How to Clean Your Metal Building
Metal structures, be they, barns, lean-tos, storage buildings, workshops, or anything in between need tender loving care for maintenance. Occasionally, you will need to do some more labor intensive tasks, but don’t worry! We at carport.com have the tips you’ll need to make cleaning your metal structure a breeze.
We’ve already talked about how to clean your carport, but today we’re going to take it a step further. We’ll elaborate and give you new tips to help you on your way.
Where to Start:
Cleaning a metal building can be tricky. As with most home improvement projects, you need to create a plan of attack. We recommend clearing the perimeter of your metal structure before you begin. This allows you to be more mobile while cleaning and you’ll wash the entire structure.
What You’ll Need:
You have your plan of attack and you’ve cleared the perimeter, but what do you need to effectively clean your metal building?
For most metal structures you’ll need a mild, phosphate free detergent (laundry). You’ll also need a pressure washer, whether that’s your own, your neighbors, or a rental makes no difference, unless your neighbor doesn’t take care of their tools.
How to Clean:
To begin, set your power washer to the lowest setting and rinse your first section. Your nozzle should be roughly 3 feet away from the building as to not damage the outside. This pre-wash will remove any loose dirt, grease, or grime from your structure and will help when the actual washing begins. Using the detergent that you purchased earlier, mix 1/4 cup detergent into every gallon of water you use for cleaning.
Begin the wash by starting at the top of the structure and working your way down to the bottom. If your structure is heavily soiled you may need a brush attachment or a second round of soap. Once your metal building has been sufficiently soaped it’s time to switch back to just plain water and rinse the building of leaving no trace of detergent.
Once your first section is completed rinse and repeat for the rest of your metal building.
Extra Tips and Precautions
When cleaning your building it’s also important to remember the surrounding area. Are you going to be cleaning a building that has a lot of surrounding greenery or landscaping? If so, it’s a good idea to also thoroughly water these areas before washing your building. The watering will help the plants not retain any on the detergent.
When washing sections with doors it is important to check the seals to make sure no water or soap mixture leaks to the inside. If you notice leaking do not wash with a pressure washer and wash the doors by hand.
You’re done! You now have the knowledge to tackle this project if you would like. Happy washing!