Tips for Pressure Washing Soffits and Gutters – Keep Your Roof Looking Great!
Maintaining Soffits and Gutters of your roof can add years to the life of your roof. Keeping Soffits clean maintains ventilation and prevents the attic from overheating in the summer or creating ice blocks in the winter. Keeping Gutters clean keeps them from getting clogged and prevents water accumulation in the attic area or damaging the siding from overflows.
Cleaning soffits and gutters can be a challenging task for homeowners. However, using a pressure washer can make it easy to keep these hard-to-reach areas looking great. In this article, we’ll cover which accessories can help and provide you with a few tips for safe and effective pressure washing to get your soffits and gutters looking like new in no time.
1. Before You Start
Here are some of the tools that can be used to clean soffits and gutters with a pressure washer:
• Pressure washer
• Pressure washer gutter extensions (preferable to a ladder)
• Safety goggles
• Ear protection
• Gloves
• Scrubbing brush (optional)
• Gutter trowel (optional)
• Bucket
2. Soffits & Foliage
When cleaning soffits and gutters with a pressure washer, it’s important to take precautions to avoid damaging the surrounding foliage. Start by soaking everything with clean water to rinse away any large debris or dirt from the soffits. This will also help prevent damage to the surrounding foliage. Use a low-pressure nozzle for your initial rinse to avoid damaging foliage or propelling dirt and debris into your soffits. While you’re at it, rinse the outsides of the gutters clean as well.
3. Applying Detergent
When using a pressure washer to clean soffits and gutters, it’s important to use the right amount of detergent. Fill your detergent tank or pale with a detergent solution and make sure to dilute it according to the instructions on the detergent container if you’re using a concentrated detergent. Switch your detergent tank to “On,” make sure you have your detergent spray tip on, and begin applying the detergent to the soffits and the outsides of your gutters.
To avoid propelling water into the soffits, don’t face your soffits directly. Instead, aim ahead of yourself and to the side a bit. You also don’t want to spray directly up at the soffits as this can cause mold or mildew growth. Minimize the amount of water you spray inside your soffits by aiming carefully.
Once you’ve thoroughly covered your soffits and gutters with detergent, let it work its magic on the dirt and stains while you switch spray nozzles.
4. Wash away Dirt & Detergent
Once your detergent has worked its magic on the stains, switch your nozzle to a high-pressure spray pattern. Turn off your detergent tank and aim the nozzle at a walkway. Squeeze the trigger to flush out any remaining detergent.
Begin from the same spot you began when applying detergent and work in the same direction. Spray evenly along your soffits and gutters to remove all of the detergent, dirt, and stains. Some spots may be more stubborn than others, so take a little more time spraying those areas to ensure an even clean.
Once you’re finished, switch back to a low-pressure nozzle and spray clean water over the surrounding foliage to rinse away any remaining detergent.
5. Cleaning the Gutters
Cleaning the inside of your gutter can be dangerous if you climb a ladder. Instead, you can use a pressure washer gutter cleaner. These curved attachments allow you to hold your wand up and spray directly into the gutters while keeping your feet planted securely on the ground. You should avoid using a pressure washer from a ladder if at all possible.
Start near a downspout and spray away from it. Angle your wand so the stream of water points away from the downspout, and progress down the length of the gutter. With enough pressure, the force of the water should propel debris out of the gutter.
If your gutters have a lot of debris, you may want to clean some out by hand first to avoid clogging your downspouts. Try not to force too much debris into your downspouts.
6. Conclusion
Depending on the roof, maintaining Soffits and Gutters can be a challenging undertaking and possible dangerous, especially if a ladder is needed to reach specific areas of the roof. In these types of situations getting professionals for the job can save you a lot of time and money – especially if things don’t work out as planned. A professional roofer can also identify other issues with the roof during this process. A bonded and insured roofing company has all the tools and expertise to do this correctly.
NorCal Roofing Inc. is an organization that has been in business for over 30 years and works with all type of roofs & gutters.
If you are interested in getting a free quote for NorCal Roofing services Contact Us.
