Pressure Washing Guide

Midwestpro · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 3:57 pm Post subject: Cleaning Vinyl Siding

Power washing siding may seem like a safe, easy project but without the right knowledge and equipment you can hurt yourself and your home.

Here are some of the most common mistakes made by homeowners:

Using too much pressure. This can force water up behind the siding
where it will cause mildew and water damage. Too much pressure can also leave unsightly spray marks on the siding, can crack it, knock it loose, or completely blow it off the house.

Spraying water or chemicals at an upward angle can force water under the lip of the siding causing mildew problems.

Letting the cleaners dry on the house or using the wrong cleaners can cause streaks on the siding.

Using a pressure washer from a ladder is very dangerous and is not recommended. Serious injury or death can occur.

If you decide to use a power washer on your home, here are some
general guidelines to use:

Make sure the machine your using puts out less than 1000 psi. Some store bought machines will put out 2000-2500 psi. To achieve a lower pressure the tip or nozzle must be changed at the end of the gun to one with a larger orifice.

Be careful if you’re making your own house washing chemicals.
For example, mixing bleach and ammonia can create a
poisonous gas. We suggest that home owners buy a siding wash
that's available in most hardware stores and follow the
manufactures guidelines for the product. Leave the stronger
agents to the professionals or you may end up doing more damage than good.

The best way to clean siding is by using a power washer that has a
chemical injector built into the machine. Using a chemical injector will allow you to pull the soap from the container, where it will be injected into the water stream and then can be sprayed onto the house using low pressure starting from the bottom up.

Allow the chemical to dwell on the siding, then using low pressure,
rinse the product from the siding. Make sure when you rinse that you start at the top and work your way down. Also start at one end and work your way across to the other end. Rinse in the direction opposite of the vinyl laps so you don't force water behind the siding. Do not stop or vary your distance from the siding, or it will cause the surface to be cleaned unevenly.

A-PLUS · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:26 am Post subject:

Barry, very informative ( as usual ).
Your knowledge, dedication and professionalism are setting you
apart from other PW contractors.
I can say this from the training I received from
you when I came to Indiana to learn more about this business.
Thanks for all you done for me and my company.
David

Midwestpro · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:10 pm Post subject: House Washing Help

Thanks David, you've helped me out a lot too. Welcome to the forum.

DavidT73 · Joined: 23 Oct 2007 Posts: 10 Location: IL

I agree very informative thank you.