Greene County
Pressure Washing

Fence

A wood fence is a deck standing up. The same soft earlywood erodes under pressure, and it usually has a garden bed along its base taking all the runoff.

Treat it like a deck

Method
Cleaner and a brush, rinse low pressure with a fan tip.
Pressure
Low to medium setting on wood. Vinyl: follow the fence maker.
Cleaners
Diluted household bleach (1:5) or oxygen bleach for mildew on wood.

Pressure or soft washing

Soft wash Cleaner goes on first, a soft brush does the scrubbing, and a garden hose does the rinsing.
distance
Pressure wash A machine pushes water through a nozzle. The tip, the distance and the angle set how hard it hits. Treat it like a deck

Everything the Forest Products Laboratory says about decks applies to wood fences: power washing erodes the softer earlywood and leaves ridges, so keep the pressure low and the stream pointed down1. Olympic’s advice is a fan-style tip at a low to medium setting2.

For vinyl fences, use the fence maker’s care guide. We have not found a general industry source for vinyl fencing to cite.

Nozzle and pressure

40° 25° 15° 0°
Spray angle by nozzle tip. A narrow angle puts the same water on one small spot; a wide fan spreads it out. This guide’s sources name no tip angle. Your maker’s care guide sets the limit.

No source we checked gives a pressure figure for fences. Low setting, fan tip, and keep the wand back from the boards so it doesn’t leave lines2.

Cleaners to use and avoid

Use

  • One part household bleach to five parts water for mildew, never stronger than one to three1.
  • Oxygen bleach, which is gentler on wood than chlorine bleach1.

Avoid

  • Liquid detergent or ammonia mixed with bleach1.
  • Jet-style tips2.

Protect plants and keep runoff out of drains

Cleaning chemicals can damage plants and grass. The Brick Industry Association’s advice holds for any surface: protect nearby plants, and where needed keep the cleaning solution and runoff off plants and the soil around them3. Soaking beds with plain water before and after, and covering what you can, is the practical version of that.

Street drains are not sewers. EPA reminds people that storm drains lead directly to local waterways, not to treatment facilities. Its tips for washing outdoors: use biodegradable, phosphate-free, water-based detergents, use as little as you can, wash on a driveway or yard rather than in the street, and send the wash water onto grass or gravel4. In Greene County, polluted runoff that enters the storm sewers is often discharged into local rivers and streams without treatment5, and Beavercreek asks residents not to dump anything down a storm sewer or drain6.

If you see suds, a rainbow sheen or an odd color in a ditch, stream or storm drain, Greene County asks you to report it to the County Engineer’s Office at 937-562-75007.

Common damage

  • Etched, furry picketsRaised latewood ridges from aggressive power washing are hard to refinish1.
  • Wand linesA tip held too close leaves marks that stain won’t cover2.

When not to pressure wash at all

  • On old painted fences that might have lead paint1.
  • To strip paint, which takes enough pressure to erode the wood deeply1.
  • Toward a neighbor’s yard, car or open windows on the other side.

Step by step

  1. Check both sidesLook at what is behind the fence: a neighbor’s garden, a car, a window.
  2. Protect the bedSoak and cover plants along the base of the fence.
  3. Apply the cleanerBrush on diluted bleach or oxygen bleach, a section at a time.
  4. Rinse downwardRinse with a hose or a low setting and fan tip, keeping the stream pointed down.

Before you start, read the safety page. If the job looks bigger than you want to take on, DIY or hire lays out what each way involves.

Sources

Every superscript number on this page points to one of these. Each was read on the date shown.

  1. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material, Chapter 16 “Finishing Wood” (FPL-GTR-282, 2021) USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. Checked 2026-10-26.
  2. Power Washing Tips Olympic (PPG). Checked 2026-10-26.
  3. Technical Note 20: Cleaning Brickwork (August 2018) Brick Industry Association. Checked 2026-10-26.
  4. Stormwater Best Management Practice: Vehicle Maintenance and Washing (EPA-832-F-21-032F) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked 2026-10-26.
  5. Stormwater Basics Greene County, Ohio. Checked 2026-10-26.
  6. FAQs: Stormwater Program City of Beavercreek, Ohio. Checked 2026-10-26.
  7. Illicit Discharge & Illegal Dumping Greene County, Ohio. Checked 2026-10-26.