remover
You don’t want to use straight bleach to clean away all the mildew. Anything too strong will damage the surface of your doors and windows. Instead, whip up a mixture of one quart of bleach with two-thirds a cup of trisodium phosphate and add one third a cup of powdered laundry detergent. Mix all of this in three quarts of water and apply it to the area that’s affected by mildew.
You can also buy products for mildew removal from home improvement stores. Just be sure to read the label to be sure that they are suitable for the material that surrounds your windows and doors, i.e. wood, vinyl, etc.
Repeat the cleaning process as and when the mildew returns. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to prevent mildew from forming on the outside of your home, but luckily it’s not too difficult to clean it off when it does appear.
Protect yourself
Make sure you wear protective clothing because the mixture is too harsh for bare skin. Also, wear glasses to protect your eyes. Use a soft bristle brush to work the solution in, then rinse it with clean water. Be sure to thoroughly rinse the area so you don’t get spots that are overly bleached. And be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after you finish, especially before touching your face.
Visit Windows Plus for more tips on maintaining your Halifax doors and windows.
