If you’ve been staring at that gunk on your house for too long or you just want to reminisce about going to the car wash, power washing is the chore for you.

Renting a power washer is a fairly simple task and watching the aforementioned gunk come off your house can be a rewarding experience. You’ll feel like whatever you washed is new again. Before you start make sure you plan a couple things so that the process can go as smooth as possible:

Know what you’re cleaning
Make sure you have a plan of what you’re going to clean. Some things may be too fragile to have high pressure exerted on them so you will want to use good judgment. Things such as vents, windows and small exterior light fixtures are areas where disaster is possible if the pressure is too high.

Have a plan
Once you have a plan, know which way you want to go about it. Remember: Always spray from the top of the object to the bottom that way you don’t have mildew and fungus running down the wall you already cleaned.

Know the power
Before you have at it, make sure you know what the pressure will be like against the surface you will be spraying. Start three to four feet away and move the wand from side to side. If it is effectively cleaning from that point, there is no need to move closer. If not, gradually move the wand closer to see what the ideal distance is.