How to Pressure Wash Siding
Pressure washing your siding is a quick way to boost your home’s curb appeal. It also saves money by prolonging the life of your siding. This project should only take about three hours for an average size home. If you already have a pressure washer and some basic safety gear, the only thing you’ll need to purchase is siding detergent. Here’s everything you’ll need for this easy project:
TOOLS & MATERIALS
- Pressure Washer
- Siding Detergent
When taking on this DIY task, be sure to equip yourself with the proper safety gear.
STEP ONE
Prepare house. Before you begin, wet all plants near where you’ll be working. This will prevent detergent from sticking to them.
STEP TWO
Prepare washer. Pressure washers come with different nozzles for different jobs. You’ll start this project with a low pressured nozzle for applying detergent. Be sure to use a detergent designed for siding. Some washers have a hose you place into a container of detergent. Others have a reservoir you fill with detergent.
STEP THREE
Apply detergent. Starting at the bottom of your siding, move the wand back and forth in long even strokes about twelve inches away from the surface. If possible, work in identifiable sections, from a corner to the side of a window or a door, for example. Let the detergent soak for about ten minutes before rinsing. If a section starts to dry before you’re ready to rinse, spray it with detergent again to keep it wet.
STEP FOUR
Rinse vinyl. Most pressure washers come with a forty-five degree and a twenty-five-degree nozzle. Forty-five degree nozzles have a wider spray pattern and produce less pressure. Rinse vinyl siding and most wood siding with a twenty-five-degree nozzle. If you’ll be rinsing softer woods, like cedar redwood, switch to a forty-five-degree nozzle and stand back several feet to reduce pressure.
STEP FIVE
Pre-soak brick. Since brick is very porous, you’ll need to soak it thoroughly with a hose before spraying it with detergent. After soaking, apply detergent from then bottom up, just as you did for the vinyl.
STEP SIX
Rinse brick. Rinse all brick carefully as some is softer than others. Use a twenty-five-degree nozzle to reach second story brick. But, watch carefully to make sure it’s not crumbling. When you feel confident your brick is dirty enough for a forty-five-degree nozzle, switch them out. Start rinsing from several feet away, and slowly get closer, watching carefully for signs of crumbling.
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