Every home in the neighborhood goes through several versions of wear and tear throughout a calendar year.
The outdoor elements are especially hard on the exterior of your home. Those vinyl sidings take the beating so that you and your family can stay warm and dry inside.
If not properly treated, that can result in things such as mildew and stains on your siding. Your house will look decades older than it actually is
On the other side of that, pressure washing can make it look several years younger!
Here is how to go about pressure washing vinyl siding to get the clean, pearly look after you’re done!
1. Perform an Eye Test
Before anything else, take a few circles around the house and make sure all siding is still in place.
Obviously, with pressure washing, any loose siding will fly off and any cracks will give water access to undesirable places.
Close all of the windows on the house, make sure there aren’t any places where the water can get through. Once everything looks intact, your eye test has commenced!
2. Move All Objects
Before you fire up the pressure washer, you’re going to want to give yourself around a 10-foot radius of open space.
As such, make sure that all objects are that far away from the walls you’re going to be cleaning. One false move and you can send a garden decoration flying into the outside wall of your home, leaving a mark.
Depending on the cleaning solution you use, you may also want to cover your plants up with a tarp to prevent them from being damaged
3. Water the Plants Along Your Home’s Siding
As was just mentioned, the cleaning solution you use may have chemicals that are harmful to your plants along the side of your house.
If you don’t have a tarp to use, then there’s another trick that you have up your sleeve.
Watering the soil and the plants before starting your pressure washing will weaken the chemicals if they hit the soil.
4. Keep the Pressure Washer at Eye Level
While in use, make sure that you keep the pressure washing stream at or below eye level. This will give you the best angle on what spots you’re hitting and when you can move on from it.
This is also the position in which you’ll have the most control over the stream.
If you aim too high then the pressure washer won’t be able to provide a thorough clean.
5. Point the Stream Straight Ahead
A lot of people have the misconception that you’re supposed to pressure wash at an angle to “brush” the dirt away.
However, there are two main reasons you want to point the stream straight on.
One, it’s the best way to provide a thorough scrubbing of all the dirt on the side of your house. Secondly, it prevents any water from creeping in underneath the siding where mildew can form.
Sound too overwhelming to find the sweet spot? Afraid you won’t be able to do it appropriately? Perhaps a house pressure washing service is a better option for you!
6. Hand Dry the Corners
One of the biggest concerns you should have when pressure washing is getting water in unwanted areas.
There are certain areas that are especially susceptible to gathering the water and building mildew and mold if not attended to.
To avoid that from happening, take a dry towel and hand dry all of the corners of the siding where you believe water might gather. Give it a good scrub to remove anything that was previously built up.
You don’t have to do this to every single piece of siding on your house. Just use your best judgment and hand dry any areas you think could use a little extra attention.
7. Be Thorough When Selecting Cleaning Products
If you take nothing else from this article, heed this piece of advice: not all cleaning products are made for vinyl siding.
Some are specific to wood or aluminum and should never be used for vinyl.
To avoid making that mistake, be sure to read all product labels before taking them to the register.
You may even want to consider performing the eye test prior to going to the store for cleaning supplies. If there’s any mildew, then you’ll want something that contains oxidized bleach to rid your siding off it.
8. Be Mindful of the PSI’s
Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as too much power on a pressure washer.
Too much power may damage the siding of your house, while too little power won’t provide an efficient pressure cleaning.
Try to keep your pressure somewhere between 1,000 to 1,400 Pounds per square inch (PSI).
If you’re not sure which one to start with then start low and work your way up. If you notice that the markings or stains on your siding aren’t going away after pressure has been applied, then up the PSI a bit.
Call an Expert for Your Pressure Washing Vinyl Siding Needs
Why take on the task of pressure washing vinyl siding all by yourself when you can have the touch of an expert service?
Hiring a pressure washing service will give you the most bang for your buck and save you hours of preparation and cleaning.
Be sure to read this article on the best time to pressure wash your home for more information on how the season affects your efforts.
For more inquiries, please reach out via our contact us page and we’ll be happy to assist you further.
