There are a few areas of your home’s exterior you can pressure wash, but are particularly hard to clean. These tips will help you conquer those challenging locations around your home with your pressure washer.
Any part of your home higher than 12 feet should be considered “hard to reach”. Whatever you do, do NOT use a ladder with your pressure washer! The water pressure from the spray gun could cause the ladder to shift or make you lose your footing.
Instead, stay on the ground and start by using the maximum pressure setting to spray the furthest distance possible. Start at the top of the surface and work your way down to avoid streaking. Make sure you stand off to the side so you don’t get wet.
If that doesn’t get things clean enough, consider investing in a telescoping wand. This type of wand extends the spray gun by 12-24 feet. The pressure will drop, but you will be able to get the spray up higher on your home.
You can also invest in a second story nozzle kit, which is particularly good for cleaning siding and gutters. These kits include a red blast nozzle intended for second story surfaces, paint removal, and stains such as oil and rust. There is also a pink jet soap nozzle and a blue jet rinse nozzle for long-reach cleaning and high-flow cleanup. You’ll easily be able to wash eaves, second story windows, and trim from ground level.
Just because an area is at ground level doesn’t mean it isn’t hard to clean. Take large patios or sidewalks, for instance. Cleaning them can be really time-consuming. That’s when you should use another accessory called the power broom. It is equipped with high-pressure nozzles that will get the job done four times faster. It creates a 12-inch path and helps maintain steady distance and pressure. You won’t have to worry about accidental damage from a single nozzle with too much pressure. With the power broom, you can pressure wash a wide variety of surfaces, including concrete, brick, hardwood and stone—even vinyl siding.
Another accessory that can speed things up considerably is a turbo nozzle. It uses a high-pressure, rotating spray that agitates dirt and grime, cleaning up to 30 percent faster than a traditional high-pressure nozzle.
If you have a pressure washer, but don’t have the tools to clean hard-to-reach areas, don’t worry. Generac has the accessories you need to pressure wash up high. They are readily available and affordable.