Signs Your Fascia & Soffit Need Cleaning

Fascia and soffit boards run along the roofline and are easy to forget about, since most people only look up when something goes wrong. They take the brunt of the weather and whatever spills out of the gutter, so they are often the dirtiest part of the outside of a house.

Common signs they need cleaning

• Green or black streaks, especially just below the gutter. This is usually algae, fed by water spilling over from a gutter that is overflowing or not draining properly.
• Chalky white residue on older uPVC. This is typically dirt combined with UV weathering of the surface, and usually cleans up well.
• Cobwebs and grime gathered under the soffits and around vents.
• Tide marks on the front face of the gutter itself.

Why the gutter is usually part of the story

Staining on fascias and soffits and a blocked gutter are often connected: the gutter overflows, water runs down the boards, and algae grows where it keeps getting wet. Cleaning the boards without clearing the gutter means the marks come back, so it is worth having both looked at together.

When it is more than a surface clean

Some signs point to an underlying problem rather than dirt:

• Boards that are sagging, warped or coming away from the wall.
• Dark patches that do not shift with cleaning.
• Damp or staining on the soffit that spreads after rain, which can mean a persistent leak.

Mention anything like this when you book, so it can be flagged if the job looks like more than a clean.

Keeping them clean for longer

• Keep the gutters clear so they are not overflowing onto the boards.
• A clean every year or two stops algae building up to the point where it stains.