November 30th, 2020Why Cleaning Your Fence Is Important

With a brand new fence, your whole property looks refreshed. That fresh coat of paint looks like it will take care of the work maintaining your fence for you. If your fence isn’t dirty, why do you have to clean your fence anyway?

Cleaning your fence is an important part of fence maintenance and for some fence types, the maintenance is crucial to adding years of use to your fence. Though different fences have different maintenance requirements, read on to see why cleaning a fence is important no matter what fence type you have.

Wood Fences

Wood fencing has a classic look and definitely adds character to your property but it requires regular maintenance to preserve it. You should clean dirt and grime to prevent buildup and discolouration and to maintain your fence’s appearance.

You will need to be more careful about mold, mildew and algae and prevent these from forming on your fence. Mold, mildew and algae all can damage the integrity of your fence as it causes the wood to rot. Algae and mold also leave green stains on your fence, which can be difficult to remove.

The finish of a new wood fence lasts up to about three years, but you will want to occasionally clean it to make sure no problems arise. You will also want to clean your fence before staining it so that the stain will last longer.

Vinyl Fences

Vinyl fences are the easiest type of fence to maintain as you don’t need to stain it or worry about corrosion. You will want to remove dirt from a vinyl fence so that the dirt doesn’t accumulate. Mold, mildew and stains can build up on your fence, but these can easily be wiped away to keep your fence looking clean.

Chain Link Fences

Chain link fences require a bit more maintenance than vinyl fences but cleaning this type of fence isn’t too much work. If your chain link fence is coated with PVC or vinyl, then the maintenance will be a lot easier. Not only will a coated fence last longer, you don’t need to clean away any rust.

Dirt, grime and mold can all form on chain link fences and you should clean these as soon as possible. Doing this would prevent rust from forming on the metal and causing your fence to deteriorate. Since we receive a fair amount of rain in the Fraser Valley, your fence is more prone to rusting.

Iron Fences

Iron fences have a distinguished look but this type of fence needs to be cleaned regularly to prevent them from rusting. If any chemicals get on iron fences, these should be cleaned quickly. Even fertilizers or water from swimming pools can corrode your fence, so you should make sure to clean fences after chemicals are dispersed nearby. Mold can also form on this type of fence, so cleaning your fence regularly will prevent this from building up.

For almost all types of fences, it’s important to clean your fence so that you can prolong its lifespan. If your fence has started to corrode or rot, it may not be possible to fix the problem just by cleaning it. If you need a new fence and would like suggestions on the right type of fence replacement, contact A&G Fencing to see how we can help.