power washing house siding

A pressure washer can blast away stubborn dirt, mildew, and grime from a home’s exterior and restore it to its former glory. If you own a pressure washing business, this is one of the best services you can provide your clientele. This is a routine necessity to eliminate the build-up of contaminants marring a home’s beauty.

However, cleaning a home’s exterior – or any other surface, for that matter – with a pressure washer requires some skill. Don’t worry, the process is simple enough that almost anyone can do it. Nevertheless, there are several guidelines and techniques that you have to keep in mind to avoid damaging your client’s exterior while achieving an effective, efficient clean.

Today, we will go over everything you need to know about power washing a home’s siding. We’ll discuss how frequently you should do it along with any precautions you need to take to avoid causing damage. Of course, we will also include a step-by-step guide on how to pressure wash house siding, so be sure to read until the end!

Can You Power Wash House Siding?

Cleaning a home’s siding is just one of the many instances when you can use a pressure washer. If you own or operate a business,

But, maybe you’ve heard that pressure washing can damage the material of the siding – should you be concerned about this? Of course, when you go about it wrong, causing damage is possible. The trick here is to use the right amount of pressure. Too little and you won’t achieve a fast, effective clean. Too much, and you’ll risk causing damage.

So, how much pressure washer psi do you need to clean the siding? Well, it depends on the material. Pressure washing is not advisable for weaker materials like rock-dash stucco and hardboard (manual cleaning may work instead). For other types of materials, here are the recommended psi levels:

  • 1,200 to 1,500 psi – stucco, aluminum, painted soft-grain wood (e.g. pine, larch, fir)
  • 2,500 to 3,000 psi – brick, vinyl, steel, stone (all unpainted)

Whether or not your siding has paint will determine which nozzle you should use. For painted surfaces, use a 25 to 30-degree nozzle. These emit lower pressures due to their width. Remember that pressure washers can remove paint, so if you don’t want to go through an impromptu painting job, be sure to use the right nozzle and amount of pressure.

What Are The Benefits Of Power Washing House Siding For Your Customers?

Now that you know you can power wash house siding, why is this something you should consider offering your customers? Well, from your standpoint – it’s an easy service to provide that will help you increase your revenue. And the reality is, there are tons of benefits your customers will attain by getting their house siding pressure washed.

The primary benefit of power washing house siding is, of course, a cleaner house exterior. But there is much more to it than that. Here are the potential benefits that you may not know about pressure washing a home’s siding:

Extends The Lifespan of Siding

Regular cleaning is the key to extending the lifespan of a home’s exterior. Getting rid of dirt, mildew, and other sorts of contaminants from siding makes it less susceptible to wear and tear. In the process, you’re also preventing pests from taking refuge in your customer’s home exterior. Pests like ants, termites, and rodents can cause devastating damage to your property when left unaddressed.

Gets Rid of Harmful Substances

Cleaning siding removes substances like mildew, bacteria, and fungi, which can be harmful to human health as well as the environment.

Enhances Curb Appeal

If you have a customer trying to sell their home or a customer who simply wants to have the best-looking house in the neighborhood, cleaning their home’s vinyl siding regularly is a must. Doing so keeps the home looking clean and presentable at all times, which makes a huge impact on overall curb appeal.

Increases Property Value

A house with grimy siding can make it harder to sell a home at the price your customers want. Worse, it may even turn away buyers who see all that dirt and decide to not bother looking inside the home. That said, pressure washing siding is necessary if one wants to achieve a successful sale, especially if it’s a buyer’s market.

Makes Cleaning Easy and Fast

Pressure washing is not the only way you can clean a home’s siding, but it’s the easiest and the fastest. No one wants to spend days scrubbing away at vinyl siding. And why would you when there’s a pressure washer that can do it in just a few hours?

When Should Power Wash House Siding?

For vinyl siding, the general recommendation for frequency of cleaning is every 2 to 3 years. However, vinyl siding may require more frequent cleaning if your customers live in a polluted area. On the other hand, wood siding needs more frequent cleaning; at least once every year. Brick, stone, and other hard-material sidings should be cleaned once every 3 to 5 years–or until the layers of dirt become too thick.

