Stucco can be a great alternative to standard siding, brick, or stone walls. Unfortunately the textured surface of the stucco tends to accumulate dust and dirt, turning a once-beautiful and clean wall into a mess of dirt streaks and mildew growth. Luckily, the power of a pressure wash can blast away the unappealing dirt and grime build up, and make your walls look as good as new again.
Repair Cracks First
Before doing any power washing on your stucco walls, you need to be sure there aren’t any cracks or chips in the stucco – if there are, and they are not dealt with, water can seep through them and cause potential damage to the home. Any cracks or chips should be patched and allowed to dry properly prior to power washing.
Use an Appropriate Cleaner
To give your stucco the clean shine it once had, invest in a good detergent and apply from bottom up – overlapping as you work your way around the house to ensure no spots are missed. Most detergents require ten minutes to settle and work before power washing.
Scrub Heavily Stained Areas
For areas of the stucco with bad staining, use a rotating scrub brush attachment to make sure that the stains are properly removed from the walls. A good quality rotating pressure wash brush will make cleaning difficult stains easy and quick.
Rust stains on the other hand may prove to be difficult to remove, and are best treated with a rust removal detergent. Rust stains may also need to be scrubbed by hand to help with their removal.
Rinse The Dirt Away
When rinsing the stucco, use low pressures and be sure to hit the wall at a 45 degree angle. Because of stucco’s delicate nature, hold the spray nozzle at least 25 inches from the surface. Start from the same starting point that you used when applying detergent and work in the direction – overlapping to avoid missing detergent. Rinse from the top and work your way down – a downward rinse will keep dirty soap moving down and away from the clean wall above.
