Often times I am asked by Clients how to clean a particular surface. A moldy driveway, cobwebs from the eaves, dirty siding, etc.
"What Would You Do, Brent?" I admit…I love this.
Most people are under the impression they can just pull out their pressure washer, hook it up and start spraying. This is okay in plenty of instances, but can sometimes be a huge time-waster and even a careless choice depending upon the surface being cleaned.
What Does That Mean? - It means the surface can be damaged beyond repair. You may have a clean front porch, but if you used too much pressure, it will leave scars everyone will see. Was it worth the cleaning?
Also, just using water can seriously lengthen the amount of time it takes to clean a surface - depending upon the amount of dirt, mold, grime, whatever is on the surface.
Using a combination of cleaning options will save time, energy and headaches with scarring or discoloring surfaces. These tips have helped me tremendously and I recommend you consider each option the next time you have a cleaning project with a pressure washer. Remember, using them in combination will make the project easier to handle.
1. Heat - If you had to wash the dishes tonight, would you use hot water or cold water? Hot, right? Why? It cuts the grease faster. So it is true in pressure washing, but not necessarily a good solution for the homeowner or pressure washing business who focuses on residential communities.
Let me explain:
Upside: A hot water pressure washer will cut at least 30 of the time it takes to clean a surface. When cleaning a really large surface, there is simply no better choice.
Downsides: Cost - These machines are very expensive to buy and operate. They use diesel and unleaded at the same time, virtually doubling your operating costs. Considering the cost of unleaded and diesel these days, it can easily add $25 or more to the cost of just running the machine.
Effect on Environment - These machines are not good to operate around plants because of the hot water. Imagine running 200 degree water, at 4 gallons per minute, for 1 hour, next to your flower bed. You've just put 240 gallons of hot water on the roots of your plants. How long do you think they will live?
Special Note: In Austin, we have Aquifer Recharge Zones and it is illegal to operate a hot water pressure washer over these zones without a special filtration system (usually $4500 for this). The Reason - The hot water releases too much dirt too fast for the sewer system to handle and the water must be filtered before it can go down the sewer pipes. The cost for violation of this rule - First Offense - $10,000 for the pressure washer and $10,000 for the person who hired the pressure washer. Ouch!
2. PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) - How much pressure are you applying to the surface? Every guy likes power. Many think the more power they have, the better it must be. Keep your PSI below 4000PSI and you will be right in most scenarios.
Having enough pressure in your machine will allow you to clean at a deeper level and make fewer passes over a surface to get it clean. Too much pressure will take off the top layer of a surface or damage it beyond repair. When using PSI as the tool of cleaning, always approach a surface from a distance, then moving in slowly for more pressure, until you find the right distance for cleaning ability without harming the surface.
3. Water Volume - GPM - How much water is being applied to the surface per minute? This actually has a great deal to do with cleaning power and any commercial unit will produce at least 3 GPM.
I never understood this concept until I was cleaning a beautiful cobblestone bridge next to the 18th tee box of an exclusive golf course community. The bridge sat very low over a "sometimes" creek and occasionally flooded when it rained. The flood waters always left a thick layer of mud so every car driving by would spread the mud around. Even though I had 3 workers with commercial grade machines, it would have taken all day to get this bridge completed. The mud was just too much.
Finally, one of the golf course workers suggested we use a 1" hose from the 18th tee box. What I didn't know is the hose allowed 35 GPM and had such force, it pushed the mud around like it was nothing. Instead of taking 8 hours to clean with 3 workers, I cleaned the bridge in 45 minutes with one hose. I then realized the cleaning power of water in volume. Amazing!
4. Chemical - This can be the best tool for anyone from the beginner to experienced professional. Why? Because it loosens the dirt and mold and keeps you from applying too much pressure to a surface before realizing it is too much.
You won't have to get too close to the surface and typically mold and dirt will peel off like a hot knife through warm butter. This also makes for a great time saver. Take off about 25 water and 50% Simple Green works great as a mild soap and really helps when cleaning wood, siding or just about anything with mold or dirt on the surface.
Make sure to thoroughly wet down the plants immediately around the area you plan to use the chemical around, apply the chemical, wash off, and repeat wetting down the plants again to flush the system.
Bleach - This works great on limestone, sandstone or any area that can handle bleach. You might need a little instruction with this so feel free to call me with any questions.
Armed with this information, you can make your cleaning time safer, more efficient and easier to complete.
Brent Bailey is a professional pressure washer in Austin, TX and loves to teach people how to get more out of their power washers. He can be reached at www.AustinPressureWashing.com
