How to Pressure Wash a House
Pressure washing is almost like a magic tool for removing many years of mildew, soot, dirt, and grime from the outside of your house. It works very well to clean off these things on different surfaces such as traditional stucco, aluminum, steel, wood, and brick siding at your home. House washing should be done every couple of years for upkeep and is essential before painting the outside of a house. Begin by using an ordinary garden sprayer to wet your home, then continue with a pressure washer to remove accumulated dirt from the exterior surfaces.
Steps of Pressure Washing a House
Following are the important steps of house washing that can make your house squeaky clean.
Cover the Greenery
Make sure to cover bushes, plants, and your grass with cloth or plastic to keep them safe. Shut all windows and doors tightly, using duct tape or plastic if they often let water in. Use the same tape to hold down the covers firmly.
Preparation of House Washing Solution
You take a bucket, 5 gallons size, and blend the mildewcide you can buy from places where they sell tools or rent machines. You follow what the maker says about how much water to put in. Then for each nine parts of this mix with mildewcide and soap, put one part bleach inside. Pour this solution into the garden sprayer.
Fit the Proper Nozzle
Prepare the pressure washer to be operational after you have completed using the garden sprayer and doing the scrubbing. Find where to connect the hose on the rear side of the pressure washer. Connect the garden hose to this holder, and ensure that its other end is fixed to the water tap outside your home.
For tough surfaces and more pressure, you should use the nozzle that sprays at 15 degrees. For delicate surfaces with less pressure, it is better to select a nozzle of either 25 or 30 degrees. When you wash a building with two floors, it is best to start from the top and clean towards the bottom. You might have to use an extension wand to touch the higher level.
When you need to get to the second floor using scaffolding, make sure you assemble it as the maker has directed. Place this structure at a distance from the wall so that when holding the wand easily in your hand, there is space between 1.5 and 3 feet for reaching out. Remember to lock the scaffolding’s wheels in position before using it.
Spraying and Scrubbing
Spray a part of one floor in your house completely with the fungus-killing liquid. Begin at the lower part of this area and move upwards, scrubbing the siding softly yet strongly with a brush made for siding. When cleaning a house with two floors, begin on the upper level. However, you should clean starting from the bottom of your scaffold and move upwards towards the roof.
Testing the Pressure
After you clean the first part well, please wear protective glasses. Check if there is a distance of 3 feet from the nozzle to the wall and then start the pressure washing machine. Keep this space if it lets you clean away dirt without harm. If the dirt stays, get nearer little by little, about 4 to 6 inches at a time, and always pause to see how well it cleans and look for any damage. Continue to work from the most effective distance.
Work from Top to Bottom
After you are sure there is enough space between you and the siding, start to use the power washer from above on the cleaned area. First clean under edges and rain gutters, then move downwards. To stop water from going beneath the siding, extend your arms as high up as possible without losing balance, and tilt the sprayer downwards at an angle of 45 degrees.
Repeat Steps 4 Through 6
Proceed to the subsequent area of siding, and do again Steps 4 to 6 until your house is completely clean. After you are done, remove the drop cloths and plastic covers, throw away the duct tape, and store all cleaning materials and tools. If you intend to paint the house later, it is best to wait a minimum of two days for the outside to become completely dry. If painting is not in your plans, then take a moment to appreciate how clean and shiny your house looks now.
What is the Cost of Pressure Washing a House?
The positive thing is the water usually does not cost much, often under one cent for each gallon. Depending on different factors, if you use approximately 250 gallons of water to clean your house with a pressure washer, it might cost about $1.25 in total for the water. You can extrapolate water costs for higher usage.
The price for renting a pressure washer for half of the day is different depending on where you are, but it will be about $30. Many families might already have most things you need to use, but if not, buying these things could cost around $200. This means the total amount could be approximately $231.25. You might already own items like a hose, bucket, and cleaning brush; however, we are considering the situation where you do not have these things.
Conclusion
You might think that house washing is very easy, but as you found out, cleaning the outside of your house safely and successfully needs the proper method and quite some hard work. If you do each step with attention, your home will have no dirt or mold left after completing this task. Make certain you gather all needed items before beginning to spend moments covering plants, doors, and windows and clean the siding thoroughly after that begin with the pressure washing. If painting is in your plans, it’s important to schedule the wash so there’s enough time for the siding to become dry over a few days before you put on paint or stain