Ah, spring. One of our favorite seasons. The weather is warming up, the flowers are blooming, and you’re starting to clean up your home and garden for the season. There’s a pretty good chance you’re thinking about pressure washing your home to prep it for an exterior spring painting session!
One of the most affordable ways to breathe new life into your home and refresh your space, is by adding an exterior coat of paint to bump up curb appeal and make your home more appealing for guests who may come to visit. But in order to make that paint job shine, it’s important to clean off the house and prep it for fresh paint.
One of the top ways to clean the outside of your home is by pressure washing it.
Keep reading below for directions and some tips!
Directions:
1. Protect Landscape Plant and Utilities. Often, landscape plants may be in the way of your home’s siding and foundation. To ensure the plants stay beautiful throughout the season, cover them with sheets of plastic or other protective material before you begin. The same goes for utilities, such as outdoor outlets, A/C compressors or other electrical utilities that could be affected by water.
2. Spray Off Major Debris. Using your pressure washer of choice, rinse the siding with plain water and work from the top down. For this step, a wider spray angle and somewhat lower pressure should be plenty. The goal is to knock off most of the visible debris such as leaves, dirt and wasp nests. After the initial rinse, let the siding dry.
3. Apply a Bleach Solution to Mildewy Areas, or Areas Prone to Mildew. If your siding has places that are discolored by mildew, mix up a batch of bleach solution with a ratio of one part bleach to 10 parts water and spray the areas affected. Do not get bleach solution on plants or other landscape features, and don’t worry about scrubbing the mildewy areas—the bleach solution will take care of it.
4. Spray Home With Cleaning Solution. To do this, fill up your pressure washer with an approved cleaning solution and spray your home from the bottom up. Use a lower pressure setting and a wide sprayer angle while applying cleaner. Refer to your pressure washer’s specific instructions for proper settings and how to set the pressure washer. Make horizontal passes along the side of your home, gradually moving up but maintaining consistent downward angles when spraying.
5. Last But Not Least, Rinse the Siding. Let the cleaning solution of choice sit on the house for at least ten minutes to soak off grime, then rinse the house with fresh water from the top down. While cleaning should be one from the bottom up, rinsing should occur from the top down to prevent dirty water from running over the clean areas. Rinsing typically needs a higher-pressure setting, but double check the manufacturer of your pressure washer’s instructions for further advice on the matter. Let everything fry for at least 2 or 3 days, or 24-48 hours before painting the exterior of your home or until any bare wood is completely dry. If a couple weeks must pass before you can paint, an additional spray down with fresh water is a good idea.
Tips:
• If you have valued shrubs, plants, or other prized furnishings near your home, be sure to use a cleaning solution that is not harmful to plants.
• Test sprayer first on an inconspicuous area to ensure no damage will be done.
• Work in small sections of areas, rinsing, applying detergent and rinsing again before moving on to another area. This will help prevent detergent from drying on the surface of the siding.
• Do your research on pressure washes to find one best for your needs and budget. A pretty decent pressure washer can be found costing around $150-250, or you may be able to rent one for $50-75/day. Once you are familiar with using one, you may find that there are many other uses for the pressure washer and buying one may be a great investment.
• ALWAYS READ MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAFE USE AND FURTHER DIRECTIONS FOR YOUR PRESSURE WASHER.