Power Washing Tips for Home Owners

power washing house in fredericksburg va before and after

When you want your home to look great, whether you sell it or rent it, or just want to clean it; power washing is one of the best techniques to clean the house in its entirety. So, let’s see, by definition, the service and see if power washing would suit your needs!

Power washing can be defined as a process, whereby dirt or any form of debris, mold or mud stains is eliminated from the floors, sidewalls, and unreachable crevices of a house. This is mostly carried out with hot water to kill any lingering bacteria or virus that must have latched itself on any of the structures mentioned above. It’s this feature that makes it slightly different from pressure washing, which serves a similar purpose.

In a case whereby you are about to enlist your house for transfer, a power wash is very vital. It can go as far as improving the value of your house and can be an added credibility to any potential buyer that there is no presence of any vermin or disease vector. Moreover, it just makes the appearance of the house look brand new after further renovations must have taken place.

Most times, house owners tend to carry out this procedure, but it can be a bit tricky because of timing and other factors which will be discussed extensively. Here are few tips that can make you yield as much profit from power washing a house on sale;

Always power wash your house before placing it on the market for sale

It is advisable to carry out the procedure before placing the house on sale so that the appearance can be attracting to passers-by and potential buyers. Just don’t make the mistake of going for a power wash service when you haven’t decided on selling the house, or when your time of putting the house for sale is still too far. Always time the power washing properly to maximize effectiveness. When done too early, mold and dust might regenerate and regress the previous work, and when done too late, well, it might not be finished before offers fall through.

Be cautious of chemicals used, if any

Chemicals are sometimes used for power washing. They are added to act as an extra combatant against self-multiplying microbes that might be underlying in the floors or walls of the house. This can be a massive advantage and also a huge health risk. The latter is the case when the chemical used is found to be toxic to humans, or causes some discomfort when in contact with the skin, or be it airborne complications. That is why it is advised that if chemicals are to be used at all, let it be mild disinfectants and repellents, not something that could be very harsh; and also for such chemicals to be used at diluted doses, not in a very concentrated state. Most cleaning companies prefer the use of only hot water to prevent future complications.

In some cases, homeowners tend to carry out this procedure on their own, so here are some tips for doing a good enough job power washing your house;

  1. Always make sure every open power outlet in your home is covered with a waterproof material before commencing the power cleaning, especially if the interior of the house is included.
  2. Close every open windows or vent of the house to prevent unnecessary splashing of the water in areas not focused on.
  3. When necessary, apply bleach or any form of detergent to a highly affected area some minutes before power washing.
  4. Try and evacuate the premises of any furniture or furnishing to prevent any event of a stumble.
  5. It’s always good to have a power outlet at the house exterior so that the power washer can be connected with ease; it’s also necessary to have it attached to a very long extension cord hundreds of feet long to aid mobility.
  6. Always wash from up to down, to prevent debris touching an already power washed area.

Don’t use excessive pressure, to prevent water damage from happening.

Reasons Why Professional Help Is Better Than DIY and Why DIY Is Risky

People love to do things by themselves, but there are just some activities that should be left in the hands of specialists. As the quote goes, “Jack of all trades, Master of none,” without actual know-how on how to power wash, there will be a huge tendency for mistakes. Specialists/Contractors will always know how to take care of such issues and which cleaning agent to use. Attempting to power wash a house by yourself without prior experience or skill will always lead to a half-done work, there might still be the presence of debris and dust particles, a wrong and harmful cleaning agent could be used, and you might end up causing more damages to your property, leading to a more financial burden. In a short sentence, you might leave your house in shape worse than when you found it.



2 Comments

  1. I agree that when it comes to pressure washing, a professional should handle the job. My brother owns a restaurant and it’s quite dirty on the outside so he wants to get it pressure washed. I’ll recommend that he find a professional to handle the job.

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