Pressure Washing Your Home: Tips from Our Team
If you’re looking for a cheap and relatively easy way to help your home’s exterior look great, a pressure washing every year or so is a great option. It’s faster and far less expensive than painting while restoring much of the luster your exterior has lost due to dirt and grime buildup. There are, of course, pressure washing services in Westchester County, but this is also something you can do on your own if you have the equipment.
If you’re looking to DIY, here are some tips to help the process go more smoothly!
Four Tips for Pressure Washing Your Own House
1. You need at least one high-pressure nozzle
Dedicated pressure washing services use a pump-powered hose, which you probably don’t own. However, you can buy hose adapters that can increase the pressure up to around 250psi – which is good enough for smaller homes, although it won’t reach upper levels.
We also recommend buying a new hose when you do this since the high-pressure nozzle will put extra strain on the hose, which can break older hoses.
2. Don’t wash in the winter
It is possible to power-wash a home in the winter, but it’s not recommended for amateurs, especially in near-freezing temperatures. Typically spring and fall are the best times for a power washing since the temperatures will be pleasant, without being cold enough to cause issues. Spring is probably most popular since it also cleans off any grime caked on by the snow.
3. Be aware of what you’re spraying
High-pressure water can damage more critical parts of your house. Decks, for example, are typically made of fairly soft wood. High-pressure washing can also hurt vinyl siding, which needs lower water pressures for its protection. Most professional pressure washing services use multiple hoses and nozzles for this reason.
4. DIY pressure-washing detergent
While you can buy pressure washing detergents off the shelf, you can also make your own. A good mixture would be 1 gallon of water, one cup of regular liquid dishwashing soap, and one cup of bleach. This works as an all-purpose blend, while still being safe for most surfaces.
Professional Pressure Washing & More
If you’d rather the pros take care of your pressure washing, and spare you the trouble, C.E.T. Painting is always here to help! We’re Westchester County’s home renovation specialists. Click here to schedule a pressure washing appointment.