What Chemicals Do You Use to Pressure Wash a House?
There are so many different chemicals for cleaning your house on the market today. It makes the task of finding what’s best for your chore a hassle. No need to feel overwhelmed when it comes to picking the right cleaning chemicals because I have all the information you will need right below.
Will Any Chemical Get your House Clean?
Absolutely not! Some cleaning chemicals are just not powerful enough to cut through the mildew and grime that get stuck to the outside of your home. Then there are other chemicals that will not only get the job done but also eat through your exterior causing damage.
We don’t want that!
So, what should you use?
I have an answer but its not just one answer, so you will have several different options to choose from. Regular detergent is great for cleaning your home. It cuts through nasty bugs and removes stubborn dirt. You could just squirt some on the side of your home and pressure wash away and it’s pretty harmless.
Soap doesn’t always wash like you need it too though. Bleach seems to work the best. You can put it in your pressure washer and power wash away. Bleach seems to be effective and is used often in conjunction with pressure washers. Simple Green seems to work well and you can pretty much get the entire home done in one including the glass and such.
What About Chlorine?
I know at some point you have probably heard about the use of chlorine in your pressure washer for cleaning your home, but is that a good idea? I would say for sure, but only the amount that is in bleach. Chlorinated bleach will get the job done. The professionals from Pressure Washing Katy (pressurewashingkaty.com) say, “do not use plain chlorine on your home because it is very corrosive”, but when used in bleach that already has it, you should have more than enough.
You can get a regular gallon of bleach that has chlorine in it and it will clean all the mold and mildew off just as good if not better than just chlorine alone. You are also not left trying to make sure that the powerful chemical is not too overbearing on your structure. You can get regularly chlorinated bleach on Amazon for $6.99. Your local store should carry it too. Just make sure it is chlorinated. Most bleach is unless stated otherwise. If they are unchlorinated, they should have in writing, non-chlorinated bleach.
Can I Just Paint Over the Dirt on My House?
The quick answer is no. You never want to just paint over the mildew or bugs. Imagine spider web behind paint when you paint the outside. Eventually, the spider web will fall off then you will have pieces of paint missing all over and your money and hard work will be all for nothing. Washing your house off before you paint is always key.
If you want your house looking clean and presentable you should never just paint over what was already there. It creates a bigger mess and in turn, you are better off not doing anything to it. Plus, it cost way too much money to buy paint than it would be to pressure wash your house anyway.
If your paint is good just wash it. Even if you wanted to paint your house, it would be good to pressure wash first to remove mildew and everything so all in all you are stuck with the chore of the house needing to be cleaned either way. If you want to remove the paint with a pressure washer you could use bleach for that too and that would probably be your best bet. The Family Handy Man gives out great instructions on how to clean your house with a pressure washer on his website familyhandman.com.
There are many chemicals to choose from, but I think it is best sometimes to always go back and be a little basic. Some of the best items to clean your house with are the traditional chlorine bleach or maybe even soap. It just seems to make things brighter and you know that things are getting clean. The simple green is great too. It has other things in it that help break down dust and grime that soap just won’t get.
I believe that either of those products will do a tremendously great job when used in conjunction with your pressure washer on the right settings. Either way, your pick and your budget is unique to you. Some people have an allergy to chlorine, so options are always good and there is plenty out there. I hope this narrowed down your search and gave you all the answers you were looking for. Stay safe and use these chemicals responsibly.
