Removing Black Soot Stains from Vinyl Covered Siding - Any Advice?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
We've been using our charcoal barbeque on the back porch, summer and winter. Just noticed some black staining on the house siding from the charcoal smoke/soot. The siding is vinyl-covered steel, and beige in color.

I used several products on it, and cleaning sponges, etc. Not taking it off. Any suggestions of something gentle that can be used? Something that will take off the black without harming the surface of the vinyl? Thanks for any tips. :)
 

Sound trivial, and you've probably tried it, but would white vinegar work?? I've used it on all kinds of greasy stains, which smoke might be, and it works. Another thing we've used with success is Windex.
 
Thanks Anne, I did try white vinegar, and it didn't help. I did Windex and Ajax on a small spot for testing, but no go. A little of the black comes off of the rag with just elbow grease, but it doesn't look like it's all going to come off. I used a diluted Kirkland liquid cleaner, I used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, Dobie pad, etc...not looking good. I don't want to discolor the vinyl or hurt the finish...more than I already have with the barbeque. We still use it on the porch, but further toward the outside, and away from the house.
 

I was going to suggest baking soda and vinegar, and let it bubble awhile, but again, it might scratch or hurt the finish. Wonder if you called one of the companies that clean after a fire?? If it's not a large area, maybe they would give some advice without wanting to come out and charge you.

I'm sure you've googled the problem, lol - that's usually what I end up doing, but hopefully someone here will have some ideas.

ETA...lol, boomer, guess we posted about the same time.
 
Anything with just a bit of grit in it. I use the fireplace cleaner on my insert door, but don't think I'd attempt it on siding as it is so caustic.

Just a shot in the dark, but try a little toothpaste with a soft rag. Shouldn't have anything in it to hurt the siding but just might work.
 
Thanks guys, don't want to try anything caustic. I was thinking of trying GooGone on a small spot too. Putting it on the back burner for now, other stuff to do. :eek:nthego:
 
rkunsaw said:
I can't think of the name but there is a product for cleaning soot from fireplace doors. You might google fireplace cleaner or some such thing.
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I wonder if it's the same name that I can't remember - mine was three letters and I think it started with an "A". Commercial-grade stuff, though you can get it at your local Home Depot. Did the job but you needed gloves and goggles and such, then had to rinse it all off. Maybe a bit too harsh for Sea's needs ...
 
We just discovered we had VERY dark black soot that had covered our tan vinyl exterior house siding above the vent (for our indoor propane fireplace). I immediately tried white vinegar, and Simply Green, which took some of the top layer of soot off that could be seen on my blackened rag....but the house still looked like it had not been touched with either product when it dried.
So I naturally googled and accidentally came across this website. Our home is only 6 years old. I tried your toothpaste trick. (Aim with Whitening as that was what we had in the house.) Applied it to a damp clean white washcloth. That, along with a little elbow grease, and a soft scrub brush amazingly did the trick!!! I rinsed with warm water. Harmless to the siding! What an inexpensive and safe way to clean up that mess! Wow! No professional expense involved! Thanks so much. Unfortunately, it has just started to snow, so I couldn't quite complete the job today.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys! Haven't been out there with all the frigid weather we had recently, but will keep the suggestions in mind, and let you know what worked when I do get around to it. :thanks:
 
easy listening said:
We just discovered we had VERY dark black soot that had covered our tan vinyl exterior house siding above the vent (for our indoor propane fireplace). I immediately tried white vinegar, and Simply Green, which took some of the top layer of soot off that could be seen on my blackened rag....but the house still looked like it had not been touched with either product when it dried.
So I naturally googled and accidentally came across this website. Our home is only 6 years old. I tried your toothpaste trick. (Aim with Whitening as that was what we had in the house.) Applied it to a damp clean white washcloth. That, along with a little elbow grease, and a soft scrub brush amazingly did the trick!!! I rinsed with warm water. Harmless to the siding! What an inexpensive and safe way to clean up that mess! Wow! No professional expense involved! Thanks so much. Unfortunately, it has just started to snow, so I couldn't quite complete the job today.
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Easy Listening, welcome to the forum, so nice of you to post a reply! Thanks for you advice! :D
 
Loved your toothpaste trick...simple and inexpensive. I needed to use the soft scrub brush only because our vinyl is textured, and I was able to get in the grooves with the soft brush. I hope Sea Breeze who started this thread has tried the toothpaste! Thanks again. I'm passing that on!
 
Found the best thing to use and it works unbelieveable!!

We had a pellet stove that vented through a window. It was there for about 3 years. The black soot was all over the vinyl siding and we couldn't find anything to take it off completely. Out of desperation we bought the Mr. Clean extra power magic eraser and OMG it came right off. It didn't hurt the siding at all. I wasn't holding out any hope but it was worth the try and I'm so glad I did!! I found this forum when looking for a way to clean the siding so I just had to come back and leave the miracle cleaner that actually worked for me.:)
 
Thanks and welcome Whutmeow. I have to say even though this thread is old, that I never got around to cleaning the siding on the porch yet. I just ran out with a magic eraser, and with a lot of elbow grease some of it did lift, so there's hope. Thanks so much for your suggestion.
 
Almost sounds like it got heated into the pores or grain of the surface. Also with a lot of cleaners and soaps bubble action is critical. I would take real soapy water from dish or laundry detergents and work the area making sure there are bubbles. It's not just a matter of dissolving the stain. The good thing about soaps is that they are not as bad for the environment if they drip down into the dirt as compared to petroleum based solvents. Also it's a pain or "hot" issue but many stains come off easier in warmer weather in other words the hottest part of the day with that siding as warm as it will get clean it then. Hopefully the heat will open or expand the grain/pores of the surface.
 
SeaBreeze said:
Thanks and welcome Whutmeow. I have to say even though this thread is old, that I never got around to cleaning the siding on the porch yet. I just ran out with a magic eraser, and with a lot of elbow grease some of it did lift, so there's hope. Thanks so much for your suggestion.
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Thank you for the welcome. I did see that no one has posted for awhile but since the magic eraser worked so well for us I wanted to share for anyone else who may stumble across this forum. We had to get it cleaned up as we are moving out so it was important we find something to work!! I don't know if the magic eraser makes a difference or not but we did get the extra power eraser. I just couldn't believe how well it worked!
 
I like using those erasers for a lot of cleaning, like wall/woodwork touch-ups, etc. I made the mistake of getting a white vinyl flooring in my small kitchen, and with the pets tracking mud in from the back yard, or the park, it's a constant challenge to keep clean. I'm not really fussy about any cleaning, but to get it white when I do want to clean it good, I use the oversized eraser.

They're really expensive and start falling apart in a couple of swipes unfortunately. I don't want to invest any more money by using their floor mop version, so I just do it on my hands and knees now and then, in addition to light crew mopping. I never tried the extra power eraser, I hate to spend so much on a sponge item, especially one that needs constant replacing.
 
While we were away in Queesland last year ,the previous tenants of the holiday unit had marked the vinyl floor by dragging chairs, Leaving black marks ....I successfully used baby wipes to remove the black marks
 
Thanks Kadee, my mother used to use Ajax scouring powder for those type of scuff marks.
 

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