Cleaning Red Cedar Shake Siding

The safe and effective way to clean the wood is oxygen bleach.

Cleaning red cedar shake siding.

Department of agriculture s forest services laboratory recommends cleaning cedar shingles with an oxidizing bleach as opposed to a household bleach to avoid damaging the wood. Conduct a soft wash on your roof. Allow the cleaner to soak into the wood for 15 to 20 minutes. While you can use household bleach to kill mold and algae it tends to make the cedar shingle s surface fuzzy because of the excessive pulping reaction when using it.

Cedar wash works great on all types of cedar or any type of natural wood. Much like a wooden deck you can use detergents and a pressure washer to blast the grime away and reveal the beautiful cedar color within. Here we show the application of a softwash wood cleaning mix. Algae and mold will cause deterioration and discoloration to your cedar siding.

Leaving sh on wood can cause damage. Apply it with a pump sprayerlet it sit for about 15 minutes before rinsing it off with with a garden hose. It is non toxic to trees and vegetation and will not remove natural color from the siding. Cedar shake siding will grow algae and mold if it s not cleaned once in a while.

The cedar bureau recommends using a solution of 1 part bleach to 3 parts water. When you have completed your cleaning let it dry for 48 hours and then apply our cedar seal to protect it. Start by cleaning a small area. Use it to clean fences decks furniture cedar siding or roofing barn board and log homes.

This is important as standard high pressure power washes might damage cedar shingles. Mix a commercial wood cleaner in a regular garden sprayer according to the manufacturer s directions and spray the cleaner onto a small area of your cedar shakes starting at the top and working your way down. The side of the house with the least sun exposure can be the worst spot with the cedar developing mildew or mold that looks black. Removing the the wood mold with oxygen bleach.

The oxygen bleach comes as a granular powder that mixes with water. Thorough rinsing is necessary for any wood cleaning. Cedar shingles can also grow moss and algae or develop iron staining which requires periodic cleaning. Be sure to keep the hose pointed downward to avoid forcing water up behind the shingles.

Cleaning away the age is the first step in caring for cedar shingles.