Cleaning prior to painting an exterior is very important. Many paint problems occur from failure to clean prior to painting. I always clean before painting an exterior, it is too risky to omit this step. The two “tools” I use for efficient exterior cleaning are the simple garden pump type sprayer and a pressure washer. I keep one garden sprayer dedicated for exterior cleaning only. I don’t use this sprayer for anything else. The pressure washer I use, is a direct drive, Honda engine, comet pump, machine manufactured by North Star.
My favorite house cleaning mixture (exterior use only)
This is the mixture I use to clean a house prior to painting. I have use this for years. It works fast for cleaning and killing mildew and is easy to use. It works so well that I have cleaned some houses that after cleaning, the house looked so good that the owners decided painting wasn’t necessary. I use Jomax, bleach and water in a pump sprayer for application and I rinse with a soft rinse (either pressure washer at low setting or simply a garden hose rinse). After this cleaning I will pressure wash the house to remove chalk and dirt etc… with a hard pressure cleaning using just water.
To be safe, I always wet plants etc.. down with a good water rinse prior to using this solution and again after using the solution , I rinse the plants etc… well. This is in accordance with the manufacture’s instructions and I have never had a problem when doing this. As a matter of fact, I will pre-wet everything in the vicinity (other than the house itself) before using this solution , and then rinse everything in the vicinity after rinsing off the solution from the house itself. The rinsing won’t work for fabrics, you must remove or move items that have fabric from the area.
Personal safety
I use a rain poncho, bump helmet with a visor to keep the solution (and pressure washer water) off of me. You can use safety glasses to keep the solution from spattering into your eyes, but the visor does not fog up like safety glasses do, so I prefer it.
Clothes
Use old clothes that you don’t care if they get bleached out. I wear old work clothes with this and usually they come away unscathed, but I have on occasion bleached out a pair of shorts and a shirt or two.
How to Use
Apply the cleaning solution via the pump sprayer, starting at the top of the house and working down. Allow the solution to soak for five minutes (don’t let it dry on the surface), then rinse well. Clean one side of the house at a time, before moving on to the next side.
The Jomax solution
Use a clean plastic two gallon garden type sprayer to apply the mildew cleaning solution. Add 3 and 1/4 quarts of water into the tank, then add 2 and ¼ cups of bleach, next add ¾ of a cup of Jomax to the tank (shake the Jomax first before adding to the tank) and mix the whole solution together well You will need to use this mixture within 3 hours.
Don’t let this solution get on fabrics (or your own clothes during the washing process), or patio furniture with fabric etc…. It will bleach out the color. This solution is safe to use near plants and shrubs though.
My favorite pressure washer. Reliable and lighweight. Direct drive, honda engine and comet pump. It remains reliable after years of use and abuse.
Painting and Decorating Concourse Home > Exterior Painting Tips > Exterior Paint Preparation: Cleaning
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Cleaning the Exterior Before Painting
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