How Hard Is It to Power Wash the Outside of a House?

... so.... does the Landlord, KNOW that the house needs to be repainted AND that, the power washer *may* take of some paint?
And if it happens, and paint gets removed.... will he be happy with that?

All I will say is becareful! It is very strong! I do it every summer on the patio area and sometimes I feel like im going to lose my balance because its soo strong...This summer i'm going to let my husband do it!

I've read many, many times in many different places that you shouldn't power wash if you have aluminum or vinyl siding because most of us would end up spraying upwards, getting water underneath and behind the siding, which can get trapped there and cause mold. There are weep holes in the siding, but they're designed for rain water, not hundreds of psi being blasted in at once. I would imagine that it's the same case with any overlapping siding (like wood planks or shingles). So if you're going to do this, you will need a ladder so that you can make sure that you are always spraying in a downward direction. Of course other sources say don't use a ladder because if you're not used to pressure washing, you may lose your balance when the wand bucks against your arms.

Know that power washing is tedious - in order to blast the stuff off, you have to be really close to the surface - like a foot or 18 inches away at most - so it's not like standing in front of your house and waving a hose from side to side. And for really nasty dirt, mold and mildew you have to pre-treat and scrub first. Just blasting that stuff with water won't get all of it.

If your house is really in bad shape, consider having it professionally washed this year and then in subsequent years, it will be easier to just maintain it by doing the job yourselves.

With a power sprayer - easy.

You're going to purchase a gallon or two of "house cleaner" at the local hardware store. It looks like a regular gallon of industrial soap - it's located in the power garden tool aisle (look for edgers and trimmers).

There's a little hose on the washer that will dip into the gallon to siphon and mix with the water.

You'll attach the lowest spray attachement - one marked for soap.

You'll then spray a section of house, pick up and move, and spray another section.

Before it dries, you'll remove the soap hose, up the spray attachement and rinse. The rinse is the "power washer" part. Try to go mainly sideways (so not to spray water under the siding).

You will not be wasting a ton of water - I doubt you even notice on the water bill. The water is being forced out of the water pump mixed with air - so it's not a dramatic increase of water usage, just water pressure.

No scrubbing.

Only bad experience - DO NOT get super close (6 inches or less). The pressure wash WILL peel paint. Other than that - super easy and super worth it.

Have fun! :)

Remember the instructions and cautions Dad on Purpose gave you.

If you get too close it will strip the paint off the siding and it will cut through your skin if the pressure is high enough and you get too close.

The needleless system doctors use to innoculate you is like a spayer and will inject the cleaning solution directly into your skin. Keep the kids away IF you decide to do this.

Good luck to you and yours.

Won't effect your water bill. They are not joking about the pressure that comes out so know your surfaces. It can tear skin off if that helps. It will take paint off a painted surface. Stuff like that.

Other than that it is easy. Even my ex used one without destroying too much of our house. :(

if you stand too close you could risk damaging the siding.

If you have wood siding you might have to repaint if you chip off paint. It takes a fine hand to do wood siding right. I would use a hose instead of a power washer. Go to Home Depot and get the "window cleaning kit" - it has cleaning stuff you attach to the end of the hose and spray that way.

I don't think it will jack up your water bill. A power washer uses electricity. although i've heard of gas powered ones.

I haven't tried doing it myself. Too scared!! LOL!! Would rather pay someone to do it who knows what they are doing.

If you are renting, I wouldn't do it.
You don't want to risk damaging the siding.
Brick might be ok (to remove mold/algae) but I'd ask the landlord to do it or he can hire someone.
If any problems pop up, then they would be his problem and not your fault.
We wash down the porches (front/back) in the spring and the fall (they get dusty/dirty when the fields are plowed and the crops get harvested) and the north facing siding every other year.
A good power washer cleans off the vynal siding but we're careful about the angle of the spray (we don't want moisture getting behind the siding) but there are areas where a long handled scrubby brush (we have one to wash the boat hull down with) works best.
There are some siding cleaners which you use in a hose attached spray bottle that kills the mold/algae and they work very well.
With painted siding, the siding gets power washed to remove old/peeling paint, it dries, then it's painted so the siding gets sealed again. If old paint is removed and it's not painted again promptly, the siding could get damaged.

oooh R.!! This sounds like fun!!! Bob and Greg will be delivering mulch for Boy Scouts all day on Saturday...I need to find out what time baseball is - we have a parents meeting!! This is something I want to see!!! LOL!! Jo - you wanna come too???

Any way - I do know that if you are too close to the house, it will peel the paint off. You remember that commercial about the guy power washing the deck before a party? It's that strong.

You can rent one from Home Depot. I don't know how much it costs in Richmond. There is also "green" soap you can get that will help clean. AND there is a sealant you can get as well that is supposed to help protect the siding...never used that though.

Don't think it will affect your water bill. I've not done this personally. I've watched people do it. Like Jo said - it will peel skin off - it's that strong.

