How to properly perform a House Wash

Today we will go over the process step by step into how to perform a house wash. A house wash is the exterior sanitation and brightening of the home exterior walls, trim, gutter faces and windows. When done properly and with detail in mind we get amazing results that last for months to come.

First off we will start with what is a house wash? At first it sounds like a big house taking a bubble bath. In part that is right! A house wash is the application of cleaning with detergents and low pressure to rinse, leaving behind clean windows and a bright curb appeal seen from the street.

Some detergents used to clean a home exterior can vary from sodium hypochlorite (pool shock or bleach), LA Awsome, House Wash Mix from home depot or lowes. These and other detergents when mixed with surfactant built for specifically cleaning a house are the key to great results. In our company we used a mix of sodium hypochlorite and a high quality surfactant that sticks to the surface for a deep clean and leaves a clean non streaking shine on the exterior windows. The ratio used is a 2% concentrated mix that is strong enough to kill the organic growth on your home but not damage any surrounding landscape in the process. (Although we recommend you highly to rinse the plants and landscape before starting to ensure no plants are harmed or withered. 

When performing house wash it is not a good idea to just start without taking precautions. When first starting it is best to make up a plan. For example, we will start from the furtherest part of the house or the longest distance our hoses allow. After this stage we inspect the heavy organics that are sticking to the homes surfaces, noticing what may need a stronger concentration or light pressure as encouragement to get off and stay off. Next we will cover exposed light sockets and areas we dont want wet with a tarp, tape or move to an area where water and chemicals wont reach them. We call this the "safe zone". 

Look out for open windows and areas that are hard to reach. Once it is all planned and protected you may start with your plan in mind. 


Apply the detergent to the house preferably from the bottom up to the top to avoid clean streaks unless the wind does not allow. In cases where the wind does not allow it is acceptable to spray from the top down as long as we all the detergent to dwell on the surface for a longer period of time.

With applying our detergent we want to make sure to get all the details and not let the chemical dry on the surface. It is best to move section by section so you can hit the details such as any insect droppings and nests. Once the section is covered and has dwelled for long enough we want to rinse off with low pressure and high volume. If not rinsed well enough the chemical solution can cause oxidation or create more oxidation on top of what was there to begin with.

Continue this process until you have finished the house and all is cleaned up well. Lastly we want to give a final rinse off to the plants not only for dilution of the plants but also so stop the harsh smell of cleaning chemicals on the property. 

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