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Using A Pressure Washer To Clean Wood, Brick, And Cement

Note: This post features a heavy-duty, gas-powered pressure washer we rented from the store. To see how we now use a $99 electric version we own, please see this Getting Started With Pressure Washing post.

Guys. I have a new favorite thing. And no, it’s not a pint-sized plastic vehicle.

Powerwash John Washing

Yup, we took our spring cleaning to the proverbial next level and rented ourselves a 2000 PSI pressure washer (just got it at the Home Depot in their tool rental department). For 80 bucks and thanks to borrowing my dad’s Kia to haul it, this puppy was all ours for a day. I was happier than a hip hop hamster.

Powerwash 2 Washing Machine

I had never used a pressure washer before (and I had the usual “don’t want to break what’s not mine” anxiety), but the guy at the store gave me a crash course. It was pretty simple. Hook up the sprayer “gun” to the hose, hook that hose to the machine, and then screw in your garden hose. Crank the motor (it runs on gasoline) and spray away.

Powerwash 3 Garden Hose

The main reason for renting it was our deck. It wasn’t looking so fresh after the winter so it needed some “rejuvenating” before we could stain it. We hadn’t stained it yet because, after finishing it in late August, we were told to give the pressure treated wood 2-3 months to dry out before sealing any of the moisture from the treatment in (apparently sealing or staining PT wood too soon can lead to terrible results). So by the time staining was advisable by the wood’s standards, it was no longer advisable by the stain’s directions because of the cold temperatures.

Powerwash 4 Deck Before

So yeah, we felt a little dumb for finding ourselves in that position, but ultimately it wasn’t too bad. There was just one area where some leaves and acorns had sat around longer than they should’ve, and it desperately needed some cleaning when spring rolled around.

Powerwash 5 Deck Before Yuck

The pressure washer was pretty fascinating to use. It almost felt like painting as you watched the dingy color give way to something lighter with each stroke of the water jet. This is a detail of that nasty area above. Pressure washing it board by board was making a big difference, although it wasn’t 100% flawless.

Powerwash 6 Washed Unwashed

Here’s the whole deck once I gave it a once over. It was definitely looking a lot closer to it’s just-built days, although there were still some acorn cap stains in that one corner. I started to regret my decision not to use a cleaner (another option is that you can route your water feed through a cleaning solution so you’re essentially using pressure and soap to clean).

Powerwash 7 Deck After

I did go back later with some cleaner (sans pressure washer) which seemed to do the trick, but I’ll cover that in our deck staining & sealing post. Right now there’s more power washing action to get to.

Powerwash Patio

Since we had the thing for 24 hours, I kinda went crazy and aimed it at just about every piece of wood around our house. Fences, railings, steps. You name it, it got blasted.

Powerwash 9 Patio Unwashed Washed

And somewhere around the patio I discovered it also made a huge difference on brick (update: we rented a lower pressure version than some of the stronger varieties, which can apparently damage certain types of brick, so maybe do some quick research before spraying yours).

I never realized how green and dingy some of our brick was until now. (I didn’t think to take a before, so that’s a shot from our vine removal post before everything greened up).

Powerwash Before After

When nothing was left to spray at our current house, I counted my lucky stars that I had more dingy brick to spray at our new place.

Powerwash 11 New House Portico

As satisfying as the process was (somebody stop me!) the moderate amount of energy it took to wrangle the spray gun for hours was starting to wear on me (no really, somebody please stop me). But in an effort to get our money’s worth, the spray must go on.

Powerwash New House Stairs

Since Sherry was wrangling Clara and taking pics of the process (her toe’s pulling a Where’s Waldo above) and I was already soaked and dirty, I pressed on. Or should I say I pressured on? Har-har.

Powerwash 12 New House Bottom Brick

The new house’s worst spot was on the back right above the deck. Between rain splashing there and it being fairly shaded, it was a color that I’m affectionately dubbing Ninja Turtle Green.

