How to Pressure Wash a House: Achieving Professional Results at Home

But this doesn't mean you have to let it stay there, building up year after year, dulling your home's beauty. Last spring, my neighbor Sarah transformed her decade-old brick house from dull gray to vibrant red in just one weekend using pressure washing. The difference was so dramatic that three other neighbors asked for her secret! Pressure washing is a common method to remove dirt and restore your house's original appearance.

Although it may sound easy, when you don't know precisely how to pressure wash a house, the damage it could cause is extensive. If you want to learn more about power washing your house, you have come to the right place.

You've come to the correct place if you're looking for more information about power washing your home

Benefits

• When you pressure wash properly, you'll clean grime, unsightly stains, and bird droppings from your house, improving curb appeal and making you proud to come home every day.
• Done right, it's crucial house maintenance that keeps your home in excellent condition while preventing bigger troubles later.
• You'll remove mildew and mold, which harm both your house and your family's health. When mold and mildew go unnoticed, it will keep on growing within the walls, affecting and damaging your interior as well.
• You can also have a professional do the job for you – washing away a house's mildew is an important step when preparing the surfaces before repainting your house.
• In addition, pressure washing is excellent for low-pressure railings and decks; medium-pressure vinyl, wood fences, and asphalt; and high-pressure stone or concrete driveways.

Equipment

The best pressure washer works with a pump, which it uses to create the pressure of water running through the hose. You can power it with either electricity or gasoline, both of which have their own pros and cons.

We decided to go with a gas-powered pressure washer for our home because they deliver higher GPM (gallons per minute) and PSI (pounds of pressure per square inch) than electric models. With this extra power, you can clean your house much faster.

However, your needs might differ from ours. If you're cleaning a small one-story home with light dirt buildup, an electric model works perfectly. But if you're tackling a large two-story house with years of grime (like Sarah's brick transformation), gas-powered gives you the muscle you need. Consider the following information before you make your final choice.

Electric Pressure Washers

Pros:

• Electric models don't emit harmful emissions into the environment, protecting your health.
• With an electric machine, you don't have to think about gas-related maintenance tasks like oil changes.

Cons:

• When using it indoors, you will need hearing protection equipment and a way to remove the used water.

Their power can't match that of a gas-powered pressure washer. If the area you want to clean is large or very dirty, an electric model will take much longer to complete the task, and even after that, you may not get the desired result due to less power.

Electric pressure washers aren't as portable as their gasoline counterparts because you need to provide a reliable way to connect them to a power outlet.

You will need a method to drain the wasted water and hearing protection when using it indoors

Nozzle

To apply detergent, you need a black-soaping nozzle (this creates a gentle, wide spray that won't damage your siding), but to clean the house siding, you can use either the 40- or 25-degree nozzle tip.

For higher areas, extension wands are required because you need to avoid using ladders while pressure washing.

Detergent

You'll need detergent because it can make your job much easier. If you pressure wash without it, your siding could be at risk because the water pressure and amount required is higher to remove grime and dirt.

Whether your house siding is made of vinyl, wood, brick, or stucco, there are always specific detergents for cleaning it, but always remember to buy only environment-friendly products.

Brush Attachment

Though a brush attachment isn't required when pressure-washing, you can use it to increase the cleaning performance and capacity of the washer.

With it, you can scrub and push the grime and dirt away using its bristles. Many models that are suitable for cleaning cars, boats, garbage bins are available for under $40.

Extension Wand

If you have a two-story house, you can make use of an extension wand to make your cleaning task easier. You can find additional attachments, which can be put at the end of the extension wand, to clean out the house gutters so you can stay on the ground safely.

Step-by-step Tutorial

Follow this comprehensive guide to safely clean your home's exterior and achieve professional-looking results.

Preparation

The most crucial part before pressure washing your house is protecting it from the water blast.

Close windows and doors, and take extra care around those that leak

Protection Checklist:

• Close doors and windows, proceed carefully around leaky ones
• Cover lawn, gardens, and shrubbery with plastic sheeting and drop cloths, secure with duct tape
• Move patio furniture and items that water and flying debris could harm out of the way
• Check for loose molding, window trim, siding, or gaps where water can leak in
• Turn off electric power to outdoor hardware and outlets

You can also ask for help from someone in your family to make sure that the hose does not get tangled or stuck in the process, ensuring that things will proceed smoothly.

Make sure you've soaked all the plantings and flowerbeds around your house with a garden hose before pressure washing. When the soil is saturated with water, it will help dilute the soap, making sure that the plants will not absorb any of the cleaning solutions.

