Soft washing your house shouldn’t be a very difficult task if you are well-prepared and know all the difficult steps in advance. It will save you a lot of money, and you will have something to brag about.
Also, if you can do a soft wash on your own, then you can have confidently soft wash it regularly without spending a lot of money to hire professionals. This regular cleaning will increase the life span of a lot of your external components like sides, paints, walls, and a lot more.
In this article, we will be discussing some of the most important things that you have to consider while performing a soft wash. So, without any further ado, let’s start with the guide on how to soft wash a house.
Always prioritize safety
A house cleaning will involve the usage of chemicals, which can be sometimes a bit harsh to your skin. Make sure that you are using all the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) like gloves, goggles, and masks if necessary.
You will also have to climb up a ladder to clean the upper portion of your house. That ladder and all the surrounding things are going to be wet. It increases the chances of slipping. You should always wear non-slipping shoes while climbing the ladder or even walking on the ground. It would be a lot safer to ask someone from your family to hold the ladder while you are up there cleaning.
Keep the area clean from any clutter like wipers, pipes, and other things. It will keep you safe from any unexpected tripping.
Get yourself equipped
Without the right equipment, it will take you days, if not weeks to properly clean your house. The most obvious thing you will need is a pressure washer.
Apart from that you will need a good quality cleaning solution that can clean all the dirt, dust, grease, and other contamination.
You must have a garden hose at home to attach it to the pressure washer. Make sure that the water supply is enough in that hose, otherwise it can damage your pressure washer.
You should have suitable and stable ladders with which you can easily access all the areas of your roof and also clean hard-to-reach windows.
Having all these things ready before the cleaning will ensure that there won’t be any delays. The cleaning will be completed smoothly in the most efficient way.
Choose a pleasant day
One important thing that many people forget is to choose the right day for your cleaning. Most probably, you will be cleaning it on a weekend or on a holiday. But also factor in the weather of that day. Soft cleaning your home isn’t an easy task, and doing it on a pleasant day will help you a lot.
Check for the weather forecast and select a day that is not too hot and also not too cold and wet. This will ensure that you will not exhaust yourself in the scorching heat, nor will you have to face any rainfall or storm.
Keep in mind the scope of the cleaning
Being mentally prepared is crucial, especially if this is your first time cleaning your home. Get an idea of how much time you are going to spend on each part of your home.
Allocate a time for cleaning one part and calculate the total time you will need to clean the whole of your home. It will give you an idea, and you will be able to set small goals.
Get to know the equipment
The pressure washer you will be using is a very strong machine. Also, all the pressure washers have different operating manuals and might have other precautionary steps.
Carefully read all the manual that comes with the machine. If you are unsure about anything, it’s always better to contact the manufacturer or a professional.
Try to wash small areas of your home. Increase the pressure gradually to make sure that you do not damage anything. Get a feel of how powerful the recoil of the washer is. Once you are able to comfortably control it, you can proceed to clean the rest of the house.
Adjusting the water pressure
Pressure washers usually come with different pressure options. You should not use the strongest pressure as it can penetrate through the weak parts of your sidings, roofs, or walls.
Also, you should not use the lowest pressure as it won’t clean the surface properly and is often just used to create foam.
Going for the medium pressure is the best option. Even, after selecting the medium pressure, you must do test cleaning on a small patch.
Know what nozzles to use
Pressure cleaning equipment comes with 5–6 nozzles. These are all colored differently. You will be able to find the nozzle guide in the manual that comes with the machine.
Most professional people in the industry tend to use the yellow nozzle and the green nozzle for safe and optimal cleaning.
Clean your house in portions
Divide and rule! This applies to your home washing too. Divide your home into different portions for easy cleaning.
For example, wash the front first, then one of the sides, then, the back, and finally the last side.
You should clean the roof first as it will bring all the dirt down, the first time.
Scrub where necessary
You will find some spots that are very difficult to wash. These areas often have very stubborn stains or dirt marks. You should wash them and wait for a while.
The stains will absorb some of that water and get loose. Cleaning them again after five to ten minutes will do the job.
If they are still there, then you should go for manual scrubbing. You might ask why not just use more pressure.
The answer is that you can end up damaging that area with high pressure. Manual scrubbing will take a bit more effort and time, but it is always a safe and effective method.
Use quality cleaners and solutions
Don’t compromise on the quality of the cleaning solutions you will be using. Always choose the best quality chemicals and cleaning agents from your local suppliers.
Compromising on the cleaning solutions means that all your effort and time will be wasted just to save a couple of bucks.
You can ask your supplier to help you decide on the best cleaning solution. Or you can also ask any local professional for their preferred chemicals.
Conclusion
Following the above will result in a fun, safe, and effective house cleaning. Also, you should keep the surroundings of your home clear and make sure that there are no unnecessary things that can hinder your work. Once cleaned, allow the area to dry. You should do a final inspection for any dirt left. During your final inspection, check for any visible damages too. A thorough cleaning can reveal damages that were otherwise hidden. If there is any damage to the walls or roofs, contact the professionals to get it fixed.