Having a pressure washer at home allows you to clean anything you want at any time. But it’s more than that. Access to such satisfying equipment also gives you endless excuses to keep your home and stuff clean, more frequently. While it can turn into a very healthy hobby, frequent and improper use can damage this equipment and also cause injuries.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most useful pressure washing tips that will help you to enjoy cleaning in the long run. We will also include tips on cleaning some of the most common parts like decks and fences. So, without any further ado, let’s start with tip number one.
Safety First
How boring! While safety tips might seem boring, they are crucial. Pressure washers are extremely powerful machines and can easily cause severe bruises, scratches, and even deep cuts. Every year thousands of injuries are reported in the US just because of injuries caused by these machines.
Before turning the switch on, always ensure that your kids and pets aren’t around. They have relatively weaker skin and can easily be injured by the high pressure. Always wear protective gear like full-sleeve shirts, full pants, safety shoes, gloves, and goggles to protect yourself from any accident. And the most obvious is that you should never ever point it at another person even when it’s turned off. You should take extreme care of this, especially during fence pressure washing. Make sure that no one is passing by on the other side of the fence as the water stream can hurt them through the gaps in the fence.
Avoid carbon monoxide
The pump that creates the pressure water is often consuming some sort of fuel. The combustion creates carbon monoxide. That is why it’s extremely important to use your washer in an open environment with proper airflow.
Caution while washing painted surfaces
Pressure washers have the ability to rip off dirt, grime, and the most stubborn particles. It is not difficult for these machines to strip the paint off of a surface. Now the problem with that is, that the paint might contain lead. Lead is a very harmful chemical that was used in paints up until 1978. If you are living in an old building then chances of lead-based paint are higher. So, if you are planning to strip or wash a painted surface, always get it checked for lead.
Bright pressure on the right surface
Using the right pressure for the right job is crucial. If you are using low pressure to remove stains, then it might take you forever to do it. Or if you are doing deck pressure washing with the highest pressure, then you will end up with a dented and eroded wooden deck. Knowing the right pressure to use on the right surface will almost turn you into a pro.
Know your muzzles
Talking about the right pressures, we can’t emphasize enough to be aware of all the nozzles that come with your pressure washing set. Those colors aren’t just spare nozzles, they all have different openings with different diameters to provide a specific amount of pressure. Below are the different colored nozzles and their diameters.
- Red nozzle: 0⁰
- Yellow nozzle: 15⁰
- Green nozzle: 25⁰
- White nozzle: 40⁰
- Black nozzle: soap spray
The strongest pressure is off the red nozzle with a straight and sharp stream of water. The black nozzle has the lowest pressure and is often used to create a stream of foam, mostly for washing cars and windows.
Perform test washes
Even if you have all the nozzles sorted out and know which pressure to use, it’s always a smart thing to perform test washes on a small area. For example in vinyl siding pressure washing, select the lower left siding on the back side of the house. Perform a test wash on that siding only. It the pressure is ideal, it will effortlessly remove all the dirt and mud and will provide a clean look. If it’s more than needed, then only a minor part of your siding will be damaged. This process can protect you from forming holes and dents in delicate parts of your property.
Proper water supply
Now it’s obvious that you need lots of water to use your washer in the first place. Make sure that the hose you are connecting your machine to has adequate water flow. You can measure that by placing a bucket and knowing what’s the capacity of that bucket. Set a timer of 1 minute on your mobile and fill the bucket using the hose you intend to use.
The GPM (Gallons per minute) of that hose should be equal to or more than the GPM of the machine you are using. Running your washer dry can seriously damage it.
Aside from cleaning, water plays another important role. Almost all the machines are designed to cool off the pump using the same water that is being supplied to the machine. This ingenious design helps to continuously cool down the pump while you are using it. Make sure that you keep pressing the trigger if you have to take a pause of one minute or longer. It will keep the pump at optimal temperatures.
Don’t use hot water!
Always remember that pressure washers are not designed to take hot water. There are other washers that are called “Power Washers” that can take in hot water. People often confuse both and do damage to their pressure washers. Make sure that you drain all the hot water from the gardening hose, before connecting it to your washer.
Conclusion:
Using a pressure washer isn’t rocket science, you just have to point it in the right direction and squeeze the trigger. But knowing the above information and tips will help you use these powerful tools in the most efficient and safe manner. Along with these general tips and precautions, you should always read the full user manual that comes with the machine. You won’t face any issues if you follow all of the above.