Why You Should Hire a Professional Pressure Washing Service
Hiring a professional pressure washing service can instantly enhance the appearance and curb appeal of your home or commercial property. In addition to being an eyesore, a dirty, grimy building will likely drive potential customers away. For homeowners, power washing can immediately improve the appearance of your home’s exterior, driveway, pavers, fencing, gutters, shed, and other property fixtures, providing an instant facelift.
“Power washing” and “pressure washing” are often used interchangeably. Pressure washing uses a high-pressure water spray with the help of a motorized air pump to clean surfaces. Detergent is sometimes used for more intense cleaning. Pressure washing is similar to power washing, except that heat is added for more effective cleaning. The heat helps kill bacteria and amps up the process a notch.
Both pressure washing and power washing can tackle large surfaces and effectively remove stuck-on dirt, grime, mud, stains, grease, salt, mold, chewing gum, etc. It takes only a fraction of the time with the right equipment to accomplish what would normally take hours with just soap and brushes.
The Potential Dangers of DIY Pressure Washing
Pressure washing can restore the appearance of garages, parking lots, driveways, entryways, fences, patios, pavers, roofs, sidewalks, soffits, gutters, walkways, exterior walls, siding, windows, wood decks, and more. Although pressure washing offers many benefits, it can easily damage surfaces if you’re not careful.
Pressure washer consumer models can easily reach pressures around 2800 psi, while commercial units can reach upwards of 4000 psi. Due to the extreme pressure involved, it’s easy to do some serious damage in just a short time. But, despite having little or no experience, many homeowners will attempt a power washing project due to its effectiveness, which can result in the following damage:
- Stripped paint
- Shredded window screens
- Loose and dented vinyl siding
- Loose brickwork from cut mortar
- Damaged seals on windows, resulting in clouding and water damage
- Splintered or cracked wood
- Algae, mold, and mildew growth from water build-up beneath the siding
In addition to potentially damaging your property, thousands of injuries are attributed to pressure washing annually, according to Consumer Reports. A pressure washer’s powerful spray can be dangerous and instantly damage the skin when misdirected. Lacerations, bruises, punctures, and eye injuries are some of the most common pressure washing injuries. Always wear goggles, long pants, and sturdy footwear to protect yourself when pressure washing.
Most problems can be avoided by hiring a professional pressure washing service. While some simple household jobs can be done easily with consumer-grade equipment and little experience, don’t hesitate to call in the experts when you need to. Often, bigger jobs are more complicated than they appear, and more dangerous jobs like DIY roof cleaning are not worth the risk.
How Does Pressure Washing Damage Occur?
Several factors can contribute to damage from power washing, such as;
- Pressure Level. Too high a pressure level can inflict damage on your property. The higher the pressure used, the more damage it can cause. The right pressure level depends on the surface you are cleaning.
- Distance. The distance between the wand and the surface is equally important. Being too close to the surface you are washing can cause splashback. Similar to the pressure level, the minimum safe distance is determined by the surface material.
- Nozzles. Power washing uses more than one nozzle, depending on the surface. Just like the pressure level and distance, using the wrong nozzle on a surface can cause damage instantly.
- Cleaning Solutions. The surface material determines which cleaning solutions are necessary and safe. For instance, acidic solutions can corrode wood.
- Length of Time. Directing pressurized water in a single area for too long can cause damage.
Most jobs don’t require that much pressure. A pressure washer gallons per minute (GPM) rating is often more relevant than the pressure rating. GPM measures how much water the washer can output in a minute. Hard and porous surfaces like concrete driveways and sidewalks are good candidates for high-pressure washing, though not too much.
For softer materials like wood, shingles, painted surfaces, and vinyl siding, a “soft wash” is more appropriate. This technique focuses more on volume than pressure, and cleaning solutions help break up dirt without damaging surfaces.
Hiring a Professional Pressure Washing Service – Cleanstart
We can cut through the toughest dirt, stains, grime, algae, mineral deposits, and anything else that detracts from your property’s appearance and structural integrity. Our soft wash pressure washing service can restore and bring new life to building surfaces without the high cost of resurfacing. You’ll be amazed at the results when we are finished!
Call the Cleanstart team at (253) 921-2593 for more information about our high quality pressure washing service or request a free estimate by filling out our contact form today! We proudly serve the following areas in Greater Puget Sound:
Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bonney Lake, Bremerton, Factoria, Fife, Gig Harbor, Kent, Lakewood, Olympia, Puyallup, Renton, Seattle, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, King County, Kitsap County, Pierce County, and Thurston County.