Step 1: Rinse the Exterior

Many people skip this step and proceed right to washing the siding with a sudsy stream.

While you could definitely do that, rinsing the area before spraying it with soap can remove dirt, dust, any loose debris, improving the effectiveness of soap later by enabling it to clean difficult areas.

By rinsing first, you can practice beforehand by adjusting the water sprayer pressure so you can determine the optimum spraying distance to clean the siding safely without risking damage.

While pressure washing siding, a good rule to remember is that you should start some feet away from your siding first, then move closer if necessary.

But this doesn't mean that you must rinse your entire house before going back and pressure washing it again. Rinse and wash the sections that you can manage, so later, you won't have to lug the washer around and around your house.

Wash and rinse the areas you can so that you can do this later

Step 2: Add the Detergent

There are many pressure washing soaps available on the market, which you can find easily at your local store. Make sure to purchase environment-friendly products, especially when you have pets or lots of plants outside your house.

Many people decide not to add any soap and go for a solution of 70% water / 30% white vinegar.

Make sure you have a soap tip attached on the washer to provide a lower water stream pressure, and adjust the stream angle to 60 degrees, allowing you to apply the soap and increase the washing area more quickly.

➜ RELATED: The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning with Vinegar: Green Cleaners 101

Step 3: Setting Up the Scaffold

Set up the washer carefully before scrubbing so it can be ready to go.

On the back of your pressure washer, find the hose mount, and attach the garden hose to it and the faucet outside your house.

Nozzle Selection Guide:

• Hard surfaces (concrete, stone): 15-degree nozzles with high PSI
• Soft surfaces (vinyl, wood): 30- or 25-degree nozzles with lower PSI
• Two-story houses: Add extension wands for upper areas

Set up the scaffolding carefully beforehand by following the manufacturer's instructions. Place it at a far enough distance from the wall so you can stand in the middle of the scaffolding with a reach of 2 or 3 feet while holding the extension wand comfortably in your hand.

Lock the scaffold's wheels before using it.

Before utilizing the scaffold, lock its wheels

Step 4

Spray a 6- to 10-foot area thoroughly with the solution. Start at the bottom of the area and work your way up, gently scrubbing the house siding with a soft siding brush.

The reason you should wash from the bottom up is if you begin at the top, soap and suds will run down the wall, making it hard to see areas you might miss.

If your house is a two-story structure, start washing the upper floor first, but remember to clean from the scaffolding's position to the top of your house.

Step 5

After scrubbing the first area thoroughly, put on your safety goggles. Stand firmly at a distance of 3 feet from the nozzle to the wall, then turn on your pressure washer.

If you find that this distance can help you clean the dirt, maintain it, but if you see any damage caused by the stream, decrease the power and move further away, in 4- or 6-inch increments, to figure out the distance that works best.

This is where many beginners make mistakes when learning how to pressure wash a house, so take your time to find the right balance between cleaning power and surface protection.

Step 6

When you've determined the most suitable distance, start from the top of the scrubbed area and work your way down – remember to spray the overhangs first.

Use both your arms to reach up in a safe stance so that the recoil doesn't knock you off, in order to position the stream down with a 45-degree angle. By doing this, you can prevent the water from getting behind the siding.

To avoid being knocked off balance by the recoil, reach up with both arms in a safe position

Step 7

Move to the next area, and repeat steps 4 to 6 until you've washed your entire house. When you've finished, remove the plastic sheeting and drop cloths, toss out the duct tape, and put away the equipment and cleaning agents.

Wait for the siding to dry completely before painting and decorating it.

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Tips and Warnings

Keep these safety guidelines and expert tips in mind to avoid accidents and achieve the best results.

Eye Protection

Eye protection is a must. Here's something that always puzzles me: while you never see a professional at a machine workshop working without eye protection, you always see lots of DIY people working around their houses without it.

At the very least, buy just a cheap pair of safety glasses to prevent eye injuries.

Water and Electricity Don't Mix

Make sure to turn off all the outdoor power outlets, especially when they don't have waterproof covers over them.

Be Careful When Using Ladders

Avoid them if possible because the pressure can push you off balance and lead to a fall. When you must use a ladder, make sure it's in a firm position with a proper angle of 75 to 80 degrees.

Wrapping Up Your House Washing Project

We hope this tutorial on how to pressure wash your house was helpful. In later articles, we will cover specific questions like how to pressure wash a house with vinyl siding or how to pressure wash a brick house, which may be concerns many of you have.

Remember to choose the right equipment, prioritize safety, and practice the techniques carefully so that you won't damage your house's exterior while pressure washing your house for house siding. With some water and effort, you can have a beautiful house that looks brand new again.