Cleaning Garage Doors & Exterior Surfaces in Ontario
Ontario's road salt, combined with the freeze-thaw cycles of our winters, leaves significant residue on garage doors, driveways, and the lower exterior surfaces of homes each spring. A spring exterior wash is an annual maintenance task in every Ontario home.
Garage Door
Garage doors accumulate salt, road grime, and mildew (on the north or shaded sides of homes). Wash with warm soapy water and a soft brush or sponge — avoid pressure washing at close range on steel or aluminum garage doors, as it can dent the surface and force water into the door insulation. For painted wood garage doors, a mild detergent solution and gentle scrubbing, followed by thorough rinsing, keeps the surface clean without damaging the finish. Steel doors benefit from a rinse with a garden hose at low pressure after the wash.
Driveway Salt Staining
Concrete driveways in Ontario develop white salt efflorescence from the season's accumulated road salt. A commercial concrete cleaner (available at Home Depot or Canadian Tire Ontario) applied and pressure-washed off addresses most salt staining. For asphalt driveways, a garden hose rinse in late spring typically suffices for surface salt — asphalt is more forgiving of residue than concrete.
Mildew on Siding
North-facing and shaded sections of vinyl or aluminum siding develop mildew over Ontario winters. A diluted bleach solution (1 cup bleach per gallon of water) applied with a brush and rinsed thoroughly removes mildew from vinyl siding without damage. Do not use bleach on wood siding — use an oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate) solution instead.