Q. To clean the siding on the house we're buying. Would Lowes or Home Depot carry them? I live in central Virginia.
Answer
I don't like to clean houses with a pressure washer.
You need a bucket and a car washing brush.
You want to screw that brush to an extension pole.
You need some dish soap and some laundry bleach like Clorox.
Half a cup to 2 gallons of water.
Wear old clothes.
Put some soap in your bleach water.
Wet the house with a regular low pressure garden hose.
Wash an area six or eight feet wide just like you are washing a truck or camper. Scrub it all good and rinse.
Move to the next section of wall.
Pressure washers are okay for decks and driveways.
They blow water behind the siding and cause rot and mold or mildew.
It is not a good thing.
Siding is designed to keep rain out of your house.
It is not designed for a pressure washer.
Scrub brush on a pole works a lot better.
Use the garden hose for rinsing the soap off.
You don't want pressure.
You don't want to get water in the attic either.
I don't like to clean houses with a pressure washer.
You need a bucket and a car washing brush.
You want to screw that brush to an extension pole.
You need some dish soap and some laundry bleach like Clorox.
Half a cup to 2 gallons of water.
Wear old clothes.
Put some soap in your bleach water.
Wet the house with a regular low pressure garden hose.
Wash an area six or eight feet wide just like you are washing a truck or camper. Scrub it all good and rinse.
Move to the next section of wall.
Pressure washers are okay for decks and driveways.
They blow water behind the siding and cause rot and mold or mildew.
It is not a good thing.
Siding is designed to keep rain out of your house.
It is not designed for a pressure washer.
Scrub brush on a pole works a lot better.
Use the garden hose for rinsing the soap off.
You don't want pressure.
You don't want to get water in the attic either.
has anyone ever rented a pressure washer? where did you rent one from and about how much did you pay?
Mono
the home i am renting needs a good cleaning! so i was thinking of doing that this weekend. not sure if i should go to Lowe's or home depot..... thanks for your input!
oh yeah how did it work did you just hook it up to a hose? i have well water does that matter?
Answer
Most rental yards have pressure washers. Its been a long time since I rented one. I would expect to pay $40-50/day. It hooks up to a regular garden hose. The only concern is if your well has enough gallons per minute for the washer to work properly. As a painting contractor I pressure wash many houses and decks every year. My big pressure washer is rated for 4 gallons per minute, my smaller one is 2.5 GPM. Before I hook it up I time how long it take the hose to fill a 5 gallon pail. If it takes longer than a minute I know not to use the bigger machine.
I don't recommend the rotating tip for beginners. Its true that it can do the job faster but it can do lots of damage if you are not careful. Sometimes the rotating feature gets stuck and leaves you with a narrow high pressure stream. Play it safe and use a 25 or 40 degree fan tip. Keep the water moving without stopping in one spot. That can cause damage if the water gouges the wood.
Most of the houses I work on have well water. I find about 1 in 10 don't have enough flow to use my 3500 psi, 4 GPM machine. I have only found 1 where I couldn't use my smaller washer.
Most rental yards have pressure washers. Its been a long time since I rented one. I would expect to pay $40-50/day. It hooks up to a regular garden hose. The only concern is if your well has enough gallons per minute for the washer to work properly. As a painting contractor I pressure wash many houses and decks every year. My big pressure washer is rated for 4 gallons per minute, my smaller one is 2.5 GPM. Before I hook it up I time how long it take the hose to fill a 5 gallon pail. If it takes longer than a minute I know not to use the bigger machine.
I don't recommend the rotating tip for beginners. Its true that it can do the job faster but it can do lots of damage if you are not careful. Sometimes the rotating feature gets stuck and leaves you with a narrow high pressure stream. Play it safe and use a 25 or 40 degree fan tip. Keep the water moving without stopping in one spot. That can cause damage if the water gouges the wood.
Most of the houses I work on have well water. I find about 1 in 10 don't have enough flow to use my 3500 psi, 4 GPM machine. I have only found 1 where I couldn't use my smaller washer.
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