MOUNT VERNON – Spring is traditionally the time when, after several months of winter weather and folks generally being cooped up inside, everything begins to brighten and the outdoor living space becomes more popular.

But that space can often look dingy and dirty after a hard winter, which is just not appealing. So people’s thoughts turn to cleaning and bringing their indoor life outside — but only after the space is more enjoyable.

Cleaning the outside of your home and your windows doesn’t have to be a complicated process. There are several options for cleaning your home, and they often depend on the types of materials used on the exterior of your home.

A good wash can be done with a pressure washer and soap; or if the home is made of brick, wood shingles or stucco, a garden hose will work.

For homes that are made of vinyl siding, pressure washing is appropriate. You can use Dawn dish soap or another gentle solution if you see mold or mildew. You’ll want to make sure all of the windows and doors are closed, and that pets aren’t going to be in your way.

When you start, it’s important to spray from a downward angle so that water doesn’t get in where it’s not supposed to be. Keep the pressure washer moving from side to side and steady. After the washing is done, use your garden hose and spray the house down to remove the cleanser and any remaining dirt.

If you don’t have a pressure washer, that’s OK. A pump sprayer will work along with the hose for rinsing.

In Mount Vernon, Anthony Drye and his team at Buckets and Ladders Exterior Cleaning specialize in this kind of work.

Drye says there’s not a product on the market for homeowners that he would caution to stay away from, but there is a caveat.

“Don’t use straight bleach,” he said. “A homeowner will want to heavily dilute it.”

When his teams spray a home, their solution of sodium hypochlorite, surfactant and degreaser is plant- and animal-safe, and the bleach is approximately 3% when it comes out of the nozzle.