# Cleaning An Exterior



## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Been awhile since I did an exterior except my own - which I am doing the back of this month.

When I did do exteriors, I was not a fan of just pressure washing a place prior to painting. PW was great to remove heavier stuff and loose paint (to a point) but I never felt it really got the stuck on grime like scrubbing the surfaces did. 

Prior to painting my own place (Hardiplank) I used the house wash made by Krud Kutter: hosed surfaces down, applied the washing solution, then scrubbed all surfaces with a medium stiff brush, then rinsed again. It seems to get the surfaces pretty clean and except for any needed spot sanding, priming, and caulking, things seem to be well prepped for paint.

Any of the rest of you guys use that product, or something similar, along with a good scrubbing or would you feel that’s overkill?


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## SS_painting (Jan 11, 2020)

I found all solutions to be overkill, or left some sort of residue.
I've always just used water and scrubbed, unless there was moss, then I would hand scrub that off. 

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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

RH said:


> Been awhile since I did an exterior except my own - which I am doing the back of this month.
> 
> When I did do exteriors, I was not a fan of just pressure washing a place prior to painting. PW was great to remove heavier stuff and loose paint (to a point) but I never felt it really got the stuck on grime like scrubbing the surfaces did.
> 
> ...


How high is your house RH? I'm working on a hardiplank house now. I usually keep a scrub brush on hand (if necessary). Normally I just pick up a thing of conctrated house wash and siphon it through pressure washer. If any mildew,
I have a garden pump with bleach..Basically a soft wash and rinse.
I think the pressure wash guys are all just downstreaming now arent they? As apposed to using pressure washer. That way you can use a stronger solution, eliminating the need for pressure washer or agitation.. All I have is a pressure washer, so i use it.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

finishesbykevyn said:


> How high is your house RH? I'm working on a hardiplank house now. I usually keep a scrub brush on hand (if necessary). Normally I just pick up a thing of conctrated house wash and siphon it through pressure washer. If any mildew,
> I have a garden pump with bleach..Basically a soft wash and rinse.
> I think the pressure wash guys are all just downstreaming now arent they? As apposed to using pressure washer. That way you can use a stronger solution, eliminating the need for pressure washer or agitation.. All I have is a pressure washer, so i use it.


It’s one story in the front but two in the back.

Although I can see the value of down streaming versus straight pressure washing, I still wonder if applying a cleaner, no matter how strong, still does the job that actual scrubbing could do. Not knocking down streaming, just wondering.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

RH said:


> It’s one story in the front but two in the back.
> 
> Although I can see the value of down streaming versus straight pressure washing, I still wonder if applying a cleaner, no matter how strong, still does the job that actual scrubbing could do. Not knocking down streaming, just wondering.


Guess it depends how dirty your house is..lol. I think if your brushing on a good quality exterior paint, it can handle a little left over dirt residual i would think. The house im doing now(hardiplank), I did about 9 years ago. It was a dark burgundy. Only the sunny side faded. The rest is near perfect. I had used the Dulux Diamond Matt Line. But yes, I also believe nothing will clean better than some good old fashion elbow grease. I think people are just finding quicker ways to do things, but at what cost?


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## Joe67 (Aug 12, 2016)

In general, I've always thought that a 100% scrub down was overkill just because there are only certain places that collect a lot of dirt & grime. So I generally do 30 seconds outdoor cleaner. For places that aren't too grimy a simple rinse down with a hose seems to suffice. For nastier places, a rinse down by PW. Then I just assess after it's dry and do remedial scrubbing as needed.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Washed down the back of our place last Sunday. Then, before I could get to do any caulking and painting, the smoke and ash from the wildfires moved in. Haven’t been able to do anything since and will have to give it another wash down (minus the scrubbing) before proceeding once things clear. But, at least we still have a house to paint. Others have not been so fortunate.


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## vwbowman (May 15, 2017)

RH said:


> Washed down the back of our place last Sunday. Then, before I could get to do any caulking and painting, the smoke and ash from the wildfires moved in. Haven’t been able to do anything since and will have to give it another wash down (minus the scrubbing) before proceeding once things clear. But, at least we still have a house to paint. Others have not been so fortunate.


I am so looking forward to January 1, 2021! - Too many friends have lost homes.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

vwbowman said:


> I am so looking forward to January 1, 2021! - Too many friends have lost homes.


Yep. Come February and anyone starts bitching to me about the rain, I'm gonna' kick em' in the nuts.


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## JcBailey (Feb 22, 2021)

Krud Kutter house wash is a good product which I frequently use, and not only for house washing. Surprisingly, it perfectly washes a car as well.


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## mihamilton (Sep 24, 2021)

I haven't been painting my house for so long that I've even forgotten how to clean the walls. I have an old and very dusty pressure washer that I haven't used for about 7 years. Can you recommend a good replacement? I do not understand the current models of pressure cleaning machines, so I will be glad of any advice. I need a good and, in turn, a budget option, if such a thing is even possible to find.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

mihamilton said:


> I haven't been painting my house for so long that I've even forgotten how to clean the walls. I have an old and very dusty pressure washer that I haven't used for about 7 years. Can you recommend a good replacement? I do not understand the current models of pressure cleaning machines, so I will be glad of any advice. I need a good and, in turn, a budget option, if such a thing is even possible to find.


What level of use (frequency, size and condition of houses, etc) do you plan on using it for? A recommendation for a unit you’ll need for only doing the occasional exterior, fence, or deck would be different than for someone doing a bunch of those things during a season. Some guys make a side business out of offering pressure washing as a stand alone service.


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## Redut (Nov 17, 2021)

It's good that you bring up topics like this because people who don't know about this, like me, do have to understand what can cause damage to their home cleaning by themselves. I didn't realize that cleaning the gutters with water could cause so much damage to a building and its structure. I still remember how expensive siding was and wouldn't want to pay a similar amount again. I would rather spend that money on improving the look of my house and backyard.


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## john_9386 (Dec 29, 2021)

I purchased a Riobi foam cannon attachment for my pressure washer and add Jomax house cleaner to it.

Saturate the siding, remove the foam cannon via quick connect, and rinse clean. 

Works well for me.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

john_9386 said:


> I purchased a Riobi foam cannon attachment for my pressure washer and add Jomax house cleaner to it.
> 
> Saturate the siding, remove the foam cannon via quick connect, and rinse clean.
> 
> Works well for me.


Jomax is an effective surfactant, and I have used it for years as a “bleach activator” when pressure washing - especially for heavy mildew.
I have mostly stopped using it now, after numerous complaints that it causes stubborn water spots on windows that are difficult to remove (it is a surfactant after all!).


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