Powerwash 13 Green Deck

Sherry actually shot a video of this part, so you could see the satisfying de-greening for yourself. It’s almost like painting with a bleach pen or something, since you can watch things lighten up brick by brick.

By about 5pm it was time to call it a day and return my new toy. I was worn out and pretty nasty looking (thanks backspray) but I’ll spare you the shot of my grody dirt-coated leg. Instead you get my dirt-speckled face. Thanks for this flattering angle, $herdog.

Powerwash John Face

So, in conclusion. I love you pressure washer. You’re a beast, but the kind of beast that has my heart.

Powerwash 15 Heart

That’s concrete by the way. I wouldn’t have even thought it was dirty to start with had I not accidentally sprayed it while doing some nearby brick. So it got a little facelift too. Amazing this thing, I tell you. It’s right up there with pegboards.

PS: Next Tuesday, May 7th at 7pm we’ll be chatting with Kate Hall (aka: Richmond Mom) about parenting, decorating with your family in mind, and Mother’s Day gift ideas at the Barnes & Noble in Glen Allen (near Virginia Center Commons). It’ll be followed by a Q&A and a book signing, so we’d love to hang with anyone who can make it.

Comments

  2. Ashlea says

    Great work! We just finished doing the same on our paver patio which, when wet, was a slipping hazard!!

    Had trouble watching the video though. “This is a private video”. Help! ;)

    Reply

  4. Renee says

    Lol… welcome to the land of grown-ups! We’ve been pressure-washing our house, patio, and driveway for years now! I’m ready for the meaty posts about the new house larger projects!

    Reply

    • Jessica says

      I’m a grown up, have been for a decade or so, and will be pressure-washing for the first time this year, so I appreciate this post. So, thanks John and Sherry for this!

  5. Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

    I was in high school when my Dad brought home a power washer. After watching him for 5 minutes, I begged him to let me use it. I was in love immediately with it!

    My Dad was convinced I’d injure myself (blasted-away toe?), but I didn’t. I would have paid him to let me wash both decks and the railings, too.

    Reply

    • Tiffany says

      I was in high school when I used a pressure washer the first time. I guess I didn’t realize how powerful pressure washers were and tried to rinse off the gunk that has sprayed onto my flip-flopped foot (say that 5 times fast). I was a victim of a “blasted-away toe”. It ripped right through my toenail down through my flesh. Genius move on my part. So to all future pressure-washers, they are REALLY powerful and you shouldn’t try to “rinse off” any part of your body with them.

      I really shouldn’t be admitting this in public, should I?

  6. Sarah says

    I first used a pressure washer in college and love it too! It’s so amazing and satisfying to see what you thought looked fine, then that first spray of “OHMYGOSH THIS IS AWESOME.” I always wanted to shoot someone with the gun though, even though I’m pretty sure that’s a BAD idea…

    Reply

  7. Amanda says

    I am very jealous! My parents let us borrow their electric pressure washer, and it took us almost all day just to get our driveway done. Seeing how much you got done in a day makes me think next year we are borrowing the gas powered one!

    Reply

  8. Ainhoa@ALittleBite says

    My aunt & uncle have a pressure washer and we borrow it every year to clean our patio. It’s great, but yes, it can get very tiring!! And it makes a lot of noise (at least theirs) so I’m pretty sure our neighbors hate us…

    Reply

  10. Jessica says

    Did you do the new house’s deck while you were at it or do you have to strip the peeling stain first?

    Reply

  11. Jamie says

    !! Wait. The power washer didn’t damage the brick? The previous owners of our brick home decided to place lattice on the brick and paint it white instead of painting it, waiting for it to dry THEN putting it up. DUH. When we took it down there’s some white paint where the lattice was.

    I thought pressure washing brick was a no-no? Did you notice any damage since brick is porous?

