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How To Clean Stucco Exterior Walls

How do I clean exterior stucco?

To clean stucco, mix equal parts bleach and water. Apply the mixture to the surface and allow it to sit for a few minutes before rinsing it down with clean water.

Can you pressure wash a stucco house?

Stucco is a great alternative to your standard siding, brick or stone walls. Unfortunately, the textured surface of stucco is notorious for accumulating dust and dirt over time. Luckily, the power of a pressure washer can blast the stains away and make your walls look new again.

How do you remove mold and mildew from stucco?

To remove mold from your stucco surface, mix 5 parts water to 1 part bleach and spray it directly on the moldy part of your stucco wall. Scrub the area with a sponge and rinse the bleach with a hose. Be sure to wear gloves when mixing and spraying bleach to protect your skin from dangerous and painful chemical burns.

Is Simple Green safe for stucco?

Simple Green House and Siding Cleaner is specially formulated to remove environmental pollution, dirt and grime from vinyl and aluminum siding, stucco, terra cotta roof tiles, and painted wood. It is also a perfect choice for use on shake, shingle or panel siding.

What causes black stains on stucco?

The black stains you see could be an accumulation of the dead, dark-colored cells of the hardy algae Gloeocapsa magma, which feeds on the calcium carbonate in the unpainted stucco mixture. But it’s easy to remove the black stains — whether they’re mold, mildew or algae — with oxygen bleach.

Can you soft wash stucco?

Soft washing your stucco home is the best way to remove dirt. Compared with surfaces like concrete, stucco is a fairly delicate material and can be damaged with high pressure washing. When we soft wash stucco, we rely on a custom chemical solution that is plant and animal safe.

Why you should not paint stucco?

Stucco needs to breath – One of the main reasons you shouldn’t coat your stucco with paint is because stucco is porous. This allows moisture that hits the surface to easily evaporate away. A coat of paint can harm that breathability. The stucco will not bond to the paint and will crack and fall away.

How long does a stucco exterior last?

Most newer homes with exterior stucco have an acrylic-polymer finish, which will expand and contract with the weather. This keeps cracks to a minimum and means the stucco can easily last up to 50 years before needing to be repaired.

How do you remove black stains from stucco?

It’s relatively easy to remove black stains from your stucco walls using oxygen bleach (NOT chlorine bleach). It’s a powder that you mix with water until dissolved, then pour into a hand-pump sprayer and saturate the stucco. Do this on a cloudy day and keep the stucco wet for about 30 minutes for the best results.

Does bleach harm stucco?

Bleach should not ruin stucco. Over time, stucco can appear dirty or stained as it is constantly exposed to the elements. There are many options available for cleaning stucco, but stucco can easily be damaged by certain cleaning methods.

What does mold look like on stucco?

Mold on exterior stucco looks pretty much like mold on anything else. It can present as green, dark brown or black patches and streaks, or fuzzy-looking stains. Check around your gutters, around windows and doors, and along the base of your walls.

How do you clean stucco interior walls?

Regular Cleaning The good news is that cleaning indoor stucco usually takes nothing more than water and a bit of elbow grease. Simply scrub the dingy stucco with a dampened nylon brush to saturate the surface, then rub away the buildup with a moistened microfiber cloth (or clean cotton rag).

How do you remove hard water stains from stucco?

You can usually wash the stain away with water and a stiff broom. If that doesn’t work, mix up a cleaning solution of one part vinegar to five parts water, and scrub it on with a stiff nylon brush.

How do you clean cobwebs off stucco?

Depending upon the age and density of the cobwebs, even “feather” dusters can be more of a detriment by pushing a collection of them deeper between the stucco ridges. Using a vacuum cleaning brush on the end of a length-adjustable wand is the only means of guaranteeing removal of the cobwebs and dust.

Can you use oxiclean on stucco?

Oxygen bleach is a powder you mix with water. Once it is dissolved, you simply put it in a hand-pump garden sprayer and saturate the stucco. Try to work on an overcast day. Keep the stucco very wet with the solution for up to 30 minutes.

Do you need to rinse Simple Green?

▶ Vegetation — Is Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner safe for vegetation? Diluted Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner will not harm grass or flowers, but it’s always a good idea to rinse foliage after it has had contact with the product.

Can you use TSP on stucco?

TSP Solution: TSP is a great chemical that is used for many cleaning tasks, especially when prepping walls for paint and it can work great for cleaning stucco as well. A good recipe for using TSP is 1 – 2 cups of TSP to 1 gallon of water.