tips

May 26, 2017 by Sam

What is needed to power wash your home’s 2nd floor and higher

1. You have to use the right nozzle to get soap to the 2nd floor

So you ask where do I find a low pressure zero degree tip that will shoot soap up to the 2nd floor level. The color for the tip you need is either blue or pink. This is the secret the professionals don’t want you to know. This is a link to Amazon.com where you can buy the tip you need to clean the mold and dirt off of the 2nd story level of your home.

Link to Amazon.com: 2nd Story Nozzle Kit

2. Cleaning Detergents that will remove mold without scrubbing or high pressure

There are so many house wash cleaning products on the market today. I would stay away from what Home Depot and Lowe’s sells because they just don’t work. They are rather over priced and normally don’t yield the most professional results.

The best cleaners to use when pressure washing:

1. Zep Pressure Wash Soap (I swear by this soap)
2. Simple Green House and Siding Cleaner (My 2nd favorite)
3. 10% Bleach from the pool section at Walmart

Important note on using bleach: Do not mix anything with it besides water. I mix my bleach at a 1 to 6 ratio. One part bleach to six parts water. Most pressure washers with soap injectors say to not use bleach. I guess it tears the valve orings up. If you decide to use bleach and you don’t have a pressure washer with a soap injector or you don’t want to take a chance on tearing up your soap injector valve then a Downstream Pressure Washer Chemical Injector is the answer.

How to Apply The Soap

When looking for a pressure washer, you will need to make sure it has a chemical injector. Look for a pressure washer that comes with a chemical injector attached. Here is a basic rundown on how the injector works. The soap will go through the pressure washers pump when the soap nozzle (black nozzle) is installed on the wand and the trigger is squeezed. You can spray in the grass and see the soap start coming out. As mentioned earlier this nozzle has a larger orifice which drops the pressure. This drop in pressure opens up a valve on your injector thus allowing the soap to be pulled through the line.

The Pressure Washing Process

1. Make sure you pre-wet all plants, decks, windows, and anything else that is sensitive to your cleaning detergents. Make sure you are using a nozzle that is not black, blue, or pink when you prerinse the plants.
2. Once your work area is pre-wetted, start applying the soap using the black nozzle (soap) to the house. You don’t want to apply so much that you’re wasting detergent. Apply enough just so it all covers every part of the siding. It’s best to apply bottom to top, this way you can see exactly where you have applied the detergent.
3. Switch back to a white, green, or yellow nozzle, and rinse any plants, decks, or windows that have been sprayed with the detergent.
4. Wait 2-3 minutes. In warmer times of the year, you shouldn’t have to wait as long. Colder temperatures slow down the cleaning process.
5. Using a white, green, or yellow nozzle rinse the soap off of the siding. Start from the top and work your way downward. Remember if using a high pressure nozzle hold the sprayer level and rinse spraying directly at the siding the siding. Meaning, siding overlaps and you don’t want to force water behind the vinyl siding. Try not to spray up or the water might go under the siding and cause mold behind it. Low pressure nozzles are a different story. To rinse I would use the pink or blue nozzle on the 2nd story and black on the 1st. If you use high pressure to rinse (sometimes it’s necessary) you can purchase this pivoting coupler to reach higher and still spray level at the siding.

Important note: do not apply so much detergent that by the time you are rinsing it has dried on the home. You always want the detergent to be wet.

1. If the detergent is not wet, it is not working.
2. Bleach may etch glass if left dried for an extended period of time. Rinse the windows way more than you feel is necessary.
3. Continue this process 1 side at a time. By the time you have finished you should feel much more comfortable and be much more efficient next time around.

Do you need a good pressure washer?

link to Amazon.com: SIMPSON Pressure Washer

This pressure washer has a Honda motor. I have one with a Honda motor and love it! It starts easily every time. It sprays at 3100 PSI and 2.5 GPM which is very good. If you want a higher flow above 2.5 gallons per minute you will have to invest more than what they are asking for this pressure washer. This gets you very close to 3 GPM for a very good price. It comes with a reservoir for your cleaning agent as well. It is a very good pressure washer and if you need to know more follow this link the read the Reviews on Amazon.com.

The product we recommend in this article:

Unshrinkit Solution for Cashmere, Wool and Wool Blend Clothing

This is a dry clean only sweater that I washed (I did not dry it). I used this same method on a shirt that I washed and dried in a drier, and was supposed to lay flat to dry. I was substantially shrunken, but this worked on it as well. This method keeps the shirt shaped the way it is supposed to be. I have seen videos where people pinned the shirt down, and the sweaters shape was not good. They had to iron the bumps out and that can damage the sweater. This avoids that, and is also for those people like me that don’t have pins laying around.

Warm Water in a Container With Unshrinkit Solution

Soak the Sweater for 30 Minutes

Roll It Up in a Towel

Before you roll it up gently squeeze the excess water and Unshrinkit Solution out. Do not wrench the sweater. Then roll it up.

Walk On It to Soak Up More

It does not have to be completely dry. Just walk on it for about two minutes.

This is what you are shooting for.

You need something similar to dowel rods. I used a piece of pvc pipe when I ran out of dowels. You also need something heavy. I used weights because they are flat and held the dowels in place. Lay towels down on the floor and then lay the shirt flat on the towels.

Slide the Dowels Up the Arms Up to the Collar

Wedge the Weights Between the Dowels

Put a Heavy Weight at the Top

This is important. Slide the weight up to the top so that it makes contact with the dowels that go through the arms up to the collar. This holds the dowels in place so that you can pull on the bottom of the sweater to stretch it out.

Place Dowels in the Side of the Sweater

The picture below will help you understand why. This will keep the sides square, and allow you to stretch the width of the shirt out. I used stainless steel bars because I ran out of dowels. I recommend dowels because you caan see thee are bumps from the bars, and it will dry like that.

Stretch the Sweater Downward

Pull (stretch) the bottom of the shirt down and as you do this use more weights to hold the sweater in place. Place the weights so they hold the side dowels and push them out to the side. Look at the picture above to see how the weight is up against the bar I slid up the side.

You Are Stretching While Placing the Weights

The way you stretch it out is how it’s going to stay once it drys so keep working with it until you have it just right. Make sure you have enough weight to hold it in place, but not to much or it won’t dry. Put a fan blowing on it. I have a ceiling fan blowing down on it. I even turned it over to dry better but I had to set everything back up. You don’t have to do this.

Finished Product

Unshrinkit Solution was made by a couple of Harvard students specifically to unshrink wool sweaters. It think it is worth looking into. This is the link. Unshrinkit Solution for Cashmere, Wool and Wool Blend Clothing It is ok to wash your wool and cashmere items, but as you and I have learned do not dry them! I do continue to wash mine, but when I do I have found this wool & cashmere shampoo. This is what I use now, and it is fantastic for replinishing your clothing keeping them soft. It preserves with natural lanolin oils, and is actually a natural bug and moth repellant. It is ideal for items labeled “dry clean” wool, cashmere, merino, mohair, blends, and more. Ideal for cleaning sweaters, scarves, hats, outerwear, down clothing, bedding, pillows, and throws.

This worked extremely well for me but may not work for you. Do this at your own risk. I am not responsible

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