A home’s exterior attracts dirt, mildew, soot, and grime from years of exposure to different environmental factors. While there’s no magic wand to undo all the damage done, pressure washing is an excellent procedure to resolve the damage.
Thanks to pressure washers, you can revamp your house in less than one day, especially if you’re planning to perform a repaint.
Although pressure washing does the heavy lifting for you, there’s more to it than just connecting a garden hose to a pressure washer.
It takes skill. And a lot of physical maneuvers.
First-time DIY fans are at risk of harming the paint or siding. If you’re using a faulty pressure washer, you’re likely to do more harm than good. Check out our equipment rentals in Ellicott City for top-of-the-range brands that will help you conduct your cleaning without any hiccups.
Here are some insights to get you started on pressure washing.
Prep Tips Before Pressure Washing a House
● Wear protective clothing and cover your eyes
● Cover any plants, flowers, or furniture in or around the house
● Use water-proof material to cover air ducts
● Abstain from using ladders
● Ensure your hose doesn’t come into contact with any electrical power lines
● Switch off any outdoor electrical appliances or power access points
Use the Best Pressure Washer
The wrong pressure washer can make or break your cleaning.
Many pressure washing models come in gas or electric forms. A gas-powered washer generates 2,000 to 2,800 PSI (pounds per square inch), compared to the electric model, which produces about 1,300 to 1,700 PSI.
We highly recommend the gas model for a more complex job or when cleaning rigid materials. It’s bound to clean ten times faster than the electrical counterpart. On a side note, the gas model is noisy and requires careful handling to avoid damaging wooden platforms.
Assess Paint Type
We recommend checking whether your exterior painting has a lead coat. This is beneficial to avoid a lead health hazard.
The forceful pressure produced by a pressure washer on lead can break and spread paint fragments that are harmful to your household, including pets. If your house has lead paint, we recommend hiring an expert for a thorough inspection.
Rinse and Scour
Kick off your cleaning ritual using a long-handled brush to clear dead debris on the house siding.
Next, use a garden hose to rinse the siding working from the top down. In addition, a wide spray angle works excellent if you don’t have a garden hose. Only ensure you’re on low pressure and standing far from the siding.
So, what tools should you use?
Tools Checklist
● Bleach
● Duct Tape
● Long-handled siding brush
● Garden hose
● Safety eyewear
● Pressure washer
● Garden sprayer
● Mixing bucket (preferably 10 gallons)
The Angles Matter
We recommend using a wide nozzle when cleaning a vertical surface, such as a wall.
Clean from bottom to top, ensuring the nozzle draws detergent from the receptacle. To rinse effectively, use a 25-degree nozzle and clean top down in alternating passes, avoiding door frames and windows.
For the more demanding regions, we recommend a 15-degree nozzle and a 40-degree nozzle for smooth areas like wooden floors.
Windows and Vents
Our home improvement experts recommend avoiding these two areas during pressure washing.
As this could go unnoticed, you don’t want the detergent or water getting into the house’s interior. In the long run, it becomes a breeding ground for mold and mildew, which causes internal decay of wood.
Clean With the Experts
Pressure washing appears fun and easy, but as you have seen from our guide, it’s no simple task.
Our Helpful Hub associates are always ready to provide you with the best home improvement services.
Contact us at 410-465-9633 or visit us at 10325 Baltimore National Pike. Visit our website to learn about our services and what we do to keep you clean and satisfied.
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