Pressure Washing a House... I have a clapboard/wood house that is dirty...Anybody done this before?

[masmdu]

I have a low power pressure washer.

Do I just rinse the house or do I need some type of soap/cleaner?

Anybody done this before?

[old mark]

1. Never did it on wood, but we just hooked it to a hose.

Low pressure is best for your job.

mark

[hedgehog]

2. We used a pressure washer to prep the house for painting.

It knocked all the loose paint and dirt right off!Be careful - you can actually dig into the wood . I don't think we used any soap.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

3. Yes, and be VERY careful!

You can really screw up your wood siding if you are not careful with your power sprayer. You can literally gouge into the wood and take off a couple of layers (and yes, I did that myself). On my washer there are two settings -- a more wide/diffused spray and a more focused spray. Yu will be tempoted to use the focused spray -- this is where you can get into trouble. If you use that setting make sure you are well away from the house so the force isn't too great and you gouge the wood. If you need to be close in, use thewider spray.

As for cleaner, I got most of the gunk off my house with just water. There are soaps for this -- if your house is really gunked up and your washer allows it, I might use a cleaner.