Black Spots On Vinyl Siding

We have these small black spots that look like specks of tar all over our white vinyl siding of our house.

Black spots on vinyl siding.

It s hard to see shotgun fungus itself because it s only 2 millimeters wide. Removing spots from vinyl siding. Store bought cleaners such as windex will usually do the job for these kinds of spots but if you want to make your own chemical free solution you can use a natural mixture of. A first use a scraper or wire brush and scrape over a section of affected vinyl siding.

The black tar like spots that are all over your vinyl siding are more than likely a fungus called sphaerobolus stellatus better known as artillery or shotgun fungus although it s most often found on the east coast it can grow anywhere and especially thrives in areas that have cool damp springs or rainy fall weather conditions. Dirt and insect secretion stains however can adhere to vinyl siding attracting molds mildews and algae. We have thousands of tiny black spots pin head size all over the siding of our house. Some tell us it s from spiders.

Thankfully i only have one area that has plants next to it so the bleach solution wouldn t hurt them but not sure about my deck stains. Insect stains and other debris can be removed by simply cleaning vinyl siding with household cleaners. The vinyl siding institute yes there really is such an organization offers some helpful and specific tips for dealing with stubborn moldy spots on your siding. It goes all the way up to my second story windows and is even under my soffit and on my gutters.

Algae may also look black or brown as may some molds. I have been experimenting with various solutions on my vinyl siding to remove the spots. Others have said it s a fungus from mulch. It s on the porch my windows but it is worse on the siding.

Click to enlarge any image small gray or darker round spots on siding that are about 1 16 in individual diameter particularly if the spots are slightly raised may be artillery fungus a mold spore. The siding has been on the houses for 12 years and now everyone is talking about the black spots so it s really a town issue lol but one we need to figure out. Also known as artillery or cannonball fungus sphaerobolus it uses internal water pressure to forcefully fire its spores similar to seeds up to 20 feet away the fungus sets its sights on bright areas so that means it will aim for any pale surface that reflects light such as the siding on your house. A side of my house in new york is covered in the dots.