Even if you have a good idea of how to clean and maintain the inside of your home, cleaning the outside is a daunting task. And one that requires preparation and knowledge.
Cleaning your home exterior helps keep your home looking good, increases the longevity of your painting, and helps avoid extensive damage from occurring to your deck, woodwork and much more.
To help you keep up with your home maintenance and keep your home’s exterior looking squeaky clean, we’ve compiled our top home washing tips!
Lay The Foundation
First things first, make sure you have your basics in place.
- Keep all the tools you will need together in an easy-to-reach place.
- Put on protective gear – gloves, eyeglasses etc.
- Plan your cleaning to start from top to bottom – the same way you clean the inside of your house.
- Close all windows and doors properly. This helps prevent any water or cleaning solutions from entering your home.
- Schedule this cleaning activity on a day that you know will be hot and dry. This helps ensure that all the moisture dries quickly, preventing water seepage and mould formation.
Once you have all that you need in place, it’s time to move on to the actual washing of your house!
Our Best Exterior House Washing Tips
Since we have plenty of experience washing home exteriors, here are our top house washing tips.
Tip 1: Soft Wash Your Home’s Exterior
Using a water blaster or a pressure washer, spray a solution of bleach, detergent and water onto the exterior surface of your home.
This solution is a miracle worker when it comes to removing stubborn dirt, grime and mould.
Here’s How You Do It
- Mix 5 litres of household bleach to 4 litres of water and your regular dish wash liquid.
- Apply to your home’s exterior.
- Allow this solution to sit on the house for 5 to 10 minutes and then wash off thoroughly with clean water.
- This solution provides a deep clean to a level water blasting, and scrubbing can’t achieve. It is also reasonably non-toxic and is safe to use around plants, pets and kids too!
Tip 2: Using Adjustable Nozzles
Working at a height is a common cause of injury around the home. Ladders are dangerous by themselves, but this risk increases when liquids are a part of the mix. It doesn’t take a lot to have a slip.
If you can avoid it, steer clear of climbing ladders or walking on your roof when working with water and cleaning solutions.
Aside from keeping you safe, it will also save you a lot of time and effort – after all, who wants to keep climbing up and down a ladder, right?
- Blue nozzles – Designed to spray the house wash chemical mix up to about 10 metres high.
- Red nozzles – Spray the home with water to rinse off. If you need this system on your water blaster, you’ll need to see a specialist house wash equipment or water blaster supplier.
Tip 3: Spray At An Angle To Prevent Water Damage
Spray at a sharp angle when washing and rinsing windows, flashings and fittings. Water seepage is a common problem in the house washing industry – especially when it comes to wooden window frames, roofing and light fittings and fixtures.
- After you’ve applied the house wash mix, gently wash off with a white nozzle at a sharp angle to the house.
- Always spray above windows or on the window itself.
- If needed, use a sturdy house wash brush to get in between those hard to reach areas around windows.
- Always take a moment and plan before turning your pressure washer on. This will help prevent water from entering your home, so you won’t need to go back in and clean up a soaking mess.
Tip 4: Wash Your Home’s Exterior Annually
Homes are built to last. The materials used on the exteriors of houses are able to withstand plenty of wear and tear, so you will only need to wash your home’s exterior once a year.
Tip 5: Always Start With A Plan
Before you start pressure washing your home, you should start by listing the areas you will tackle first, whose help you may need and work your way from there.
To keep things simpler, break each area into smaller sections and start the work there. We find that in doing so, you won’t ever accidentally go over the same place twice.
Do You Need A Pressure Washer?
Going through all these points must leave you wondering if you need to invest in a pressure washer.
Most materials used on the siding of homes are strong enough to handle pressure washing – so that should not be a worry.
However, before you go out and buy one yourself, give your home a once over and check to see if your house really needs that intense cleaning.
Use a pressure washer if:
A pressure washer is precisely the tool you need if there is a ton of stubborn grime and dirt caked onto your home.
However, use this only when you’re sure the siding of your home is sturdy enough to handle high pressure.
Skip using a pressure washer if:
All you have to clean up is some loose dirt and dust. In these instances, a simple garden hose will do.
Also, don’t use a pressure washer if the siding of your home is built of delicate materials or even brick. Pressure washers can blast off the mortar between bricks, causing structural damage over time.
To Clean (By Yourself) Or Not To Clean?
We’re sure all these instructions and methods sound pretty complicated and difficult to execute. The truth is, for the most part, they’re pretty easy to do. However, sometimes you may not want to climb up to a roof or simply do not have the time to spend giving your house a hose down.
In those cases, you always have the option to hire professional house cleaners to take care of it for you.
