You mow the lawn, kill weeds in the yard, water the flowers, and paint the trim of your house in order to keep your house looking beautiful. One thing you may not have considered to keep your house looking good as new is pressure washing it. You may be wondering ‘Can I even pressure wash my home?’ The answer is yes! In this post, we will outline how to pressure wash your home safely and efficiently.  

Why Should I Pressure Wash My Home? 

Pressure washing your Bellingham, WA home can get rid of a lot of the gunk built up that can make your home look dirty, old, and just unpleasant. Pressure washing is best used to tidy up Hardie plank, vinyl, traditional stucco, aluminum, steel, wood, brick, and so on. 

How Often Should I Pressure Wash My Home? 

Pressure washing can be done once a year for general maintenance and upkeep of your home. It’s also a great way to prepare your home’s exterior for painting. 

It’s important that you don’t pressure wash more than once a year and that you use a proper technique. When pressure washing is done incorrectly or too frequently it can damage siding, knock siding loose, break window screens or seals that cause leaky windows and more. It can also remove paint if sprayed too aggressively. If your home is made of Hardie plank or vinyl, be sure to pressure wash it at a lower pressure because high pressure washing these materials can be detrimental. It’s also important to make sure that water does not become trapped inside the siding of your home and your home’s sheathing. Any trapped moisture can promote mold. This can be avoided by replacing any loose siding before pressure washing and avoiding spraying directly into any gaps. 

How Much Pressure Should I Use? 

Spraying your Whatcom County home with too much pressure can result in some pretty hefty damage that will leave your home..and wallet looking worse off than before you started. In order to reap the positive effects of pressure washing without causing damage, it’s recommended that you don’t pressure wash a siding home with more than 2000 psi. It’s best to treat painted soft-grain wood siding, stucco, and aluminum siding with 1,200 to 1,500 psi. If you are pressure washing delicate stucco, it’s best to use a 25-to 30-degree wider spray nozzle. This will ensure less force when spraying and prevent nicking, gouging, and other damage to the stucco. If you are treating more rugged materials that aren’t painted like brick, stone, steel, and vinyl, it’s best to use 2,500 to 3,000 psi.  

What is The Proper Pressure Washing Technique? 

When pressure washing your home, you will need to be particularly careful and spray at an angle with less pressure around sensitive areas. That includes underneath eaves, in corners and edges, window sills as well as around electrical outlets and boxes, electric garage openers, Ring doorbells, outdoor speakers, and so on. When using a professional service like WPW, we are trained and experienced to properly spray the sensitive areas of your home. 

What Should I Use to Pressure Wash My Home? 

In order to protect your home when pressure washing, it’s also important that you use a safe, biodegradable cleaner. If you pressure wash your home without a cleaning agent, you will strip away the first layer of contaminants like algae, dirt, dust, and black stains. They will be stripped away but not dead. So, your home will look dazzling but the contaminants will all still be alive and ready to strike back and dirty your home again in no time. You can prevent this by using a safe, biodegradable cleaner that will kill the contaminants, making a longer process for them to grow back. 

Pressure Washing Safety 

For best results and safety, we recommend hiring a professional to pressure wash your home. But, if you have some experience and own a pressure wash and would like to do it yourself, follow these tips for safety: 

• Stand on a stable surface. Plant your feet firmly into the ground and hold your balance.
• Wear eye protection.
• If you are using a gasoline-powered pressure washer, wear hearing protection.
• Never use a gasoline-powered pressure washer inside or in any area without proper ventilation. 
• If using an electric pressure washer, be sure to keep the electrical connections off of the ground and dry. When your hands are wet, be sure not to touch the plug.
• Never leave the pressure washer’s spray gun unattended when the machine is on.
• Never point the spray gun at people, animals, or plants.
• Use only cleaning solutions meant for pressure washers.
• Don’t spray directly into cracks or gaps.
• Don’t spray electrical devices including lights and outlets.
• Don’t pressure wash when standing on a ladder. You can easily be knocked off by the recoil of the machine.
• Protect lighting fixtures, plants, and other delicate areas of the home before you start pressure washing. You can cover them with cloth or plastic and duct tape.

Pressure Washing Your Home Can Be Extremely beneficial 

As you can see, if not done properly and with care, pressure washing your home can end up in a disaster. But, in the right hands, pressure washing can be extremely beneficial and leave your home looking clean and beautiful. When done properly, pressure washing can remove grime, bird droppings, and other stains from your home, instantly boosting curb appeal. It also removes particles that can damage both your home and family like mold and mildew. When you entrust a professional to pressure wash your home, you will get the best results and be one step closer to protecting and preserving one of your biggest assets.