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Why does nobody talk about how bad straight bleach is for cedar siding? | Atlanta Homeowners - Vivisector

Why does nobody talk about how bad straight bleach is for cedar siding?

I power washed my house back in April and a neighbor walked over and told me I was wrecking my cedar by using straight bleach. I had been doing it that way for like 3 years because nobody ever said a word. He showed me his mix of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water and a soft brush instead. My siding looks way better now and no more fuzzy grain lifting. Has anyone else been told their cleaning method is ruining their wood?

3 comments

3 Comments

maxl932mo ago

Wait, aren't you basically just swapping one mild acid for another that's still gonna eat at the wood over time?

williamw752mo ago

Got a buddy named Dave who learned this one the hard way, his neighbor had that same fuzzy gray look after a season and he just thought it was normal aging. Dave went hard with straight bleach on the back porch of his rental property like five years ago and now that whole wall is basically rough as sandpaper, you can see the grain warped and lifted. @maxl93 you're right that vinegar is still an acid but it's way milder than bleach and doesn't strip the natural oils out of cedar the same way. Dave's house still has that rough patch but the rest of his siding from later years looks smooth and clean with the vinegar mix, so it's not about it being perfect, just about not destroying the surface layer. He had to repaint that back wall eventually because the bleach just left it so fuzzy and dry it wouldn't take stain right anymore. I figure if it's good enough for Dave's rental to still look decent after half a decade, the vinegar route is the safer bet even if bleach doesn't blow stuff up instantly.

baker.christopher2mo ago

My neighbor swore by oxalic acid for years and his cedar looks exactly the same as mine after five seasons. People get real worked up about what cleaner is best but most of the time the wood is just gonna weather gray anyway. I accidentally used straight bleach once last summer and nothing exploded, so maybe the risk is a little overblown.