Washing a whole house is not a bigger version of washing a wall. It is a sequencing problem: seven or eight different surfaces, each wanting a different pressure, in an order that stops you cleaning things twice.
The ordering principle
Top-down overall, bottom-up within each wall.
Top-down overall means gutters and soffits before walls, walls before paths and patio. Anything you dislodge lands on something you have not cleaned yet.
Bottom-up within a wall applies to the cleaner only, and it is about streaking: applying bottom-up stops cleaner running over dry siding and leaving clean streaks on dirty wall. You still rinse top-down. The detail is in how to pressure wash vinyl siding.
Each surface, and what it wants
| Surface | Approach |
|---|
| Gutters and fascia | Curved wand attachment from the ground. Flush along the trough, never up into the eaves |
| Soffits | Brush head on an extension wand, low pressure. Do not spray up into vents |
| Vinyl or fiber-cement siding | House wash, dwell, wide tip rinse angled downward |
| Brick and masonry | Tolerates more pressure, but old or soft mortar does not. Test first |
| Painted wood trim | Lowest pressure, or hand-wash. Paint lifts readily |
| Windows | Wide tip at distance, or hand-wash. Never at a seal |
| Paths, patio, driveway | Last. Surface cleaner plus a concrete cleaner |
| Roof | Never. See below |
The parts to leave entirely alone
The roof. Pressure strips the granules off asphalt shingles permanently and drives water under them. If a roof needs cleaning, use a no-rinse treatment applied from the ground and let it work over weeks.
The electricity meter, any service head, and outdoor electrical boxes. Cover them or keep well clear.
Air conditioning condenser fins. They bend, and bent fins cost you efficiency permanently.
Dryer vents, air bricks and any opening. Do not spray into them.
Old or crumbling mortar, and anything that might be lead paint — disturbing lead paint is a health matter, not a cleaning one. The full list with reasons is in surfaces you should never pressure wash.
Reaching a second story
An extension wand from the ground. A 21-foot telescoping wand covers a standard two-story wall and the soffits.
Not a ladder. The gun kicks when you squeeze it, your footing is on a rung, both hands are occupied and everything around you is wet. Buying reach is cheaper than a fall.
Plan it over two sessions
A whole house is a long job, and it is better done as two: the upper work and the walls one day, the hard surfaces another. Holding a long wand at full extension is genuinely tiring, and tired is when people take shortcuts near windows and electrical fittings.
Which machine: a gentle, good-flow one. Siding is a chemistry job, so detergent delivery and reach matter far more than peak pressure — best pressure washers for home use.