    I want to go do this now!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      No it was great on brick! I think a lot of homeowners here regularly get their brick powerwashed to remove the green mold so it’s great for that stuff! Maybe there are some higher pressure machines that are a no-no though? This was just a run of the mill one from Home Depot’s rental center.

      xo
      s

    • Jamie says

      Well…I know what I’m doing this weekend! One more question…It doesn’t look like it from the pictures, but is there a difference between the power-washed brick and the non, power washed brick? Does it look noticeably cleaner/redder?

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thankfully it doesn’t seem to! At first it looked darker (from being wet) but when it dried it just sort of looked restored to the color of the rest of the brick.

      xo
      s

    • Paige says

      Hmm, I’m with you on this! I once worked with small businesses to help them improve their store fronts with a grant, and power washing brick was on the NO list.

      I think (to be as gentle as possible on the brick) you soak the brick with a cleaning solution, scrub it, rinse it off with very low pressure, then reseal the stone/mortar/etc.

      But as long as it’s warm and doesn’t freeze, it’s probably okay :)

    • Kate. says

      No expert here but especially if you are working with OLD brick you’d best be careful! The problem is not so much the damage to the brick itself as it is the degrading of old mortar. You don’t want to blow old, sandy mortar right out from between your bricks. Might be worth some research…

    • Jannell says

      Jamie, it’s sandblasting that’s a total no on brick. Some interior application are ok, but def not a good thing to try on exterior, especially if it’s old!

    • Sally says

      You might be thinking of sand blasting, which is always a no no. Power washing, done right, just cleans it. And yes, I love to power wash too. The power of the wand!

  13. Amy says

    Was it just water in the pressure washer or was there somee type of soap/mold agent in there with the water?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You can add soap to the stream but we just went with regular old water and pressure. It was especially amazing on brick/stone/concrete!

      xo
      s

  14. em says

    Looks like fun! We need to pressure-wash our white picket fence. Unlike your deck, the fence pickets are spaced a couple inched apart. So, will the pressurized water blast away our lawn where the water goes between the pickets?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I would try not to get too close to the grass with the stream (it’s pretty concentrated, so try to trace it along the fence and aim it up/straight ahead instead of down into the grass at the bottom if you can). I think it should be fine though!

      -John

  15. ann marie says

    What the heck? You never used a power washer before? Was it not the most satisfying/therapeutic thing in your life??? I love to power wash and just watch the crud blow away. Sometimes you don’t even notice how dirty things are until you blast them with the power washer!

    Reply

  16. Amanda says

    I absolutely loved how this post was written John! Great job, and the photos are definitely a huge contender in the post-writting-process there Sherry! Hehe.

    Now can I get my hands on a pressure washer please? Though the only think I could use it on is my deck since I live in an apartment so it likely wouldn’t be worth the penny.

    Reply

    • Amanda Janel says

      I agree! I loved reading this post. You are adorable, John! And so is the picture of your grimy jaw! I’m a big fan of your writing, and just wanted to let you know :)

      Also, I’m excited to see the deck that you put SO MUCH hard work into get finished. It was fun seeing a two-fer house post! Thanks!

  17. Faith says

    Very cool – what a great transformation in just a day! Smart thinking to do both houses while you had the tools! Now I foresee a lot of driving back and forth to seal both decks while they are nice and clean! I think that will be your life for a few weeks at least – back and forth! VERY excited for your new house and all the new projects! Congratulations…..

    Reply

  18. Stevara says

    Hi Guys! Can’t wait to see you Tuesday!! The link to B&N is the Short Pump store, but you said by VCC, so which one is it? :)

    Reply

  19. Lindsey d. says

    I’m glad to see how (generally) easy the pressure washer is to use since this is in my near future. I’m having my house painted, but am washing and scraping the 75-year-old cypress siding myself to save a bit on the front. The painters will get what I can’t reach before caulking and painting. I’m actually kind of excited! Now I think I’ll definitely use on the driveway, steps and anywhere else while I’ve got it. Thankfully I can take some extra time since both my brother and my boyfriend’s dad have offered to lend me their pressure washers.

