Pressure washing is a great way to keep your home exterior looking fresh. Knowing how to use the pressure washer correctly will help you avoid costly mistakes and repairs. Pressure washing like a pro is all about technique, knowledge, and safety. Take a closer look at each of the following light duty techniques;
Pressure Washing Technique
Pressure washing is not as easy as it looks, so it’s important to start out slowly and get comfortable with your machine before diving in head first. Follow these tips to perfect your technique.
- Use a 40-degree nozzle for cleaning decks, cars and siding; 25-degree nozzles are too harsh for these materials.
- For concrete and brick, switch to a 0-degree nozzle to remove built up grime; this nozzle is too harsh for softer materials like wood.
- If you’re unsure which nozzle you need, go with one that’s lower on the pressure scale and work your way up (25 degrees over 40). The higher the pressure, the more damage it can do if used incorrectly.
- Use a sweeping side-to-side motion when using a pressure washer on any surface — this will help prevent damage from occurring due to the high pressure water stream.
Common Mistakes Made When Pressure Washing
While pressure washing is a great way to clean your home’s exterior, it isn’t something that you should do without much thought. There are some common mistakes that you can make when you are using a pressure washer. Here are four of them to avoid:
- Using too Much Pressure
When you use too much pressure, you could cause damage to your home’s exterior. Pressure washers have different settings and the right setting for your home is going to depend on what it is made of. It is best to start out with a lower setting and work your way up. If you find that the water isn’t removing something, switch to a higher setting rather than just adding more pressure.
- Not Cleaning the Washer
Before you store your pressure washer for the winter, you need to make sure that it is completely clean. If there is any water left in the washer, it can freeze and cause damage to the entire unit. You also need to make sure that all of the parts are completely dry before storing so they don’t rust over the winter months when they aren’t being used.
- Using Too Much Detergent
It can be tempting to add more detergent than necessary when cleaning your house with a pressure washer because you see immediate results.
- Not Using the Right Equipment
The type of equipment you use will depend on the surface that you are cleaning. For example, you might need a different nozzle attachment if you are cleaning your driveway as opposed to your garage door. If you have pressure washed in the past, make sure that all of your equipment is still working properly. Also, look at your house and decide if there are areas that need extra attention such as hard-to-reach spots like under your eaves or behind the air conditioning unit.
- Not Keeping Enough Distance
One of the common mistakes beginners make is getting too close to the surface they are cleaning with their pressure washer. This is actually very dangerous because in some cases it can cause the machine to kick back at you or even explode in your face! So always, keep a safe distance between yourself and whatever surface you are cleaning with your power washer (usually about 12 inches).
Once you are sure you have mastered these techniques, you can acquire moderate pressure machines from Giraffetools collections.