It’s also worth knowing that the best time of year to pressure wash house siding is around spring, ideally on a temperate day. Try to schedule your cleaning session on a day with a sunny or cloudy forecast. Aside from making it more comfortable to work outside, this kind of weather will also help the siding dry quicker, which prevents any new dirt from sticking to the moisture and ruining your hard work.

If your business resides in an area that experiences harsh winters, you will be able to earn more business by pressure washing siding for customers before and after the winter season. Doing so will help prepare ones home for the ice and snow before winter and refresh it right before spring rolls in.

Power Washing House Siding For Your Clients: Step By Step Guide

Pressure washing house siding is not rocket science, but things can go awry if you don’t know how to do it properly. That said, we have made an easy guide to help you pressure wash siding the right way:

Step 1) Choose The Right Pressure Washer

There are two main categories of pressure washers to choose from: hot water pressure washers and cold water pressure washers.

Cold water pressure washers can be used for general cleaning tasks. They are able to remove dirt and grime from most surfaces easily. However, they cannot cut through oil and grease since cold water does not mix with these kinds of contaminants. If your vinyl siding has oil or grease stains, you will have to use a hot water pressure washer.

Step 2) Pick a Detergent

If you want to make pressure washing easier, we recommend using pressure washer detergent. This special soap makes it easier for water to agitate contaminants and remove them from the surface you’re cleaning. Using these will make your cleaning job that much faster and easier – while resulting in a better clean.

Step 3) Set Up Your Equipment

First up, clear the area you’re working on. Relocate anything that might get in the way, such as a grill, outdoor furniture, playground equipment. etc. Cover windows with plywood to prevent them from shattering in case you accidentally spray water on them. If there is a pool nearby, it’s best to cover it with a tarp to prevent dirty water from running into it.

If you’re working with an electric power washer, you will need a nearby power source. This can be tough if you are outside, but you can try using an extension cord. However, we recommend a gas power washer; it does not need to be plugged in, so you can place it anywhere you’d like.

Step 4) Select The Nozzle

Softer materials like stucco can sustain damage if you wash them with a narrow nozzle. For these types of sidings, choose the 25- or 30-degree nozzle.

For tougher materials like vinyl siding, you can use the 15-degree nozzle, which shoots a powerful sheet of water. However, if your siding is painted, opt for the 25- or 30-degree nozzle to avoid chipping away the paint.

Step 5) Spray in Continuous Sweeping Motions

Pressure washing is best done in sections. When you find a spot to work on first, do a test spray to see if the pressure is strong enough to wash away the dirt–but not too strong that it damages the paint or the surface underneath. Adjust the distance between your nozzle and the siding as needed.

After the test spray, start pressure washing your siding in downward, sweeping motions. Keep your movement continuous to avoid concentrating the pressure on one spot. Vinyl siding, in particular, can be susceptible to cracking with high amounts of pressure.

Repeat this step for each section.

Step 6) Scrub Away Stubborn Dirt

Pressure washing may not be enough to get rid of deep-seated dirt and grime. In this case, try rubbing baking soda into the spot and see if that gets rid of the dirt. Avoid using abrasive cleaning tools like steel wool or hard-bristle brushes. Otherwise, you may risk scratching the surface of your exterior, especially for wood siding, aluminum siding, and vinyl siding.

Final Thoughts On Power Washing House Siding

There you have it – everything you need to know about pressure washing house siding. As you can see, siding is super easy to clean if you know what you’re doing. And with Hotsy pressure washers, power washing homes won’t even feel like a chore! You’ll be able to provide an incredible service for your customers and scale your business with new offerings.

With over 35 years of experience, we’ve come to earn the reputation as the best pressure washer store in San Antonio around. Whether you want to invest in a unit for your home or simply rent a pressure washer to clean your siding every few years, we’ve got you covered. And if you’re looking for a specific pressure washer recommendation, take a look at our year-end review of the best pressure washers.

If you want to clean siding – and every other part of a home – with little time and effort, check out our products today and find the perfect pressure washer for you.