Pressure wash the house and drive

An afternoon that makes a house look a decade newer. Nothing else on this list is cheaper.

How much to wash?

square feet

This fits in a car

About 25 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 2 items on the list have no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

Never point a pressure washer at a person, and never use one off a ladder — the kickback is what puts people on the ground. Keep it off windows, light fittings and anything electrical.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Cleaning

1 gallon of house wash concentrateA house wash made for a pressure washer, not neat bleach — bleach kills the planting under the wall and takes the colour out of the trim.
1 gallon of concrete and driveway cleaner
1 Soft wash brush on a pole
1 roll of plastic sheeting

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 Pressure washer
1 Fan tips, 25 and 40 degree

Safety

1 Safety goggles· most people have this
1 Boots with grip· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about an afternoon · beginner

Shut the windows, cover the outdoor sockets and light fittings, and wet down the planting along the wall before you start.
Put the house wash on from the bottom up with the low-pressure nozzle and give it ten minutes — do not let it dry on.
Rinse from the top down with the 40-degree tip, keeping it moving and angled down so water does not get pushed up under the siding.
Do the drive and the path last with the 25-degree tip, in overlapping passes so it dries without stripes.
Rinse the planting again once you are finished.

Something else

Build a raised garden bed Mulch a flower bed Paint a room Put up garage shelving Fix a patchy lawn Build a fire pit Mount a TV on the wall Cookout for a crowd

Feeding people instead? The recipe book works the same way — pick a meal, say how many, every ingredient lands on the list.