TIPS ON PRESSURE WASHING YOUR CLEVELAND HOME
Pressure washers are for washing. They are not for removing paint. If you manage to use a pressure washer as a paint remover, you’re probably washing hard enough to damage the siding, and possibly forcing water inside the walls. The reason to wash the house is to remove dirt, algae, mildew, and oxidation that can cause paint failure.
Pressure Washer Tips
Most pressure washers come with a set of tips that produce various spray angles. As you would expect, the different angles control the strength of the water stream. The 0º tip focuses an extremely powerful jet of water at a narrow area. To avoid damaging the siding, I recommend losing this tip. I use the 15º tip for most of my work. This tip works well 4 ft. from the surface. For a light wash, such as to remove sanding dust, the 25º tip works well. I honestly don’t find a 45º tip to be much of an improvement over a regular garden hose.
The largest tip is usually a specialty tip to use with the chemical injector. A chemical injector is an in-line T that works like those bottles you attach to a hose to spray gardening chemicals.
Position is everything, as you make your way around the house, work from the top down, washing from clean areas to unwashed areas. Instead of shooting water up at the house, work from a ladder and wash downward to avoid forcing water under the siding.
Start with the gun pointing away from the house. Swing the stream into the siding and wash by moving the wand perpendicular to the house.
For types of dirt that are extremely difficult to remove from your Cleveland home, power washing or pressure washing is considered as the most effective method of washing them away. Follow these tips below or hire our Cleveland Pressure Washing contractors to complete the job for you!
The reason is because power washing cleans surfaces using power, chemicals, and heat. With these three properties working together, you can practically clean any type of surface as fast as you possibly can. Pressure washing breaks the bond between the surface and any type of dirt, be it grease, mud, dust, grit, ink, and stains. It’s the most effective and most efficient cleaner device since it works on both the physical and the molecular level.
Power washing is most useful once the winter is concluded and has paved the way for spring time. Due to the winter months, accumulated dirt of many kinds are latched into the garage, the drive way, the car, the roof, and the walls. Some of these are very difficult to reach, and since pressure washing uses a power washer hose, you can reach even most hidden nooks and crannies as long as you know how to use it.
Even if power washing is a nifty cleaning device, some rules still have to be maintained and followed.
Change the power washer hose regularly
Power washing uses chemicals, force, and heat. The combination of these properties can cause wear and tear on the hose that the pressure washing is using. This is why regular changes have to be made. It’s advisable that you buy the most durable power washer hose within your means. In order to gauge the type of power washer hose to use, it is advised that you check on the device’s user manual since there might be specifics that can contribute to how fast damages can be incurred by pressure washing.
Choose chemical solutions wisely
It is imperative that you use chemical solutions that have been approved for pressure washer use. Unapproved detergents may not be environment friendly and can be harmful not only to the environment but also to yourself and the people around you.
Test the power
There are pressure levels that might destroy a particular type of surface. So read the user manual, and always try a pressure test before pressure washing on any surface. Even metallic surfaces can be deceiving since there’s brittleness to consider too. Pressure washing is well suited for many types of surfaces, such as wood, granite, aluminum, and more. The key is to learn which power level to use. In case of hardboards, a different cleaning method might be best since this type of surface is very sensitive.
Choose the right nozzles
Every power washer comes with different types of nozzles, each of which have their own respective functions. They come in different colors (red, green, yellow, and white) and each has a corresponding pressure level. Nozzles serve two functions: one is to lower the pressure and draw on the chemical and the other is for high pressure rinsing and with varying spray angles.
Thorough power washing
Pointing the hose haphazardly about won’t just do. Better if you spray horizontally from left to right with measured lengths of sweeps. Do the same vertically and it will be difficult to miss a spot.
