The vinyl siding that covers the exterior of your home should last for a long time, depending on how it was installed and how you take care of it. Where the latter is concerned, you don't typically need to do much day-to-day maintenance of the siding. However, there are several things that you can inadvertently do that can cause damage to the siding. In some cases, the damage will be significant enough that you need to have a section of it replaced, especially if you're thinking of selling the house in the near future. Here are three ways that you can unexpectedly damage your vinyl siding.

Having The Barbecue Too Close

It can often be tempting to keep your barbecue close to the exterior of your home, especially if you have a small deck or a small patio, or you're barbecuing during the winter months in which you want to stay out of the cold wind. However, a barbecue placed close to the vinyl siding of your home could potentially damage it. The extreme heat that the barbecue generates doesn't mix well with the vinyl siding, and you may notice that the siding begins to warp, buckle, or even take on a blistered appearance. To avoid such a problem, make sure your barbecue is well away from the siding.

Cleaning The Siding Aggressively

The siding on the side of your house that gets a lot of shade can occasionally get a layer or mildew or moss on it. To avoid this eyesore, you may attempt to clean the siding. Harsh cleaning chemicals and abrasive cleaning pads may get the mess off the siding, but could leave you with damage. These products may remove the sheen of your siding, leave it with scratch marks, or even lighten its color slightly. You're better off using a pressure washer to tackle dirty siding.

Ignoring Separated Sections

Occasionally, a severe wind storm can separate two sections of your vinyl siding, leaving one piece flapping in the wind. It might be tempting to ignore this problem, given that the wall of the house is still technically covered with the siding, but doing so would be a mistake. If you fail to deal with separated sections of siding in a prompt manner, another heavy gust of wind can potentially lift the separated section and cause it to rip away from your house — leaving you with a major issue. You should always call a siding contractor if you notice that your siding has separated.