Cleaning Cedar Shake Siding and Shingles
Posted on July 2, 2025
Cedar shingles are an appealing and durable option to protect your home exterior. It does provide a challenge for cleaning and maintaining. Here’s what you should do for cleaning cedar shake siding and shingles.
Pros of Cedar Shingles:
- Resists bugs and termites
- Resists rot unless damaged
- Vulnerable to woodpeckers
- Quality aesthetics
Cedar Shingle Cons:
- Not fire-safe
- Requires periodic maintenance
Cedar siding maintenance
For a time-treasured, weathered look, cedar siding is a perfect option. It’s easy to apply a clear coat of water-resistant preservative to the shingles. This helps prevent wood rot and moisture damage while maintaining a rustic charm in the shingles.
Your climate will dictate how often your siding must be cleaned and clear-coated. In a humid climate and near the ocean or a lake, like Tacoma, your home will need to be coated every two to three years.
The annual cleaning and maintenance every few years will keep your shingles or siding in good condition between replacing the shingles. You could get them to last up to 50 years with good maintenance and cleaning!
Cleaning cedar shingles
Cedar shingles, particularly in moist climates, can develop moss or algae on them. This could result in staining. They are also prone to iron staining from the products used to secure the shingles to the home. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Services Laboratory recommends cleaning cedar shingles with an oxidizing bleach — not household bleach — to avoid damaging the wood. Household bleach is harsher and will make the shingles surface turn fuzzy from the pulp reaction to it.
Moisture-Resistant Clear Coat, Stains and Paints
You can choose to clear coat or paint your shingles. Keep in mind that paint peeling from cedar shingles can be difficult to remove or correct on your own. A clear coat or opaque stains are a good option to change the color of your shingles without dealing with paint.
They are applied the same as a paint or deck stain. On a dry house, apply the clear coat product or stain from a lawn and garden sprayer. It should be put on with a high-volume, low-pressure paint sprayer. You can also choose to paint brush or roll the coating on.
