What's the best way to clean the outside of a house. My bestfriend just moved into a house with aluminum siding. It is very dirty and very noticeable because it is white. Please tell me what you use to wash your house. She would really like it clean and will be willing to buy anything needed. She would prefer to do it by hand so if you did it without what did you use?
Thank you.
Yes, yes, yes pressure washer! My husbands a painter and does this to a lot of houses.
Pressure washer and a tall ladder!
S.:
Since it's aluminum siding it will be easier to wash/clean than wood siding.
Have her rent a power washer from Home Depot or Lowe's. Depending upon the size of the house, it should take about 3 or 4 hours - maybe faster if she takes her time.
They (Home Depot/Lowes) will show her how to use it and what to look out for (not getting water into the attic if they have soffet vents under their eves or roof overhang).
GOOD LUCK!!!
We just did this! Simple green, a ladder and a good rag. And elbow grease. We used our pressure washer for some, but the old fashioned scrub did a nicer job.
I also say pressure washer!
There may be some spots that will be more difficult to get clean, so you could also buy one of those extensions made for washing cars.... you know, looks like a big dust mop, but water comes out? A lot of them even have compartments where you can add soap that dispenses as you wash.
Good luck cleaning! :)
Aluminum siding should come clean with a good pressure squirting hose, or a pressure washer washer. I'd try a hose first before buying or renting a pressure washer tho.
75% of our house is aluminum siding.. the kitchen area of the house is the original wood.
When we cleaned our house after we bought it, we used a pressure washer. But one thing we learned was don't have the pressure to high or stand a ways back because the first couple of swipes across the bottom of the house ( thankfully in the back, where its unnoticed) it took the paint off and left a shiny silver streak going across the house.
Just something to keep in mind!
It's better to scrub it with a cloth or soft brush than pressure wash aluminum siding. But like the other poster said, if you use a low setting,you can pressure wash, just be careful.
A power washer and soap! You will be amazed! We own our own washer, but you can rent them as well! They are awesome for cleaning concrete and prepping wood decks for seal coating too.
A power washer, maybe with a little soap.
I'd go with a pressure washer on low setting and also choose the wide nozzle so you can clean more space quicker. You can rent at most home improvement stores.
If you want to start with something less aggressive, Windex makes a house and window cleaner. the bottle hooks up to your hose and you just turn a valve on the bottle to make the water-liquid mix as it comes out then and spray the house. Then you turn to valve to "water only" to rinse. Don't let the soapy mixture stay on too long because it will start to dry and then leave streaks. Check the bottle to make make sure it is safe on aluminum. I've used it on exterior windows and vinyl siding and it worked fine. If that doesn't work, get a pressure washer. Good Luck!