This is an annual job at our house. We have a mostly brick home and a ton of decking around the pool in the backyard. My husband and I take turns because it is a long process to clean all of it. I don't recall the water bill skyrocketing. Of course, we filled the entire pool after a renovation and even that wasn't too bad considering it was 30k gallons.

I would suggest practicing on your sidewalk or driveway. It's what we do to get the feel for it again and cleaning the sidewalk is part of the efforts. You point the wand at the surface (duh I know) and then you make slow sweeping motions back and forth. You can cover the same surface a few times or just once depending on the dirt level. Our sidewalk is a pain since it is under two trees. It takes getting up fairly close and passing over the same section a handful of times before moving onto the next section. In contrast the decking around the pool is in the sun so one sweep at a further distance gets it clean. You'll figure it out as you do the project.

We have different nozzles which allow a variety of spray options from moderate spray to a more aggressive spray. I would recommend a power washer with those features since we use the moderate spray on the decking and the more aggressive on the brick. Distance matters too. The closer you are to the surface, the more powerful spray you get. On a painted surface you don't want to be too close or you'll remove the paint. Also on a painted surface you want a gentle spray so it will be less aggressive at any distance. Again practicing gives you a feel for these various things.

We never use cleaners because the water gets all over the grass, trees, bushes, plants, the house, you, etc. Besides the power washing in our opinion gets the job done without any scrubbing or cleaners. We are average in height and we don't have to use ladders on our one story. However, I can see the need for them depending on house features and your height. Frankly it is a fun job but it is WET and LOUD. I recommend ear plugs and also closed toe shoes you don't mind getting sopping wet. I use rubber boots for instance. We also wear long pants and long sleeves. When you get tired, you may run over your toes/arm/leg when moving the wand around so closed toe shoes and long sleeves are a must. Everything you have on will become unbelievably wet from spray back. We don't wear eye protection because they gather beads of water which significantly hampers your view. I don't notice that much debris flying around so it never bothers me without eye protection.

Since you are in a rental, it might not be a bad idea to pass the buck on to the landlord due to liability and so on. He can point the finger at his contractor instead of you his tenant if something goes wrong (real or perceived). Otherwise, happy power washing. It's not that hard and it's reasonably fun as house maintenance/chores go.

It won't affect your water bill any more than the kids playing in the sprinkler a couple of times during the week.
You can rent one for probably $50 for a weekend. There are several cleaners sold at Home Depot or Lowes for siding, brick, stucco etc.
They can be dangerous, but you can adjust the spray as you go to get it perfect.
You'll be fine.

Don't do it yourself. It is long and hard work....and everything doesn't come off so easily. And yes your water bill will be big...so just let the land lord do it. It's just not as easy as it looks. And yes to using a ladder...you just can't spray up to clean it...the nozzle has to be pointed directly at the house and pretty close up.

I've only pressure washed our back patio and that wasn't hard, just time consuming.

Have the landlord do this. I'm sure he's willing to take $$ of off the rent... it's time consuming and definitely "heavy labor" work. I would not do this yourself for several reasons:
1. It willl GREATLY impact your water bill (make sure that he takes this into account regardless of who does the work)
2. The pressure cleaner is actually pretty dangerous. I have several friends who have gotten hurt pressure washing their decks, one ended up with stitches in her foot because the water pressure split open the top.
3. You will have to clean-up whatever comes off of the house. If it already needs to be repainted, you will be picking up all of the paint chips.

Let the landlord hire a contractor and you take the kiddos out for the day... it's LOUD and the kids can't really play near them while they are working.

I am so glad you asked this! We need to do this to our house too, but I have been hesitant because we rent, and I am afraid that I will mess it up. But, I am also afraid that if we don't they will charge us for it when we move out. We live in Florida, so we get some green looking growth all over the outside of our house. : /

We have a powerwasher, and I do it myself every spring. The advice you have received is great, and if you do it right, it's really a lot of fun! I'm doing my house today or tomorrow. It's so satisfying to see all of that dirt wash away! :)

If the house needs to be repainted, the pressure washer will remove peeling paint!! I would make the landlord do all of this so you can't be held responsible for the paint coming off and causing any damage.

Just my 2 cents.
S.

It's super easy, messy, and kinda fun.

The motor puts the water under pressure... it's not more water than a hose... it's just exploding out of the tiny wand end. Water up here is reeeeeeally expensive ($800 water bills in the summer are common, not because we use more, just because prices go up)... and pressure washing our house, sidewalks, stripping the deck? Didn't even blip on how much we owed that month.

I "tag" my sidewalk every spring drawing pictures in the grime with 'clean' cement. :D Fun!

It can gouge wood and strip paint and break glass... so start off at a distance (a good 5-10 feet to get a feel for the spray), and work your way closer!

Hi, R.:
Let someone else do that for you.
Just want you to be careful.
D.

do not use a power washer....I use a garden hose and/or car wash sprayer to lightly spray the dirt off.