How To Pressure Wash A House? [“Must Read Master Guide”]

The following guide is designed to educate people on how to pressure wash their house to clean the gutters and the siding. To that end, we will first explain which materials and pressure washing tools are necessary. 

Then how to prepare yourself for the job so that you are useful, don’t get any injury, and don’t cause any damage to the house. That should provide a pretty good insight into how to pressure wash a house like a pro.

Detergents, attachments, top pressure washer, and other things you need

The secret of professional pressure washers is that they know about selecting the most suitable pressure washer for the job, the right detergents, and attachments. That way they are very effective in what they do. That is precisely what you should do. Let’s check how that goes:

1. When should you choose electric Or a gas powered pressure washer?

Professional pressure washers almost always choose a heavy-duty gas powered pressure washer. The reason for doing so is because these machines have a higher flow rate and get the job done faster. An electric pressure washer will get the job done as well, but it will take two or three times longer.

2. The significance of GPM and PSI?

Professionals always use machines with a minimum of 2.3 GPM. That also means the pressure washer’s PSI is at least 2,600. But the PSI is not that important as it depends on how far is the surface from the wand and the nozzle. You can check out this PSI chart for more info.

3. How to choose an appropriate nozzle?

First, you will need a black soaping nozzle to apply the detergent. Then to do the actual pressure washing you will need a twenty-five or forty-degree nozzle tip.

To reach the higher parts of the house, you will need to use an extension wand. Using a ladder is not recommended when pressure washing a house. The pressure wand needs to be held some three feet from the surface of the house.

You can bring it a bit closer if needed. One foot is the closest you should get to the surface.

4. Is the detergent necessary?

There are specially designed formulas for cleaning houses. They are suitable for stucco, wood, brick, or vinyl. Also, the best ones out there are environment-friendly.

Pressure washing the house without any detergent brings way bigger risk because that requires more water force to remove the grime and the dirt.

Therefore, if you want things to go smoothly always use detergent. All professional pressure washers recommend using detergents regularly. For more info on the types of detergent, check out our guide.

5. How about an extension wand and a brush attachment?

The extension wand is absolutely necessary as it makes pressure washing way easier and safer. Especially if you have a two storey house, then you may even need a telescoping extension wand to reach the highest part of the house while you stand firm on the ground.

The brush attachment is not a necessary item, but it can definitely make your job easier. A brush attachment will effectively scrub and push any grime and dirt from the house.

Most brushes cost less than $40 and can be used for other purposes as well. It can be used to clean cars, garbage bins, wheelies, and boats.

Things to do before you begin pressure washing the house

So, getting the job done is not what all is about. What’s more important than that is to stay safe and not to cause any damage to the house. Here are a few practical pieces of advice on how to get the job done without any injury.

1. Protect your eyes

This is one of those must do things. We are used to seeing machine operators and construction workers with safety glasses, but never DIY people.

Pressure washing can have debris flying all over the place, and you don’t want some of it to end up in your eyes.

Therefore, get yourself some safety glasses if you don’t want something like that to happen to you.

2. Don’t use a ladder

The pressure from the machine can push you back, and you can easily fall from the ladder. Because of that, you will never see a professional pressure washer using a ladder on the job.

It is a serious risk and must be avoided at any cost. Instead, professional pressure washers use elevated work platforms or extension wands.

3. Pay close attention to power lines

There are still some houses that are connected to the electrical power grid with power lines above the ground.

If that’s the case, make sure that you don’t touch any of the powerlines with your extension wand. This is the case where you have a big house, and you are utilizing the extension want. 

4. Be careful with houses built before 1970

The thing with houses built before 1970 is that they might have asbestos. Asbestos was banned after 1970, so you don’t have to worry about houses built after that. 

If it’s your house, then you must know whether you have asbestos in your walls. If not, ask the owner or check for yourself.

5. Cut off the power and place waterproof covers over outdoor electrical outlets

Electricity and water don’t mix, and that’s a well-known fact. By turning off the power and covering all the outdoor outlets, you make sure that doesn’t happen. By not doing so, you directly put yourself in danger.

6. Close All Openings and Vents

You can try avoiding them, but covering all openings and cover vents is the safest thing to do. You can use tape and plastic to temporary cover them. Plus, it’s super easy to remove them after you are done.

7. Close your windows

This goes beyond obvious, but somehow many DIYers forget to do so. As a result, there are a couple of dozens of hilarious YouTube videos in which people fill their living rooms with water. 

There are even those that try to pressure wash their front door and forget the fact that it’s not fully closed. Again, that’s another section of bloopers.

If you don’t want to find yourself in one of those situations, make sure that all windows and doors are fully closed before you pressure wash your house.

Pressure washing for different types of house siding

In most cases, the only real difference is which detergent to use. There is a specially formulated solution for each type of siding.

Besides, here are some practical tips on how to effectively pressure wash your house siding.

Pressure Washing the Gutters

Otherwise, you will need to go on top of your roof and clean the gutter from there. Standing on top with a pressure washer is no easy thing because of the push back that the machine creates.

Therefore, getting the mentioned attachment with the right pole is your best bet to get the job done fast and effectively.

A Quick Recap

Conclusion

That’s how pressure washing is done, and it shouldn’t be a daunting task. However, there are always some things that professionals like to keep for themselves. However, what you’ve learned here about how to pressure wash a house is already a pretty good coverage.

And before we wrap up with this mini-guide, here is why pressure washing is so important:

There are a bunch of other reasons why pressure washing is beneficial to your house. But the ones above should do the job. Therefore, stop wasting time and start planning!