Between pollen, mildew, and a winter’s worth of dirt buildup, your house could do with a good wash. A pressure washer may be every homeowner’s favorite tool for spring cleaning the home’s exterior, but it’s far from magic. Avoid damaging your home, hurting yourself, or wasting a weekend by brushing up on your pressure washing tips before cleaning your home siding.
6 Tips for Pressure Washing the House
- Safety first. A pressure washer is a powerful tool. Wear sturdy clothes, boots and gloves, and protective eyewear. Make sure all equipment is attached correctly and securely. Pay attention to wind blowback, and be doubly careful when pressure washing around windows, doors, and screens.
- Prep your workspace. Are you pressure washing the front of the house? Put the car in the garage, remove furniture from the front porch, and bolt the front door so nobody walks outside at the wrong time.
- Work your way up. If you use too much pressure, you can strip the paint off your house. Start at a low PSI and increase the output if necessary.
- Know your limits. A pressure washer is an excellent tool, but some stains are just too tough. If stubborn mildew has covered your home’s siding, try treating it with bleach or mildew remover before pressure washing. If you have an old oil stain on the driveway, accept that it’s probably there to stay.
- Call the pros. Cleaning the home exterior with a pressure washer is well within the parameters of projects homeowners can handle. But some jobs are too big for one person to handle, or else they require specialized equipment. Know when it’s time to call in the pros.
C & M Residential provides a variety of landscaping services in Marietta. Call us to refresh your home exterior for spring.
