Alright, so I spent a good chunk of my Saturday power washing the house. It was getting pretty grungy, especially on the side that doesn't get much sun. You know how it gets, that green tint starts creeping up. Could've hired someone, sure, but honestly, sometimes doing it yourself just feels right, plus saves a few bucks.

First thing was digging out the power washer from the back of the garage. Took me a bit to get it hooked up to the hose and find the right nozzle tip. Always a bit of a fuss getting started, isn't it? Made sure I had my old work boots on because I knew I was gonna get soaked.

Figuring out the Cleaner

Now, for the cleaning solution. I've tried those pre-mixed bottles before, they're okay. But I've read online and heard from a neighbor that a little bit of bleach mixed with water is super effective, especially for that green algae and mold stuff. The key is dilution, you don't want to go too strong and mess up your paint or plants. I mixed up a batch, mostly water with just a splash of bleach, maybe like 10:1 ratio? Put it in the washer's detergent tank. Felt like that was the way to go this time.

Getting Down to Business

I started on the dirtiest wall first. Remembered reading somewhere to work from the bottom up. Seems backward, but the idea is it prevents the dirty water and soap from running down onto dry areas and leaving streaks. So, I started low and worked my way up, using wide, sweeping side-to-side motions. Keeping the nozzle moving, not too close, not too far.

It actually works pretty well. You can see the grime just lifting off. It's kind of satisfying, honestly. Took a while to get the rhythm right. Had a few stubborn spots, especially under the window sills, had to go over those a couple of times. The noise is a bit much after a while, but hey, headphones help.

Spent a few hours doing all the sides. Definitely got sprayed a good few times, water seems to go everywhere no matter how careful you are. Once I'd gone over everything with the cleaner mix, I switched the tank to just plain water and gave the whole house a good rinse, again going from top to bottom this time to wash all the soap residue off.

Stepped back to look once I was done, hose coiled up, machine put away. Big difference. The siding looks brighter, cleaner. Took pretty much all afternoon, and my arms were a bit tired, but definitely worth the effort. Glad I tackled it myself.