1. To protect you house's exterior fixtures, like lights, landscaping shrubs and plants, from harmful water pressure, cover them with drop cloths or plastic covering and secure with tape.

2. Wet the entire surface first, this will prevent streaking.

3. For best results hold the nozzle 4 to 5 inches from the surface.

4. Start with a wide spray pattern and move closer to the surface until you begin to see results and spray with smooth, even strokes.

5. If you concentrate in one area for too long, your overall result will not be even and consistent. Similarly try and keep the nozzle the same distance from the surface during the whole spray. A handy tip is to pick sections to work with – i.e squares on a patio – this makes your progress easier to track.

6. For heavily stained areas you can add some cleaning detergent for deeper penetration, but for the sake of the environment, choose a detergent without harmful chemical runoff. You can also use turbo or brush attachments in tough spots.

7. When mixing detergent the rough guide is approximately 5 kilograms of a non-phosphate concentrated cleaner for every 15 litres of washing water, but be sure to check the directions on the cleaning solution.

8. For vertical projects such as fences or walls, begin at the bottom and work upwards.

9. Allow house surface to dry for at least 2 days before painting.