Cleaning Your Wooden Fence through Pressure Washing

Wooden fences are always exposed to the elements which is why there is always a high possibility that the weather is responsible for deteriorating its strength, especially if it is not protected. Aside from termites, the sun and the rain are the two most common natural enemies of wood. The heat of the sun is responsible for deteriorating the exterior part of the wood which makes it very brittle while rainwater can make the wood swell which overtime can lead to breakdown of its inner fibers. Combining the effects of both rain and sun can lead to the weakening and discoloring of the wood which in turn makes the wood weak, spongy, and unpleasant looking.

There are some telltale signs that will indicate if your fence is in trouble. If the surface of the fence has grayed out, the damage is caused by the UV rays of the sun. If the surface of your fence is warped or cracking, then the damage is likely caused by the wood being drenched with rainwater.

Finding a cleaning agent or solution will be very difficult, especially if you are trying to clean and restore the quality of the wood. If it gets to this point, restoring the wood can take a lot of time, money and effort. It is always better to undergo preventive maintenance to ensure that this not happen to your wooden fence. If you have a pressure washer, regularly cleaning it will greatly help, especially since you don’t have to do much cleaning as the pressure washer unit will be the one doing the cleaning for you.

If you pressure washer has a chemical dispenser, it is advised to use acid-based cleaning solutions as they are less hazardous than most alkaline solutions. There are also biodegradable cleaning solutions offered that are not only eco-friendly, but are also very effective.

When pressure washing your fence, it is highly advised to use very light pressure on it as having too much pressure on your cleaning unit will likely damage your wooden fence. Wood should be washed with only about 500 to 800 PSI. If your cleaning unit does not come with pressure adjustments, it is advised to pressure wash from a distance and shortening this distance until the desired cleaning effect is achieved. Use nozzles with a wide fan spray to help distribute the power of the unit. Also, never use hot water pressure washers on wooden fences as this will damage the wood.