Mildew or Dirt? House Washing in Nekoosa

Nekoosa is a Wood County city about 27 miles southeast of our Marshfield shop. Its name comes from a Ho-Chunk word that translates to "running water". The Point Basse historical marker, put up in 1963, records that Daniel Whitney built the first sawmill on the Wisconsin River here, at Whitney's Rapids, in 1831, making Nekoosa the birthplace of Wood County. Nekoosa has been a paper-mill town since the 1890s.

An older town

About a quarter of Nekoosa's homes went up in 1939 or earlier and close to half before 1960; half were built before about 1963. Most are single-family houses.

Mildew or dirt: how to tell

That grey or black film on your siding could be either, and it is worth knowing which. A Purdue Extension bulletin on house paint discoloration, written with the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, gives two ways to tell them apart:

• Look closely. Under a high-power magnifying glass, mildew shows threadlike growth when the surface is damp. Dry, it shows numerous egg-shaped spores. Dirt particles are irregular in size and shape.
• The bleach test. Mildew usually bleaches out within one or two minutes. A stain that does not bleach is probably dirt.

The same bulletin notes that mildew is most common on walls behind trees or shrubs, where air movement is restricted, and in shaded or protected areas.

Either way, our house washing handles it. It is a low-pressure soft wash, with biodegradable solutions that remove dirt, algae and stains. On an older home, that matters.

Nekoosa weather

The weather station about 5 miles from town records about 163 nights below freezing a year and about 31 inches of rain and melted snow, with about 66 days bringing a tenth of an inch or more. For snow, Wisconsin Rapids, about 7 miles up the river, averages about 48 inches a year.

Gutters, windows and concrete

Gutters get a full flush, downspouts included, with after pictures. Windows come clean of dirt, grime and water spots. Driveways, patios and sidewalks get our power washing.