7 Tips to Pressure Wash Your Home

If your house has dust and grime sticking to the walls, giving it a shoddy look, it can become a source of embarrassment for you in the neighborhood. Getting the house repainted is an option, but may prove heavy on the pocket. The next best option is to pressure wash it.

This certainly requires buying a good and effective pressure washer. If you are wondering how to identify a suitable one, read pressure washer reviews. These will help you in shortlisting the best for your purpose. Once you have acquired the required water pressure, you can face up to the challenge of pressure washing your home.

Tips for pressure washing

We give you seven tips to pressure wash your home:

#1 Get the correct pressure washer

The pressure washer should be able to dispense a suitable amount of water in gallons per minute. The ideal machine for a thorough cleaning job should be able to deliver 5 GPM with 3,700 PSI. In addition to water, it should also be able to dispense cleaning products. Even though water is enough for cleaning, chemicals are required to prevent mold and mildew from making a comeback. Adding a little chlorine to the water will keep these infestations away, since concrete absorbs the chlorine and ensures protection for a longer duration.

#2 Be safe

A pressure washer needs some expertise to operate and risks of getting hurt while operating are high. This is because of the high-pressure water blast that not only has the potential to damage property, but cause serious injury too. Just to cite an example, a new pressure washer is so powerful that it can take the paint off the house. Just imagine if the nozzle mistakenly gets directed towards your face! That is why it is always advisable to wear eye and ear protection, as also gloves, boots and long-sleeved shirt. You should also double check if the hose is securely clipped, since everything from machine to the hose to the gun are under tremendous pressure. Any insecure link can just pop and cause injury.

#3 Set suitable pressure

Just because you have a pressure washer doesn’t mean that you have to wash and clean everything under high pressure. It is prudent to start with a low setting, when cleaning a house or a deck. For more stubborn surfaces, select an appropriate nozzle and apply the water pressure carefully. In case you are applying chemicals, apply them properly from ground up and then rinse from top down, so that the chemicals don’t dry up.

#4 Don’t ignore the gutters

Power washing the gutters each season is important to keep them open. If the gutters get blocked, the water from the roof will not freely flow down the pipes into the storm drains and, instead, flood your yard during rains.

#5 Keep your assets safe

Before you begin cleaning your home with a pressure washer, have a look around. If you find potted plants, children’s toys, your car or bike in the way, remove them to a safe place out of the spraying range of your washer or cover them up. In case this is not done, the pressure stream and the chemical runoff may damage them. Before you start the pressure washing, rinse these objects with water. Once home washing is completed, rinse them with water once again to dilute the chemicals that may have settled on them.

#6 Pressure washer has its limitations

If a stain is too intense, no matter how much water pressure you apply to it, it will not budge. But, as a result, you might end up damaging the surface, if you try too hard. For example, oil spots on the driveway will not go away by pressure washing. Even fertilizer, rust and acorn stains are impossible to remove from the driveway. Although mold and mildew get easily removed, they tend to leave the surface a bit discolored, which won’t go away by pressure washing.

#7 Know your own capabilities

Pressure washing the house seems fun and you may feel up to the task. But, it is not a must that you will be able to do a thorough job of it. This is because you are not an expert at handling a pressure washer and don’t really know which nozzle to use and for what. So, if you think you have bitten more than you can chew in electing to wash your house, call in the professionals, who are experienced in such jobs. In any case, call the experts if your house is more than one story high, since roof can be dangerous to work on. Professionals have equipment that can clean a house four stories tall without using a ladder.

Conclusion

Using a pressure washer to clean your premises is both a time-saving and money-saving activity. It will not only refresh the exterior of your home, but also help in closer inspection of your home to identify any damage or deterioration. Take full precautions in handling the pressure washer, though.