Home › Guides › Outdoor & seasonal › Pressure washing guide: what to clean, what to avoid, and getting it right
GuidePressure washing is deeply satisfying and genuinely useful — it strips away the grime, algae and buildup that make a home look tired and can actually damage surfaces over time. But the same power that cleans can also gouge wood, crack siding and injure you if misused. Here's what to wash, what to leave alone, and how to get a great result.
Driveways, walkways, patios, concrete, brick, vinyl siding (carefully), fences, decks (at the right pressure) and exterior walls all clean up dramatically with pressure washing. It removes dirt, algae, moss, mildew and grime that both look bad and degrade surfaces. It's one of the highest-impact curb-appeal improvements for the time involved.
Power washing the wrong things causes real damage: delicate roofing shingles (strips the protective granules), old or damaged mortar, painted surfaces you want to keep, windows, electrical fixtures, and anything with gaps where water can get behind it. Some surfaces need soft-washing (low pressure plus cleaning solution) instead — a pro knows the difference.
Too much pressure, or the wrong nozzle, carves lines into wood, cracks siding and etches concrete. Different surfaces need different pressure and distance, and technique (consistent passes, right angle) determines whether it looks professional or leaves streaks and damage. This is where a pro's experience shows.
Renting a machine for a small concrete area can be DIY if you're careful. But for siding, two-storey work, large areas, delicate surfaces, or anything where getting the pressure wrong is costly, a pro with commercial equipment, the right nozzles and the knowledge of soft-washing is worth it — both for the result and to avoid damage.
Spring and summer are ideal, on a dry stretch. Most homes benefit from an annual exterior wash, with high-traffic or shaded, algae-prone surfaces needing it more often. It's a natural companion to other spring exterior work — sealing, painting prep and deck care all start with a clean surface.
On Genie, pressure washing is handled by vetted, insured pros with the right equipment who know which surfaces need full pressure and which need soft-washing, at an upfront price with payment held until it's done. Get the curb-appeal boost without the risk of damaging your own siding.
Every task in this guide is something you can book on Genie — vetted, insured pros at an upfront price:
Driveways, walkways, patios, concrete, brick, vinyl siding (carefully), fences, decks at the right pressure, and exterior walls — removing dirt, algae, moss and grime that both look bad and degrade surfaces.
Roof shingles, old or damaged mortar, painted surfaces you want to keep, windows, electrical fixtures, and anything with gaps water can get behind. Some surfaces need low-pressure soft-washing instead.
A small concrete area can be DIY if you're careful. For siding, two-storey work, large or delicate surfaces, a pro with the right equipment and soft-wash knowledge avoids costly damage and gets a better result.
