Should I use soap when power washing my house? It's not necessary, but you can absolutely use soap or detergent when pressure washing your house. Washing with a mixture of soap and water will ensure your siding is spotless when you're finished.
Zep 64 oz.
You can use the Zep 64 oz. All-in-One Pressure Wash Cleaner to clean a variety of outdoor surfaces such as siding, decks, and driveways. It's a powerful cleaner that can quickly remove dirt, grease, oil, mildew stains, and other common contaminants.
Dawn is used to clean animals after oil spills, so you shouldn't have any problems using it around the pets in your yard. It's mild enough that it's not going to damage or discolor your siding, says Jill, and it really cuts through the grime.
A 30% white vinegar combined with 70% water creates an all-purpose vinyl siding cleaner. Its main purpose is to diminish mildew stains and light molds.
Spray Your Siding Clean
Be careful not to spray directly at eaves, vents or light fixtures. High water pressure can knock out loose windowpanes or break them. Also, keep the angle of the wand pointing down so you don't spray up under the laps of horizontal siding.
Fastest Way to Remove Dirt: Pressure washing is one of the fastest ways to clean the vinyl siding. Cleans without Damage: If you do it correctly, pressure washing vinyl siding is safe and won't damage the siding. Get the Best Result: Since pressure washing is a top-down process, you will get the best results.
Pressure Washing and Vinyl Siding
The answer is: YES, pressure washing absolutely can damage vinyl siding if done incorrectly. We have seen countless homes and buildings that have damaged areas because someone without the proper training has tried to pressure wash their building.
Vinyl siding can withstand a powerful gas pressure washer (2,500-3,000 psi). Aluminum, stucco or soft-grain wood homes will do better with a less powerful washer (about 1,200-1,500 psi). Determine whether you will rent or buy your machine.
Even though vinyl is a durable, versatile and resilient building material, it does require regular care and cleaning. This prevents dirt and other contaminants from building up on the walls. Most experts recommend that vinyl siding should be cleaned once or twice a year.
Mix 30% white vinegar and 70% water in a spray bottle. We marked our bottle before filling it with the proper amounts. Spray the mixture on the siding. Make sure you test a small area first.
The answer is yes – you can power wash with just water! However, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind when doing this. In this blog post, we will discuss the pros and cons of power washing with water, and we will also give you some tips on how to do it correctly.
There have been many instances when people have tried to use Dawn dish soap or laundry detergent to create their own pressure washer soap. Although it is possible to use the two in your pressure washer, you risk clogging it if you don't dilute them.
When cleaning your vinyl siding, it is important that you not use any cleaners containing organic solvents, undiluted chlorine bleach, liquid grease remover, nail polish remover, or furniture polish or cleaners. These products can potentially damage the surface of the siding.
Wash the Vinyl Siding on Your Home
Create a solution using Dawn and warm water to gently clean siding that's covered in dirt, moss, or mold. Coat the siding with the mixture, let it soak, and then hose it off.
Select your cleaning solution carefully. Not only can chlorine bleach and harsh chemicals damage your landscaping, but you also need to keep in mind the runoff that will cause these chemicals to end up in our waterways. Dish soap or laundry soap mixed with warm water are efficient at cleaning your siding.
The main difference is that power washing uses highly pressurized steam to do the cleaning while pressure washing just uses unheated tap water, without the help of a heating element.
Cleaners recommended by the Vinyl Siding Institute for general cleaning include Fantastik and Murphy's Oil Soap.
As long as you use it properly, bleach is okay for cleaning your siding and using a ratio of 0.4 parts bleach to 1 part water. Since bleach is highly corrosive, failure to properly dilute the bleach properly can harm the vinyl.