Powerhouse Professional Cleaning Chemical

Powerhouse Professional Cleaning Chemical for Pressure Washing

Most house wash jobs involve more than one kind of dirt. You have got black gutter streaks, mildew on the siding, chalky oxidation on aluminum trim, and general grime on every surface between the roofline and the foundation. Powerhouse handles all of that in a single product. Instead of carrying three or four specialty chemicals on the truck, you batch one mix and work the entire exterior.

Powerhouse is a concentrated alkaline cleaning chemical formulated for professional pressure washers. It is designed to cut through organic growth, oxidation, road film, and general buildup on vinyl, aluminum, stucco, EIFS, painted wood, brick, and most other exterior surfaces contractors encounter on a residential or light commercial job.

What Powerhouse Cleans

This is a general purpose exterior cleaning chemical, not a specialty product. It is built for the work that makes up the bulk of a house washing contractor's schedule:

The gutter streak performance is worth mentioning specifically. Black gutter streaks are one of the most common callbacks in the house wash business. They are caused by a combination of oxidation runoff, electrostatic bonding, and road film that adheres to the gutter face over time. Most general cleaners leave those streaks behind and you end up having to hand-wipe or use a separate gutter chemical. Powerhouse is formulated to break that bond so the streaks come off during the normal wash process.

Specifications

How to Use Powerhouse

Powerhouse is a concentrate. You do not use it straight out of the jug. The right dilution depends on your application method and the severity of the job.

Downstream Injector Method

If you are drawing Powerhouse through a downstream chemical injector, your machine is already diluting the product at a fixed ratio determined by the injector orifice and your water flow. A typical downstream injector draws at roughly a 10:1 to 20:1 ratio. For most house washing work, mix Powerhouse at roughly 3 to 5 ounces per gallon of water in your draw bucket, and let the injector pull from that. Adjust based on how dirty the surface is and how well the chemical is cutting.

X-Jet and 12V Pump Method

These systems give you more control over dilution at the nozzle. Mix Powerhouse according to label directions for your proportioner ratio. The product is strong enough that you usually do not need to run it heavy. Start at the lighter end of the recommended dilution and increase if the job calls for it.

Batch Tank Method

If you are mixing in a batch tank for a soft wash pump, dilute Powerhouse into the tank at the recommended ratio and apply directly. This method gives you the most consistent coverage and lets you add sodium hypochlorite to the same batch if the job needs both a cleaner and a sanitizer.

Application Tips

• Apply bottom to top. Chemical applied to a dry surface at the top runs down over the dry siding below it, which can leave drip marks. Working bottom to top keeps everything wet and prevents streaking.
• Let it dwell. Powerhouse needs contact time to work. Apply it, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes (do not let it dry on the surface), and then rinse top to bottom.
• Rinse thoroughly. Alkaline residue left on a surface can leave a haze, especially on dark-colored siding. A full top-to-bottom rinse with clean water after the dwell time takes care of that.
• Pre-wet landscaping. As with any cleaning chemical, wet down plants, grass, and shrubs adjacent to the work area before you start and rinse them again after. Powerhouse is not designed to kill plants, but concentrated chemical runoff is never good for landscaping.

Powerhouse vs. Specialty Chemicals

There are situations where Powerhouse is the right call and situations where a specialty product does a better job. Knowing the difference saves you time and callbacks.

Powerhouse earns its name on the everyday residential house wash where the entire exterior needs one chemical that handles vinyl, aluminum, stucco, and painted surfaces in a single application. When the job gets more specialized, reach for the right specialty product from the list above.

Pairing Powerhouse with Sodium Hypochlorite

Many contractors mix Powerhouse into a sodium hypochlorite (SH) batch for house washing and soft washing. The Powerhouse acts as the surfactant and cleaning agent while the SH handles the sanitizing and organic kill. This combination is effective on heavy mildew, algae, and organic growth where Powerhouse alone might need a second application.

Mix rate with SH: 1/2 gallon of Powerhouse per 5 gallons of finished mix. Use the whole batch the same day. Don't expect a saved batch to work correctly tomorrow; once surfactant is in with the SH, the mix loses strength overnight. To get exact gallons of SH, water, and Powerhouse for any batch size, use our free SH Mix Calculator.

If you go this route, follow dilution guidelines carefully. Over-concentrating SH can damage landscaping, bleach paint, and corrode metals. Powerhouse mixed with SH at proper ratios gives you a one-and-done wash on most residential exteriors.

Volume Pricing and Sizes

Powerhouse is available in sizes from a single gallon up to 55 gallon drums. The per-gallon cost drops significantly as you move up in volume, which is why most full-time contractors buy in 5 gallon pails or drums.

• 1 Gallon - good for trying the product or keeping a spare on the truck
• 4 Gallons - covers a handful of residential jobs
• 5 Gallons - the standard contractor purchase, covers roughly 15 to 25 average house washes depending on dilution
• 30 Gallon Drum - for crews running multiple rigs or heavy weekly volume
• 55 Gallon Drum - bulk pricing for high-volume operations

Storage and Shelf Life

Store Powerhouse in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Keep the cap sealed when not in use. Like most concentrated cleaning chemicals, Powerhouse has a long shelf life when stored properly. It does not lose potency sitting on a shelf the way sodium hypochlorite does, so buying ahead and stocking up during the off-season is a reasonable strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Powerhouse in a consumer pressure washer?

Yes, as long as you are using an appropriate application method. Most consumer pressure washers have a soap siphon or detergent tank. Dilute Powerhouse according to the label and run it through the detergent system. Do not pour it into the fuel tank or water inlet.

Is Powerhouse safe for Hardie board siding?

Yes. Hardie board (fiber cement) is one of the tougher exterior surfaces. Powerhouse cleans it without any issues at normal dilution ratios.

Will Powerhouse strip paint?

Not at recommended dilution ratios. Powerhouse is safe on painted surfaces in good condition. If the existing paint is already failing, peeling, or chalking heavily, any cleaning chemical or pressure can accelerate the release of loose material. That is a paint problem, not a chemical problem.

Can I mix Powerhouse with other cleaning chemicals?

Powerhouse pairs well with sodium hypochlorite for enhanced sanitizing power. Do not mix it with acidic cleaners. Mixing alkaline and acidic chemicals neutralizes both and can produce hazardous fumes depending on the specific products involved. If the job needs both an alkaline cleaner and an acid, apply them in separate steps with a water rinse between.

How much does one gallon of Powerhouse cover?

Coverage varies by dilution and application method. At typical downstream dilution, one gallon of concentrate can wash 3 to 5 average-size residential exteriors. Heavy jobs with stubborn gutter streaks or thick organic growth will use more product per house.

Does Powerhouse kill mold and mildew?

Powerhouse cleans mold and mildew from surfaces. For kill-on-contact sanitizing, pair it with sodium hypochlorite. The Powerhouse handles the cleaning and surface penetration while the SH kills the organism at the root.

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