    Reply

  20. Wendy says

    Just make sure that you never buy your own pressure washer. My husband has had to join PWA – Pressure Washers Anonymous- after he started to pressure wash our whole neighbourhood!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The hilarious thing is later that night I’d see something on the floor (a crumb or a random toy) and my first thought was “I should pressure wash that away” – uh, bad idea in the house! My brain was addicted or something…

      -John

  24. Brittany D says

    It looks like you actually had fun while working! I wonder if I can convince my husband that power washing is a great way to spend a Saturday?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think it’s crazy fun. Your husband will roll his eyes at you when you tell him that, but then he’ll try and it’ll be an instant love. At least that’s my prediction…

      -John

  25. Riki says

    I am SO pleased to see I’m not the only one who finds pressure washing therapeutic. So much fun! And way better than scrubbing with a brush.

    Can’t wait to see the deck stained. It’ll look gorgeous!

    Reply

  28. cara d says

    You got your $80 worth!

    My father n law bought us a power washer and they are useful and fun. We use it every spring. This year it gets to clean off little tykes outdoor playsets my brother brought over.

    Reply

  29. Sarah says

    I used a pressure washer for the first time this weekend and it was AMAZING. It was incredible to see the difference, but the craziest part was when I accidentially went back over a section I thought was cleaned and MORE gunk came off.

    Reply

  32. Barbara in CT says

    We have well water so I am a bit concerned with running our well dry. Has anyone used it with a well?

    I have been hand-scrubbing our PVC/Trex deck and it is not addictive at all.

    Reply

    • SunshineGal85 says

      My dad has always had well water and uses his pressure washer at least once a month. He even uses it to wash his truck and mom’s car. Anyway, he’s never had a problem with the well running dry or pressure lost in the inside water fixtures. Just don’t use it during a drought, I guess.

    • Jessica says

      We have well water too, and a weak well at that. We haven’t pressure-washed yet out fear we won’t last 20 minutes. We run out of water if we run the hose straight for 2 hours. BUT, I have been doing research because we really need to wash our deck and I have found out that pressure washers actually use less gallons per minute than your garden hose because it is building up pressure. So, we are going to give it a try. The worst that can happen is you just have to wait for the well to recover if you run it dry. Our water always comes back in 30 minutes. We are just going to do it in increments giving the well 20 minutes to recover in between sections. Friends of mine think we should be okay, weak well and all. Tip: If you do drain the well, flip the breaker on your circuit panel while the well recovers so it’s not pumping nothing. However, most wells should be fine with pressure-washing, so I would give it a go.

    • heather says

      We have a well and have pressure washed with no issue. It depends on the size of your well I guess. Running it dry too many times can ruin the pump, so just be careful.

    • Barbara in CT says

      Thanks for the advice on using a pressure washer with a well. We have a very deep well and have had some experience with it drying up on us. We had it hydrofracted about 20 years ago and haven’t had a problem since but are still somewhat gun shy about using too much water.

    • Chetna says

      Barbara, we just used a pressure washer this weekend with our well and had no problem. The pressure washer doesn’t use more water flow than a hose it just uses the engine to give more pressure. My well runs dry after about 1 hour with constant hose use. Using the pressure on the deck for about 2 hours (off and on a little due to breaks) and running a load of laundry caused no problems with the well.

  33. Lindsey S says

    Just remember, you have to be VERY careful with a pressure washer on Brick. It can pull your mortar out from between your bricks! (I dont WANT to say I know from personal experience… but Im not prepared to deny it!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Eeks! I wonder if there are certain washers that have more pressure? Ours was just a rental from Home Depot and it did great on wood, stone, concrete, and brick, but I can totally see how older mortar or a stronger machine could make a difference!

      xo
      s

    • SunshineGal85 says

      I think most rental machines are probably about 1500 to 2000 psi, but commercial grade machines run about 3000 psi. Damage to mortar also has a lot to do with how well the masons installed the bricks. If the mortar is all goopy and squeezed out between bricks, the PW will take it right off. I remember in HS, a club I was in had a car wash and our advisor turned the nozzle to a very fine, rather than wide spray, accidentally put his foot in the way, and the water cut right through his work boots. Amazing, that water!

