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How to Clean a Wood Fence with a Pressure Washer

Having a wooden fence gives much more pleasure or satisfaction than having a concrete wall. Its beauty is aesthetically pleasing until you clean and maintain it on a regular basis. Wood surfaces are prone to algae, mold, mildew, etc. type of dirt which sit on the surface strongly and destroys its beauty. Slowly this dirt, when comes in contact with moisture, get your fence rotten. To keep the beauty intact, a wooden fence needs a good cleaning at least twice a year. The article “How to Clean a Wood Fence with a Pressure Washer” is going to give you the best suggestion to clean your wooden fence.

Let’s go through the all steps to get the best cleaning!

How to Clean a Wood Fence with a Pressure Washer

Now, the matter of cleaning a fence is a tiresome and hardworking job because of its large surface or area. It’s best to use a pressure washer to clean a fence no matter its wooden or concrete; else, you will not be able to clean it perfectly.

On the other hand, the wood surface is quite delicate than the other type of surfaces and needs a careful cleaning. In this article, you will learn to clean your wooden fence with a pressure washer and bring back its aesthetic beauty.

How to Clean a Wood Fence with a Pressure Washer – The Perfect Cleaning Solution!

Time and Position

The timing and positioning of cleaning are crucial when you come to clean your wooden fence. Let me explain why. If the sunlight falls directly on the surface, the water will dry up quickly from the surface, which will hamper your cleaning. That’s why it’s better to choose the time when the sunlight doesn’t directly fall on the surface.

To avoid the water coming back on you, there should be less wind. This doesn’t mean that you cannot clean your fence in the presence of these two.

Get Your Fence Wet

Using your 25-degree nozzle at first, you have to get your fence wet entirely; do it partially if not possible to wet the entire fence.

Start your machine and stand approximately three feet away directly against the fence to hit it with water directly. Slowly spray water from bottom to top and ensure that the dirt sitting on the wood becomes weak enough. Repeat this process and wet the entire fence at one go.

Apply Detergent

For cleaning your fence, try to use the detergent solution as it’s biodegradable and weakens the dirt easily. Mix one gallon of your cleaning solution with five or six gallons of water and put the mixture in your detergent tank.

Connect the soap applicator nozzle at the tip of your spray gun to apply the solution. Slowly spray the mixture on your fence from top to bottom and repeat to cover the entire fence. Your application of detergent should be evenly distributed on the entire fence for better results.

Let it Sit

Once you are done with your application, you need to let the solution sit on the surface, and for that you need to wait for 5-7 minutes. During this time, take a brush and rub those places where the dirt is stronger than the other area.

It would be best to remember that the solution should not dry up on the surface; otherwise, your cleaning will not be effective. As soon as the solution sits on the wood, it’s time to do the final cleaning.

Final Cleaning

This is the final step, and for that, you will have to spend the maximum time. To do the final cleaning:

  1. Take your 40-degree nozzle and connect to the spray wand.
  2. Slowly sprinkle water from top to bottom and repeat until you cover the entire fence.
  3. Spray more water in the area where the algae, mold, or mildew is tough.

Generally, one spray is enough for the fence to clean, but you can spray water for the second time for better results if you want.

Nature of Wood

Concrete surface and wooden surface are different from each other and should be cleaned using different methods.

A wooden board is the combination of two outer parts, one hard and one soft. You will see large streaks that go from top to bottom of a wood, which is the hard substance.

Between these streaks, the substance is soft, which can be harmed easily by too much force of water. For this reason, you should not spray water keeping your gun pointed at one place for long.

Following the above method will help you clean your entire fence without much trouble. There are few other things such as the type or age of wood that you should keep in mind in order to avoid any type of accident. Some wood is softer than the other, where you cannot spray water with a powerful nozzle.

In the end, I must say that you should always wear your personal protective equipment such as gloves, boots, goggles, trousers, etc. while using your pressure washer.


About Daniel Wood

Daniel has completed his graduation mechanical engineering from a reputed university in US. He worked as a technical engineer in a pressure washer manufacturing plant for four years. He has a great passion for mechanical devices and has opened a workshop where he does research on various machines in his leisure time. His high interest in technology made him an expert in commercial and residential pressure washers.

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