I need to power wash my siding and I've never done it before - any helpful hints or dire warnings?

We just did this to get rid of the moss on the roof.

I would rent the real thing. They are cheap and if your time has any value you will come out ahead.

It is super easy. The one we had came with a knob to adjust water pressure. Start off low and adjust it until you find a sweet spot. And just use water, no soap needed.

Warning: Do NOT let the stream hit your unprotected skin. It is powerful enough to do major damage. So when you look down at your sandal clad foot and see the leaf debris on it resist the urge to “wash” it off. Trust me on this- very painful.

Is it Vinyl or painted? Beware that the paint could blast off if it’s painted.

Also, make sure you have a decent ladder so you can aim the water downwards. Shooting it upwards can drive it in under the siding and cause problems. It can even sometimes tear siding loose.

You can use just water if you want. Depending on the type of siding you have you may want to add a little ammonia or bleach, but if you rent “the real thing” it will be powerful enough that you won’t need it. If you want to add something to the wash check online for the type of siding you have and see what is recommended. We have DuPont vinyl and were told to use ammonia but never bleach.

Make sure you set the nozzle for a 30 degree angle and don’t have the focused beam. I cut right through my paint into my pressed board siding, now I have to replace the wood before I paint. I called the painting contractor, he took a look and told me how to do it the right way.

its not much to it just spray some cleaner on there and blast away. ;)