Algae. Moss. It feeds. It grows. It takes over the shady sides of your buildings and becomes more than just an ‘uglifier’. It can eat into the surface of the building and do permanent damage. It erodes paint, wood, and even concrete, the roots biting into surface and deteriorating that surface as it grows and spreads.
So what can you do about it? Start by cleaning it off.
- Pressure washing on vinyl siding is possible, if you have a skilled worker doing the task. Washing must be performed in a downward motion, so as not to force water up and under the siding. Care must be taken not to force water into the building envelope.
- Hand scrubbing with a stiff bristle brush, soap, and algaecides also works, if you can’t pressure wash.
- To help prevent it coming back year after year, using an algaecide with your cleaning will diminish the problem over repeated cleanings, lessening the return of growth over time. There are types available which won’t damage plants around the area in which you’re working.
- Trim back the landscaping; if you have algae growing on the shaded sides of your building, have the landscapers trim in ways that let more light into the shaded areas. This will help reduce algae growth.
- Clean the buildings in mid-summer. The long, hot, dry days help in the cleaning process, by evaporating the water used in the cleaning process. Also, this ensures you’ve waited until after the algae growth season (rainy, short winter and spring days), but you’ve cleaned and killed it before those conditions come back.
- Paint an algaecide preventative coating onto troublesome surfaces.