Do you have little black specks on the siding of your home, on the sidewalks leading to your home, or even on the furnishings you have on your patio? If so, you probably never thought that those little specks were fungus spores. Those specks are actually the spores of artillery fungus.

Artillery fungus grows in aging mulch. As the sun heats up the mulch, the fungus heats up, and soon, they send tiny spores shooting through the air and stick to any surface that they land on. If you allow the specks to remain, they will eventually stain the material that they are stuck to. Here, you'll learn how to get rid of those specks once and for all.

Eliminate Aging Mulch

Before you go through the work of cleaning up all of the black specks, you need to get rid of the mulch that is home to the fungus causing all of the problems. Don't just cover old mulch with new as the fungus will continue to grow and spread throughout the new mulch.

Power Washing

The best starting point is to have the materials power washed. You can do this on your own, or you can hire a company to come out and do it for you. If you are not well-practiced with a pressure washer, it's probably in your best interest to have a professional power washing company take care of this job for you. If you do it incorrectly, you could damage the siding and furnishings that you're trying to save.

Use Mold Armor

Mold Armor is a cleaning solution that is found at most home improvement stores. It is safe to use on many outdoor materials so that you can use it on vinyl siding, concrete, and even fiberglass. Spray the solution on the specks, let it sit for fifteen minutes and then, use a scrub brush to scrub the area. Follow with a rinse and the specks should be gone.

Acne Treatment Spot Treating

For those specks that have sat for too long and have stained the siding or furnishings, you may still have a chance of removing the spots. Go to your medicine cabinet and get a tube of zit cream. Smear a thin coat of cream over the spot and let it sit for a few days. The sun works with the cream to bleach the spot out of the material. After three days, get a bucket and a scrub brush and scrub the area clean. The spots should be gone. If not, reapply the cream and wait a few more days. Eventually, the spots will be gone.