Fence
maintenance can be frustrating if you are not sure how to clean a fence.
Regardless if you're looking for tips on how to clean a vinyl fence, wood
fence, chain link fence or steel & aluminum fences; this article should
teach you everything you need to know for proper fence maintenance. Each
section will explain the materials needed for cleaning your fence, how to clean
your fence, level of difficulty (based on a 1-5 scale with 1 being easy and 5
being hard) and the recommended time frames for cleaning... Let's get started.
HOW TO
CLEAN VINYL FENCE:
Materials
Needed:
* Water hose
* bucket of
soapy water or spray bottle of vinyl cleaning solution.
* Soft cloth
rags
* Soft scrub
brush (for tougher stains or dirt)
Level of
Difficulty:
* 2 - Vinyl
fencing is relatively easy to clean but can require a little "elbow
grease" or extra scrub for some tougher stains and dirty spots.
Recommended
Time Frame for Cleaning a Vinyl Fence:
* For maximum
results; you should clean your vinyl fence at least once every 3 - 6 months.
Cleaning:
A few reasons
why you would need to clean your vinyl fence would be: dirt and/or grass from
the ground accumulating on the fence due to cutting the grass, leaves or other
debris after a storm and rarely; you will notice a type of chalk build up
develop on parts of the vinyl fence. These reasons are not major and are easily
cleaned as explained below.
The majority
of vinyl fences can be cleaned very easily by just spraying the fence down with
a water hose; however, if there are some tough stains that a water hose does
not take care of, just follow the method below and your fence will look brand
new every time you clean it!
To prepare
for cleaning a vinyl fence, you will want to decide if you are going to use a
bucket of soapy water or a vinyl cleaning solution (can be purchased at your
local hardware store) or a combination of both. If you are using a bucket of
soapy water, you will want to fill the bucket with water to your desired amount
and mix an environmentally safe cleaning solution in the bucket. (TIP: If it is
environmentally safe, it is vinyl fence safe)
After you
have your bucket of soapy water, all you must do now is get your soft cloth rag
wet via the water in the bucket and wipe down the areas of the fence that need
wiped down. If you are using a spray bottle of vinyl cleaning solution, just
spray the areas of the fence that need cleaned and wipe with a dry soft cloth
rag. When you are finished cleaning an area of the fence, rinse it off with a
water hose and allow it to air dry.
HOW TO
CLEAN & STAIN A WOOD FENCE:
Materials
Needed:
* Water Hose
or Power Washer (for deep cleaning and removing old paint)
* Wood Stain,
NOT PAINT (desired color)
* Bleach or
wood cleaning solution
* Plastic
Sheets (to protect grass under fence) OPTIONAL
Level of
Difficulty:
* 4 or 5 -
Cleaning a wood fence can be a little easier than our mentioned level of
difficulty depending on the type and amount of cleaning that will be taking
place.
Recommended
Time Frame for Cleaning a Wood Fence:
* For maximum
results we recommend that you clean/re-stain your wood fence once every 3-5
years.
Cleaning:
IF you have a
cedar fence, you may notice that it will begin to turn a grayish color or the
paint/stain will begin to lose its brightness and regardless of what kind of
wood fence you have, you may notice a mold begin to develop on the fence. This
section of the article will explain how to take care of these problems and get
your wood fence looking new again!
If you
decided to use plastic sheeting to protect your grass, you will want to lay
that on the ground underneath the fence prior to starting any cleaning. (Using
plastic sheeting will protect your grass from any harmful chemicals that may be
in the cleaning solutions).
A mixture of
"1 part bleach and 2 parts water" is very common when cleaning wood
fences; however, you may also purchase wood cleaning solution from your local
hardware store. What you will want to do first is apply the cleaning solution
to the fence and allow it to soak in until you notice that the fence is
becoming brighter and/or clean. You will then want to spray the fence off with
a water hose (use a power washer for removing old paint or tough stains - make
sure power washer is on the widest spray setting and held about 12 inches away
from fence).
After the
fence has been cleaned and sprayed off you will want to allow it to air dry. If
it still needs cleaning in certain spots after it dries, repeat the above
mentioned process. Once the fence is clean and dry you are ready to apply a
strain. (If you do not wish to stain a certain color, you can use a wood
sealant to ensure that the fence will look new for a long time). NOTE: DO NOT
USE PAINT ON YOUR WOOD FENCE, INSTEAD USE A STAIN.
Properly
apply the strain and allow the stain to dry. Your wood fence should now look
beautiful and brand new. If you apply this process at least every 3 - 5 years,
your wood fence will look beautiful and brand new for a long time!
HOW TO
CLEAN CHAIN LINK, STEEL AND ALUMINUM FENCES:
Materials
Needed:
* Water hose
* Soft scrub
brush
* Bucket of
soapy water OPTIONAL
Level of
Difficulty:
* 1 -
Cleaning metal fences such as chain link, steel and aluminum is very easy and
does not require much time/effort to complete.
Recommended
Time Frame for Cleaning a Metal Fences:
* For maximum
results, we recommend that you clean your metal fences once a year or as
needed.
Cleaning:
If you want
to give your children a chore to do around the house, now is the time. Cleaning
a chain link, steel or aluminum fence is very easy and can be performed by
almost anyone. Most of the time you can clean your metal fence by simply
spraying it off with a water hose; however, if you come across some tough
stains or areas that need a little scrubbing, the following advice should do
the trick.
First you
will want to prepare a bucket of soapy water. To do this, simply fill a bucket
with warm water and mix with any cleaning solution that will not increase
chances of rust development. You will then want to take your soft bristle scrub
brush and dip it in the soapy water. After the brush is wet, simply scrub the
areas of the fence that need cleaning and rinse by spraying off with a water
hose... It’s that easy.
This article
was written by John Burke, President of Paramount
Fence, LLC, a leading
fence company servicing metro Detroit/Southeast Michigan with quality fence
installation and repair services.
Posted By: Georgia Fence Supply http://georgiafencesupply.com
