Reddish-brown mildew / mold on exterior of house

[dandarc]

So, getting ready to paint (one of the few every-so-often household things I really feel good about doing myself). Cleaning the house, most of the various types of grime come right off with the pressure washer, but I've got this red-brown stuff in places that is stubborn as hell. Any tips for how to remove that? want a good surface so maybe I won't to do this again very soon.

Google Street View tells me it has been at least 14 years since house was painted, hope I can get away with that long after this time.

[lthenderson]

Assuming you are referring to your siding and not just on trim, what kind of siding do you have? Reddish brown is usually associated with oxidized metal.

Personally, I think it is more important to start any paint job with a good removal of loose debris followed by a good quality primer than to worry about getting every discolored stain removed. The primer will seal whatever it is into the surface and provides a good bonding between it and the next layer of topcoat paint.