What is Oxidation?
Oxidation is a chemical reaction between oxygen or other oxidants and certain materials, such as water oxidizes metals. During oxidation electrons are transferred, causing chemical changes within the material itself eventually leading to breakdown, discoloration, rusting and corrosion of surfaces. For more on the science on what goes on when something is oxidized you can find here. In this blog we’ll be focusing on how it can affect your home, and why it should be removed, don’t worry we don’t offer this service, so we’re not trying to sell you ANYTHING. (This also happens to be a common question from our customers)
Sources of oxidation
There are many ways oxidation could be caused, the most common ones here in Michigan are due to the UV radiation as-well as the moisture and humidity. These factors wreck havoc on Michigan homes leaving behind that chalky substance on the siding of your home! There are other oxidants for other surfaces such as water for metals and peroxide oxidizes stains. But these are the common ones you see on Michigan home’s siding.
Considerations for pressure washing an oxidized home
It takes a high level of caution when pressure washing an oxidized home, as a high pressure nozzle taken to oxidized siding can mean costly damage. Our techs at Lansing Precision Power-Wash never use high pressure when performing a house wash. We do what is called a “soft wash” to ensure even if your home’s siding is oxidized, we can safely and effectively remove all organic build-up without leaving “Zorro marks” on your siding, like the siding below.
Damage like this can expedite the need for oxidation removal as when this happens the high pressure water blasting at the siding removes the protective coating that was there (yes, it was oxidized, but was there and should not be removed regardless until a full oxidation removal is completed, because then it just leads to the unevenly un-oxidized siding you see above!) We cannot fix these lines with a house wash, this is damage done.
So how do I clean the oxidation?
There are ways to save your home from being further oxidized and remove the current oxidation off of the home, there’s plenty of how-to’s on removing oxidation on your own with a soft bristle brush and chemical. BUT if not done right these chemicals can strip your paint, leaving you with a worse situation than when you started. This is where we’d suggest considering hiring a professional if the job is a bit more complex!
If you have “Zorro lines” on your home, you don’t HAVE to repaint or get a oxidation removal, it will eventually all go back to about the same shade, BUT it can take a long while to do so. So while the siding is not damaged forever, it will remain an eye sore until fixed.
As we said at the beginning of this blog post we do not offer oxidation removal surfaces, but there are plenty of companies who do. I would suggest a quick Google search for a business near you that can properly assess and complete the job! ALWAYS make sure the professionals you decide to hire are properly licensed and insured!