How to Prepare for Power Washing Day: A 10-Minute Checklist

The Whole List Fits on a Sticky Note

Good preparation for a wash day is genuinely minimal — the crew brings everything and protects everything. What we need from you is access and a dry perimeter to work in. Here is the entire homeowner side of the job:

The Night Before or Morning Of

1. Close every window and storm window — firmly. The single most important item. A window that looks shut but is not latched will let solution and rinse water find the sill.
2. Move vehicles out of the driveway and away from the house — into the street or garage. This is about overspray drift and about giving the crew the concrete.
3. Clear a few feet from the walls: patio furniture, grills, planters, hoses, kids' toys, doormats, seasonal decorations. It does not need to go far — just off the work surfaces.
4. Unlock the gate (and mention the code or the dog-latch trick when booking).
5. Kill the irrigation for the day so heads do not fire mid-wash and re-wet drying surfaces.
6. Pets stay inside for the duration, and off wet surfaces until dry — same rule as a mopped floor.
7. Flag the fragile: the wobbly downspout, the antique porch light, the window that leaks in storms, the koi pond. Thirty seconds of pointing beats any assumption.

What the Crew Handles (So You Don't)

• Landscaping protection — beds and shrubs pre-wetted before solution, rinsed after; delicate plantings covered where needed
• Exterior outlets and fixtures — checked and worked around; standard exterior-rated hardware tolerates a wash
• Water supply — we run from your outside spigot (a few dollars of water for a full wash); tell us in advance if your spigot is dead and we arrive tanked
• Doors and thresholds — low-pressure technique near seals; nothing aimed at weatherstripping
• Cleanup — hoses coiled, furniture back where it obviously belongs, debris bagged

Do You Need to Be Home?

No — most clients are not. With access sorted and water on, the crew works, photographs the results, and you get before/after documentation with the invoice. Being home is welcome, especially for a first service, but the job does not require an audience. Details on timing are in how long the work takes.

A Note on Windows After the Wash

Rinse water dries with mineral spotting — a washed house with water-spotted glass is normal, not a defect. If you want glass detailed to streak-free, book window cleaning as part of the same visit; it is priced far better bundled than as a callback.

The Bottom Line

Close, move, clear, unlock, pets in, sprinklers off — ten minutes, and everything else is the crew's job. The best preparation is simply telling us the quirks of your property when you book, so the plan fits the house before anyone unrolls a hose.