My house is cedar and I know that I need to clean it, but I am a new homeowner and not sure how to go about doing this. I am afraid to use a pressure washer because the outside siding is cedar, but I don't know if I am being silly.....Help!
2007-02-25 03:54:38 · 6 answers · asked by sassysam777 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I also have a home with cedar. Last year I decided it was time to clean it. I found that a pressure washer does the best job. Don't get a real powerful one. The one I used was 1500 psi and it did a fine job. You can't stay in one place with the spray to long or it will gouge the wood, and don't hold the nozzle to close to the wood. It will take a little experimenting but you find what is best for the wood. Once you're done the wood does need to be sealed to protect it.
2007-02-25 04:11:28 · answer #1 · answered by David H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do you want to clean your cedar shingled or clapboard house? It is supposed to weather and gray over time. This is the ultimate natural maintance free exterior.
If for some reason or another you have to clean it, use a garden hose with a mild detergent mixed with the water through a reservior. There are also mild bleaches in deck cleaning solutions that will remove the gray and restore the color to it's "new" look, but again, why would you want to?
The best thing to do is to paint or stain the trim work and leave the siding alone.
PLEASE do not use a pressure washer. Cedar is a very soft wood and the pressure washer will damage it. Even if it looks fine you can damage the stucture of the wood itself, thus shortening its usefull life. Even mild bleaching with deck cleaners will damage the grain but not nearly as bad as power-washing.
2007-02-25 04:13:22 · answer #2 · answered by rick m 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can use a pressure washer to clean the outside of your home. You will be shocked at how great it will turn out. But you will need to put wood preservative on it about every 5 yrs or it will get dark again and some bugs really like living in it. I have a Redwood sided home and where I'm from in the Ozarks we have a huge amount of cedar trees and many meny homes made from it.
2007-02-25 04:04:28 · answer #3 · answered by Kdid49 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
USE A PRESSURE WASHER-- USE LOWER PRESSURE WITH A WIDER JET PATTERN. CEDAR IS ROTTED BY THE DIRT THAT GETS INTO THE WOOD POURS THAT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED. DO IT WITH GREAT CARE AND LOCATE A GOOD PRESERVATIVE FOR CEDAR. CEDAR WILL LAST FOREVER IF KEPT FREE FROM DIRT AND MOSSES ETC CEDAR HAS ITS OWN PRESERVATIVE IN THE WOOD ALREADY..
2007-02-25 06:03:57 · answer #4 · answered by SWEET SARAH 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
base line...you should kill the Queen. incredibly, no longer something out of your interior of sight domicile progression is going to do the trick. you should call the trojan horse guy! they have those dazzling gadgets that entice the employee ants so as that they could carry back the bait that kills something, such by means of fact the Queen. regrettably, vinegar and water and different domicile made concoctions won't do it. as quickly as you have that many ants, you incredibly ought to apply the useful stuff. those traps are hidden under home equipment, under sink shelves, and different places have been babies and pets can not attain. As a mom, I comprehend your concern. reliable good fortune!! P.S. those "traps" do no longer appeal ant on your place that are no longer all waiting there. in case you have "1000's" of ants, I advise this in lieu of domicile cures. I certainly have been on your footwear, too. i'm a cleansing maniac and thought what have I carried out!! yet once you reside in a house with a flow slowly area or a slab, it makes it that incredibly extra durable to do away with an inflow of ants. that's why I advise the professional's.
2016-12-18 10:40:56 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cedar house sounds cool. I'm a realtor, and I've never been in one. Call and ask somebody at a lumberyard. Good luck.
2007-02-25 03:58:36 · answer #6 · answered by KC Slim 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