house cleaning

[Chappy 138]

Is it safe to wash soffits with pressure?

Here in florida the aluminum soffits get real dirty. mold/mildew etc.

is it ok to use pressure on them? I dont want to get too much water through the holes and promote rot to the wood edging if it doesnt drain well enough. I was doing my own the other day and its amazing the amount of dirt that gets behind them and keeps dripping out.

Jon Chapman

[Aplus 525]

No it is not safe to wash soffits with pressure. Water can be driven thru the vents right up into the attic.

The only thing separating the attic from the drywall underneath is the insulation.

There is no way that I know of to not have the black water drops from the vent holes. I apply soap and rinse at low pressure, and spray with a more side-ways approach, to try and reduce the amount of water that sprays inside.

You will also find that soffits are generally not well constructed. They are often made of vinyl, and are laid between two aluminum trim strips. There's not much holding them in, especially on mobile homes.

[RyanH 14]

I usually take a long handled sponge (like you mop kitchen floors with) and run those along the soffits after a low pressure rinse once the soffits are almost dry. This usually gets rid of the spots.

Ryan H.

[Tim Smith 14]

I use good chemicals and light pressure - be very careful.

[Chappy 138]

thanks guys,

just what I needed.

Jon Chapman

[CLASSICPW 14]

I usually scrub them then shoot a stream above so the water runs down over them.