Power Washing Without Ruining Exterior Stains and Paints
Sam Lutz • March 25, 2019
You want your house to be clean, but you also want it to have a good paint job. You can have both! Read on for information about power washing safely.
Power Washing Impressive Cleaning Powers
Cleaning the exterior of your home can be time consuming, physically exerting and often hard to do well. Luckily, pressure washers help us with this. These babies use up to 80% less water than a hose with nearly 50 times the power behind it, saving you time and money. However, if you’re not careful, you can do more harm than good to the outside of your home.
Be Safe and Efficient with Your Power Washer
Even a pressure washer with a low psi can be hazardous to both your home and your body. Never aim the pressure washer at any people, pets, or prized plants. Make sure to grip tightly so you have complete control over the machine at all times.
To protect exterior paints and stains, make sure to move side to side in a sweeping motion. It’s not good to concentrate the pressure on one area for an extended time. You also always want to start on the lowest pressure. If you find it’s not enough and isn’t causing damage to your house, you can notch it up slowly. However, if you start high and ruin your paint job, it’ll be too late to lower the pressure.
You also want to start farther away from the area you’re cleaning. Standing too close can break away stain or even damage softer woods. Start at least ten steps away and come forward one step at a time to test results. You just need to be able to remove dirt and grime, not blast away paint and vibrancy.
Pick the Power Washing Right Equipment
There are multiple nozzles to choose from when fitting your power washer, and they all help to harness the water in the appropriate way for the job at hand. When low-pressure washing your siding or deck, you’ll want to use a wider nozzle, around 40 degrees.
For washing away dirt and grime on concrete and masonry work, you’ll want to go for a 24-degree nozzle. If you have stubborn stains on a strong surface, you can try the zero to 15 degree nozzles, but do so very carefully. This concentrated spray is very powerful.
Come to Ace When You’re Ready to Repaint or Stain
If cleaning’s not going to cut it this year and you want a fresh new look, we can help! Visit one of our South Hills locations or check out our online store
today!
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