Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Artillery Fungus - Frequently Asked Questions

Fred W · Guru

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BlueRidge · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Baton Rouge Roof Cleaner wrote:
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SprayWash · Approved Exterior Cleaner

yup....

Q12: So, how do I get the artillery fungus off my house siding? Will any cleaning chemicals remove it? Power washing? How about just plain scraping? Do the spores stick to all kinds of siding?
A: The spore masses of the artillery fungus stick like super-glue. We have not found an efficient way to get them off without leaving a stain on the siding, especially on old dry siding. Power washing may work on brand new (only) vinyl siding that still has a shiny, oily, sheen. However, even power washing usually fails.
Each spore mass can be physically scraped, "steel-wooled", or sanded off. Then the stain might be removed with an ink eraser, but this is a pain, literally.
Beware of any cleansers that have claims that sound "too good to be true", with regards to removing the artillery fungus. It is likely that they are, in fact, too good to be true. At the end of this section I have listed some attempts that readers have used to remove artillery fungus.

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Although we DO NOT provide the service,...The most effective way to remove artillery fungus is by abrading them away with a Magic Eraser. I actually prefer the Dollar General Super Erasers,..they are the toughest erasers I've found. I use them for all sorts of things,.window seals when needed ,.rub marks on porch railing, kick marks on door entry, lawn mower wheel marks on siding etc...
Anyhow,..The melamine sponges remove the spot without doing any damage to the siding. The worse thing that may happen is on older siding that is oxidized is you'll remove some oxidation and leave a cleaner spot. But,.it will come together over time and is the lesser of the two evils. The best thing to do as a home owner is get away from the mulch,..especially considering the effort it takes to remove these one at a time. Stone is a better alternative,..but I hate the rubber mulch,..Ha,Ha...

The worse place to have these is on soffit or a porch ceiling that are vinyl,..very hard to get enough pressure on a flexing panel to remove the spores.

*These are one of the first things I look at when looking at a customers property.

Jeff

Maverick Contracting · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I've been talking more if my customers who have cedar/wood in general to switch to gravel for beds up against the house b/c landscapers always pile mulch up against the siding and the moisture causes a LOT of siding rot, the gravel will stop the fungus but I've been told cedar mulch will inhibit the growth also.

As for preventive measures I'm wondering if after I do repaints adding a clear sacrificial anti graffiti coating for problematic properties may help, plus it would add a yearly maintenance service to one's portfolio. (?)

I heard some vendors we know (SB) carry removal products and I'm going to ask a car detailer friend if he's got a good product. We have a lot here

Jeff Wible · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I'd like to see a product that removes them,..spray on,..spray off,..most product that claim to remove it,..always seem to state,.."Some abrading may be required" or something to that effect. Which brings us back to manual removal,...which can be done without any cleaner at all. I HOPE SOMEONE COMES UP WITH SOMETHING Ha,Ha,...

Jeff

Steve Salley · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Next billionaire who figures this one out. I have millions on my own home, grrr! so i allow the homeowners to keep theirs. We have found nothing that works if they are not removed within weeks of landing.