Pressure Wash Your House - Tips and Techniques

Power washing or pressure washing is the only practical way to remove sludge, and mold from your house. To get the most out of a paint job you will want to pressure wash your house as well. this gives the paint a good clean surface to adhere to. Although the term is pressure wash you really do not use much pressure when it comes to your homes siding. Only low pressure is used, around 300 psi. Some contractors are ignorant of this and will try to use high pressure and this can be very dangerous as it likely will cause damage. Before hiring a contractor this should be your first question to them.

Almost all siding material can benefit from pressure washing. Hardy plank, brick, vinyl siding and aluminum will all benefit from a good cleaning from time to time. Caution should be applied when cleaning soft materials like wood but if low pressure techniques are employed then little damage is possible. Cleaning agents will need to be applied based on the type of material your exterior is made of. For most materials a mix of bleach and house cleaner will do the trick. For wood you will need to use a special cleaner that will brighten the wood and not strip out the color. All the necessary cleaning materials can be found at your local hardware store.

House

For a do it yourself pressure washing job, you can obtain a unit from a rental equipment store. The cost is around per day. It is not necessary to get a heavy duty unit as you will be using low pressure to clean the house. A unit with up to 1500 psi is all you need. Although the unit can sustain 1500 psi you will want a house wash tip that will reduce the pressure. This is accomplished by using a tip with a larger opening which lowers the pressure and allows more volume to flow through the hole.

Pressure washers will have a 'down stream' function which sucks up the cleaning agent and mixes it with the water as it flows through the unit. Generally you will fill a 5 gallon bucket with the necessary detergent or bleach and a small hose attached to the unit is put into the bucket. Once the water begins to flow through the system, a suction develops and draws the cleaning product up and sprays it out with the water at a 1-5 to 1-7 ratio.

If using bleach to clean mildew and mold a 100% bleach solution is added to the bucket. For other cleaners you will need to consult the instructions. Be sure to remove anything from around the house that might be damaged by the bleach. A quick rinse of the flowers and shrubs usually is all that is needed to insure no plants suffer.

The best way to actually clean your house is to start at a corner. Slowly work your way across to the other end of the house. As you go spray the stream of water down at the bottom of the house and work your way up to the eves of the roof. Always work from the bottom up, this will reduce the chance for streaks to appear. Be sure to saturate every inch of the side you are working on.

If you do not then you will have spots where the bleach and cleaner did not touch. Once you get to the end of the house you will need to pull the 'down streaming' hose out of the cleaning solution bucket and go back over the side of the house again, this time with only clean water coming out the hose. Thoroughly rinse the siding. You should now be done with that side of the house. Put the 'down streaming' house back into the solution bucket and begin the next side of the house.

You will want to get close enough to the wall that you can get the solution on every inch of the siding. If you get too close then a good bit of the spray will drip down on your head, so don't get too close. Be careful not to spray in areas that are open and get water inside the house. Also be careful not to spray windows if the pressure is very high. Never get on a ladder to reach high spots. It is much to dangerous to work with a pressure washer and try to balance on a ladder. Remember, this is extremely high pressure, so never point the nozzle at anyone and be sure to wear safety glasses. Of course, never spray water around electrical wires.

Protect any plants, light fixtures, or other breakable objects around the house with plastic bags, duct tape, and drop cloths. Move obstacles and outdoor furniture away from the house. A pressure washing unit is no toy. Be sure to wear safety glasses and do not underestimate the power of water. Never point the wand at anyone at any time. Cleaning your house with a pressure washer is not very hard and will result in a nice shiny house you will be proud of.

Pressure Wash Your House - Tips and Techniques

For more information on what type of pressure washers to get or how to pressure wash other parts of the home see the link below.
For more information on pressure washing and pressure washers like Husky pressure washers check out our site.

Sinus Pressure and the House Dust Factor

Under the microscope they would appear to be creatures from another planet. To the naked eye they do not exist. But to millions who are very susceptible to their "legacy" they are responsible for a great deal of discomfort or just plain misery: meet the house dust mite.

The mighty mite

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The sinus pressure sufferer should know, however, that the mite is not itself the problem, but the legacy--their droppings, also microscopic, to which many of us can be very allergic. They are the root cause of some types of sinus pressure. Dust mites thrive in an environment having these three elements: moisture, warmth and food: tiny dead skin particles shed by humans--as the body rubs against the mattress; or the ones shed while dressing, drying the body with a towel, combing the hair, walking around the house, etc. No wonder the invisible nuisance proliferates in abundance in mattresses and carpets. And what is most fastidious about them is our inability to be able to "teach them a lesson" with regular insecticides. In fact, they cannot be killed by the latter.

House dust and sinus pressue

The major component of house dust is the accumulation of those of dead skin particles just described, which can also contain large amounts of the mites' droppings. The latter are inhaled with the dust causing in some cases serious irritation on the sinus membranes. The mucus produced by the latter to wash off the irritant can be so profuse that the cilia lining the membranes cannot dispose of it fast enough. Or the ostia--the tiny holes at the end of the sinuses to drain them--are blocked by the swollen membranes. Under these conditions the mucus can accumulate and create sinus pressure. If this is not promptly corrected the sinus can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria and a sinus infection can easily follow.

The mite and sinus pressure solution

So, what is the solution? There are several things those afflicted with sinus pressure caused by house dust can do to elude the mighty effect dust mite droppings can have on their sinuses:

1. Vacuum often to curb their breeding cycle and lift both mites and droppings
2. Incase your mattress in a heavy plastic mattress bag
3. Use "one way linen" especially designed to keep dust mites from coming through the linen
4. Wash linen often
5. Make the bedroom a dust free zone
6. Should all of the above fail to control the breeding mites and their effects, then consider desensitizing therapy against their droppings

For sinus pressure caused by the house dust main allergen producer--the dust mite droppings--the best approach can be a combination of some of the above factors, with a lot of common sense to go along with it.

Sinus Pressure and the House Dust Factor

Paul Sanchez teaches and interacts with people on how to care for their sinuses and related issues at: http://www.mysinustory.com and http://www.mysinustory.com/points.html. He had suffered from sinus problems for many years. Experimenting with alternative solutions he found permanent relief through a simple combination of healing techniques, which he now shares at those websites, besides giving assistance, help and support.