How to Do a House Wash Without Wasting Your Whole Weekend
For most Kiwi families, weekends are already packed with kids’ sports, BBQs with mates, and much-needed downtime. The last thing you want is to spend two days scrubbing walls and battling moss. But when your home starts looking tired and grime-covered, it’s hard to ignore.
The good news is that with the right equipment and approach, a house wash doesn’t need to steal your weekend. With smart planning and the right water blaster techniques, you can have your place looking fresh in hours instead of days.
Step 1: Start With a Game Plan
It’s tempting to fire up the water blaster straight away, but charging in without a plan wastes time. Many homeowners jump between patches of mould, dirt, or spider webs, only to find themselves circling back to missed spots. That’s when frustration sets in.
Walk around your home first. Take note of the worst areas, maybe it’s mould around the shaded side, moss along the gutters, or dirt kicked up near the driveway. With a clear plan, you’ll move smoothly from one section to the next instead of working in circles.
Think of it as drawing a map for your cleaning mission. By the time you’re done, you’ll know you haven’t missed a spot.
Step 2: Gather Your Gear First
Nothing kills momentum like running back to the shed every ten minutes. We’ve all been there — halfway through blasting the deck only to realise the detergent is still inside. Constant stops turn a quick house wash into an all-day grind.
Before you start, line up everything you need:
- Water blaster with the right PSI for home use (around 2,000–3,000 PSI is plenty for cladding and fences).
- Hoses connected and tested for leaks.
- Mild detergent designed for exterior cleaning.
- Safety gear like goggles and gloves.
Having it all ready means once you pull the trigger on the water blaster, you won’t stop until the job’s done.
Step 3: Quick Pressure Washing Tricks Every Kiwi Homeowner Should Know
If you’ve ever wondered why your mate’s house wash looks flawless while yours leaves streaks, it’s often down to technique. Standing too close, using the wrong nozzle, or blasting in random directions can cause damage and waste water.
Here are three golden rules of pressure washing:
- Use a 25–40° spray nozzle for cladding and painted surfaces. Narrower angles risk stripping paint, while wider angles are perfect for delicate areas.
- Keep the lance about 30 cm away from the wall. Any closer and you risk gouging the surface.
- Always wash from the top down. That way, dirty water flows away and doesn’t re-stain areas you’ve already cleaned.
These simple habits mean less rework and a finish you’ll actually be proud of.
Step 4: Don’t Overdo It on Soap
Soapy suds might look satisfying, but too much detergent can actually slow you down. Many homeowners load up on foam thinking it’ll “do the work,” only to spend ages rinsing it off.
A mild detergent is enough to loosen grime before blasting. Think of it as giving your water blaster a head start. The key is balance: enough soap to lift dirt, but not so much that you double your rinse time.
Stick with detergents designed for outdoor cleaning and always follow dilution instructions. Your walls (and your weekend) will thank you.
Step 5: Tackle the Easy Wins First
It’s always motivating to see quick results. Starting with small, visible areas gives you that boost of confidence to keep going. Many Kiwi homeowners find that knocking out garden furniture or the deck first makes the rest feel easier.
Use your water blaster on outdoor tables, fences, or even the BBQ area. These spots respond quickly and look instantly better. By the time you move onto the bigger jobs, you’ll already feel like you’ve made major progress.
This trick is as much about psychology as cleaning — and it works.
Step 6: Save the Stubborn Spots for Last
Every house has problem zones: shady walls covered in moss, mould creeping up the cladding, or algae stains that seem impossible to shift. The mistake many people make is attacking these areas first and burning energy too soon.
Instead, save them for last. Apply a treatment spray designed to kill moss and mould. Leave it to work for 10–15 minutes, then go over it with your water blaster. The detergent softens the growth, so you’re not stuck scrubbing endlessly.
This approach protects your cladding and keeps your arms from feeling like you’ve been through a gym session.
Step 7: Why a Professional Driveway Cleaner Saves You Hours of Back-Breaking Work
Every homeowner knows the driveway is the true test. Oil stains, tyre marks, and thick moss turn this into the hardest part of a house wash. Many try with a regular lance, only to spend hours hunched over with patchy results.
A professional driveway cleaner uses rotary surface cleaners paired with high-PSI blasters to cut through grime evenly and fast. These machines cover more area in less time and avoid streaks. In fact, a pro can finish a driveway in half the time it takes a DIY attempt.
If there’s one job worth outsourcing, it’s this one. You’ll save your back — and your Saturday.
Step 8: Check the Details Without Overthinking
It’s easy to get carried away chasing every tiny mark, but here’s the truth: no one else will notice them. Spending hours obsessing over small smudges on the gutter or faint streaks on a window frame just eats into your weekend.
Instead, give gutters, windows, and doors a quick rinse with a wide-angle nozzle. Focus on removing surface dirt and cobwebs, then move on.
Perfectionism can double your work time. A smart house wash is about “good enough” — your home will still look miles better than it did on Friday.
Step 9: Wrap It Up Properly
Finishing strong saves you headaches next time. Too many people shove their gear away wet, only to find clogged nozzles and damaged hoses when they pull it out again.
Here’s how to wrap up:
- Flush the water blaster with clean water to remove detergent.
- Coil hoses neatly so they don’t kink.
- Store gear somewhere dry to avoid corrosion.
These few minutes protect your equipment and make the next pressure washing session even faster.
Step 10: Enjoy the Weekend You Just Saved
The best part of a smart house wash? Stepping back to admire your work and realising you still have most of your weekend left. Your cladding looks brighter, your deck feels fresh, and the place smells clean.
Now it’s time to fire up the BBQ, invite friends over, or simply put your feet up. You’ve turned a dreaded all-day chore into a few efficient hours of work.
That’s the kind of win every homeowner deserves.
Smart House Washing Starts Here
A clean house doesn’t have to cost you your weekend. With a clear plan, the right techniques, and a bit of strategy, you can cut hours off the process. Focus on airflow, safe nozzle use, and smart detergent application, and you’ll get results without the grind.
For bigger challenges like oil-stained driveways or stubborn moss, it pays to call in the experts. Pressure Solutions offers professional driveway cleaning and water blaster servicing to keep your gear in peak condition.
The smart way to tackle a house wash is to work smarter, not harder. Let your water blaster do the heavy lifting, and let Pressure Solutions handle the jobs that save you even more time.
