Fence Washing Done Correctly

Fence Washing

As the year comes to a close, you may be checking off the last few items on your home maintenance to do list. Many homeowners should have “fence washing” on their to-do list, because the fence in your yard is pivotal in maintaining your privacy, and keeping your kids and pets in the yard, but it is exposed to the elements 24/7. That means your fence has likely accumulated years of dirt and grime. It’s time to blast that grime away and bring your fence back to life with fence washing.

However, fence pressure washing can be tricky. If you use the wrong amount of pressure you might damage your fence and spend thousands to repair and replace it. While this mainly applies to wooden fences, the same ideas can be applied to vinyl fences as well. You still have to be careful, but don’t need to worry about causing expensive damage to wood surfaces. If you follow along, fence power washing can be a breeze!

Preparation Is Always Key In Fence Washing

First, it’s important to make sure you prepare your property fence to ensure optimal results. Preparation is arguably the most important step to fence washing correctly. Before you start make sure to clear loose debris from near and around the fence and remove debris from your work area so you, or your technician, don’t slip or fall over objects.

Close any doors and windows to prevent water from damaging the interior of your house. Additionally, you’ll want to cover plants, electrical outlets, light fixtures, deck furniture, and anything nearby with a tarp. The pressure washer must always be stationed in a safe area. Read your owner manual to determine the correct spray pattern to utilize, if you intend on completing your fence pressure washing project yourself!

Use The Right Cleaners And Detergents

If you’re handling the fence pressure washing yourself, using the right cleaners and detergents to help the project is important, but first, spray the soil and plants around your fence with water from the garden hose to create a barrier between the detergent and soil to prevent damage. This technique will encourage runoff instead of soaking into the soil and causing damage. Load up your pressure washer with a cleaning solution and use a bottom up approach when applying detergent to your fence to prevent streaking. You will also want to work in sections. If you apply detergent to your entire fence BEFORE rinsing it off, the detergent will harden on the fence. Your job will become much harder!

Let the detergent sit on the fence for 5-10 minutes. If you are running into troublesome areas or deep stains, attach a rotating scrub brush to your pressure washing wand, as this will help break up troublesome stains, and best prepare the fence for dirt and grime removal. The type of detergent you use will depend on the type of fence you have. Most options are great, and equally safe for the environment, and tough enough to tackle moss, grime, mold, mildew, and anything else that is stuck on your fence.

Ideal Fence Washing Tools To Use

A wooden fence is soft so you have to choose your service tools carefully. If you use the wrong type of water pressure, nozzle, or detergent you may be in for an unexpectedly expensive surprise. Because pressure washers use such a high pressure, mistakes can happen really fast, and without warning. That’s why it is important to nail down the correct tools ahead of time so your risk of damage is lower, while fence washing. If you are familiar with pressure washers you may know that there are a variety of tips or nozzles that come with. You can’t use just any nozzle because each nozzle is designed to do different things, and the wrong nozzle could cause serious damage to your fence. The ideal nozzle tip is the 25-degree tip, commonly known as the green nozzle tip.

Anything less will not deliver enough pressure to thoroughly clean your fence, and anything larger could cause the damage you want to avoid. A PSI between 500 to 800 for softer woods should suffice for cleaning your fence. To determine what PSI works best with the type of wood you have, you can test it out on a small area before pressure washing the entire fence. If you have a fence made of harder wood, you may need to use a PSI of 1200 to 1500 to clean your fence properly. Testing out the effect of different PSI’s is extremely important for preserving the integrity of your fence.

DIY Safety For Homeowners Who Fence Pressure Wash

If you are not careful, you may get injured while pressure washing your fence. Injuries from your pressure washer can range from mild to severe. That’s why it is important to take precautions while fence pressure washing. Wear the correct clothing while pressure washing. Never place your pressure washer on uneven surfaces. Never leave your pressure washing wand unattended. Wear protective goggles at all times to prevent debris from injuring your eye.

Handle pressure washer detergent carefully and follow manufacturer’s specifications because the detergent contains chemicals that could damage your skin. Never take your eyes off your pressure washing project while the pressure washing wand is employed. Get familiar with your pressure washer and where the on/off switch is in case of an emergency. Release any remaining pressure after turning your pressure washer off by squeezing the wand trigger before disconnecting your hoses or nozzles. Always use the proper nozzle. Test the PSI with a small, hidden area first. And always use wood safe detergent.

Bottom Line In Fence Washing

Cleaning your fence can be a good weekend DIY project if nice weather is in the forecast (though if this is your first time attempting such work, you might want to budget a couple of weekends,) or you can let a professional handle it. Either way, you’ll be surprised at how good and like new your wood fence will look once the grime and dirt have been pressure washed away.

KRS uses a proprietary fence washing techniques to gently deep clean your fencing. We save our customers money by only recommending the professional services they need at the right time. Don’t spend thousands of dollars replacing your fence when KRS can make it look as good as new.

Our top priority at KRS is to keep your home looking the way you want. We maintain high standards so that our customers are completely satisfied with our work.