  34. Anne says

    I used to always see this infomercial for the “Steam Buggy”, which is a pressure washer, but with steam. There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing dirt and grime just blasted away. I wonder what we can pressure wash at our house ..

    Reply

  35. Megan says

    So jealous! My hands have been itching to get on a power washer and do some clean-up damage to the house’s concrete patio. Luckily, my folks own one so it’s just a matter of not being so lazy and carting it over to my house.

    Reply

  37. Joules (from Pocketful of Joules) says

    We’ve been talking about renting a pressure washer too to clean up some ninja turtle green around our house on the brick, trex and siding. I’m nervous it will dent the siding though and I keep dragging my feet.

    Oh, and that close up of John’s stubbly face. Um… Sherry you might want to put a little #backoffhesmine on that. Tee hee.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I KNOW RIGHT?! He was like “uh thanks for the flattering shot” like it was bad and I was like, “yeah buddy, you’re welcome for making you look like scruffy dirty man meat” – haha. I think he blushed…

      xo
      s

    • Yulia says

      I’m with you, Joules. That’s one hot photo! My friend and I joke that porn for women should just be a magazine with photos of guys’ jaw lines, arms and chests.

      And Sherry, “scruffy, dirty man meat”…I’m cracking up. I love your writing!!!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha! I would totally agree that a collection of men’s jaw lines, arms, and chests = amazing. Also ankles. I know. I’m so weird.

      xo
      s

  38. Thais Bessa says

    Haha, thank God you only had it for 24 hrs or else John would have gone crazy spraying all old and new neighbours’ houses too! :)

    Reply

  39. Rhiana says

    We actually bought a power washer last year and I am an addict. I LOVE that thing. I power washed every square inch of my house that could be power washed. Instant gratification. Such an amazing tool. It was amazing how it could transform everything from looking dingy to brand spanking new!

    Reply

  40. heather says

    Pressure washing it most definitely super satisfying, but I’m going to focus on something else here. First, every time I see your new house I get happy. I don’t know why. Second, every time I see a funny YouTube video I get happy, so thanks for making me laugh. In return, I introduce you and your readers to Guy On A Buffalo (for those who haven’t already seen it). This is a real movie that some musicians took and made these videos out of. Here’s part one. Part two is even funnier. They’re so ridiculous. (Sorry of the link embeds, sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.)

    Reply

  41. Stephanie @ Simply Swider says

    I don’t know what it is either but there is something so satisfying about power washing. Those of us in coastal Virginia have to deal that green slime pretty much every year, so we invested in our own pressure washer (only $100 on craigslist). Hubby and I actually fight over who gets the honor of power washing the house every year. I’ve already completed the deck, porch, and steps, but I think I might let him finish up the garage :) I can’t wait to see more pictures of the new house!

    Reply

  43. Audra says

    We will be power washing before we stain our concrete patio out back… needless to say, now we’re QUITE excited for how it will turn out!

    Reply

  45. Brenda says

    I’ve wanted to pressure wash something ever since I first saw one on QVC. It’s like combining cleaning and magic! Before and afters are always ridiculous, and then you feel a little squicky that things were so gross before and you didn’t even realize it.

    Reply

  47. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Yay for grownup tools! We are saving up our duckets to purchase one flat out and we have friends that do that for their business (they powerwash pool cage coverings and the like) and they are so excited to tell us all the different things to look for and avoid. I can’t wait to see what color our driveway really is.

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  48. Bethany says

    We bought a pressure washer last summer so reading this was so familiar. Such a satisfying experience to pressure wash! It can be addictive in spite of the grit, hand cramps and slowness for big projects.

    Reply

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