Alright, so I spent some time this weekend tackling the house siding. It was getting that greenish, grimy look, especially on the side that doesn't get much sun. Plain water from the pressure washer just wasn't doing the trick anymore, so I decided it was time to actually use some proper pressure wash soap like you're supposed to.

First thing, I had to actually get the soap. Went over to the local hardware place. Stood there looking at the shelf for a bit. Lots of different bottles – stuff for concrete, stuff for cars, stuff for wood. I just needed something for general siding, something that said it worked on mold and mildew. Found one that looked decent, wasn't too expensive, so I grabbed it.

Got back home and dragged the pressure washer out. You know the drill – check the gas, check the oil, hook up the water hose. Then, dealing with the soap. My machine has a little detergent tank built right in. This soap concentrate needed mixing with water, so I read the instructions on the bottle, figured out the mix ratio, and poured it into the tank. Attached the soap nozzle – the black one, low pressure – because you really don't want to be blasting soap on at full force. Dropped the little siphon tube into the soap tank.

Then I fired up the machine. Started applying the soap on the dirty siding. I always go bottom-up with soap, seems to prevent streaking. Just steady, overlapping passes, coating the whole section I wanted to clean. It came out kinda foamy, clinging to the wall. Covered all the green and dark spots I could see.

The instructions said let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes. The key is do not let it dry on the surface, especially if it's sunny or hot. Luckily, it was a bit overcast, so I just let it hang out there for about ten minutes. You could sort of see the grime starting to look loose.

After waiting, it was time to rinse. Switched off the soap feed or pulled the tube out of the tank. Changed over to a rinsing nozzle, one with a wider spray pattern, maybe the 25 or 40-degree one. For rinsing, you go top-down. Started at the top of the section I'd soaped and worked my way down, pushing all the soap and dirt down and off the wall. Used plenty of water to make sure all the soap residue was gone.

The difference was pretty clear right away. The siding looked a whole lot cleaner, much brighter. Most of that green gunk washed right off. Maybe a couple of tiny stubborn spots left if you looked really close, but honestly, a massive improvement. The soap definitely helped lift the dirt way better than just water pressure alone.

What I kinda learned or remembered doing this:

• Always read the soap bottle instructions first. Mixing ratios matter.
• Use the right nozzle for soap (low pressure) and rinsing (higher pressure, wider angle).
• Apply soap bottom-up, let it sit but don't let it dry.
• Rinse thoroughly from the top-down.
• Protect plants nearby! I just gave mine a good rinse with plain water before and after.

So yeah, using the actual pressure washer soap paid off. Bit more effort than just blasting water, but the results were way better. Siding looks good again. Worth doing it right.