I can assume there is instant dissent with the title of this story.
Pressure washing for wood siding.
1st cedar is a relatively soft wood.
Whether it is white or red cedar or clapboard or even alaskan yellow cedar it is still wood has longitudinal pores running its length from butt to feathered edge on a shingle as well as on cedar clapboard.
Depending on your washer s psi rating this might mean anywhere from 18 inches to 6 feet away minimum.
It wasn t so long ago that trisodium phosphate tsp was a go to choice for tough cleaning jobs especially on exteriors.
Pressure washing can also remove many stains but care must be taken.
The power of pressure washers can be too much of a good thing.
Diluted in water and applied often with a stiff scrub brush it can.
A pressure washer can quickly ruin vinyl siding by cracking it with the high pressure stream of water so it s necessary to know which pressure level and nozzle to use.
Step 1 though far gentler than a pressure washer pivotpro is broadly similar in the sense that it releases a steady directed stream of water.
Consumer reports experts share pressure washer cleaning advice for your deck roof siding car and more.
A high powered pressure washer can also dent aluminum and vinyl siding.
The grit can cause damage as the wood moves with the wind and the changes in temperature.
Master the proper technique and you can use a pressure washer to clean the wood siding on your home safely without incurring damage to the material.
While it s possible to wash wood siding correctly there s also a good chance that water will find its way up and under the exterior surface if you use high pressure.
If you have a wood frame house with any kind of wood siding clapboards shiplap board and batten shingles etc there is an excellent chance that washing your house with a high pressure washer will shoot water up under the siding potentially soaking wall cavities insulation wiring flooring plaster etc.
From there water can damage insulation electrical wiring and can spur mold growth.
Under certain conditions pressure washers can cut into concrete and brick so imagine the potential effect on cedar vinyl or even fiber cement siding this inadvertent etching is easy to avoid though if you simply stand well back when aiming your sprayer at the siding.
How to safely clean wood siding on a house.
But there is good reason not to powerwash a wood sided exterior.
Wood siding cleaner plastic sheeting.