Residential Powerwashing – Why it’s Best to Hire Professionals

12 Dec Residential Powerwashing – Why it’s Best to Hire Professionals

With so many home powerwashers on the market, it’s easy to understand why many homeowners assume residential powerwashing is a simple DIY task. While it is possible, powerwashing your home is a task better left to the professionals. In the hands of an inexperienced homeowner, a power washer can cause damage to the surface being cleaned. There is also the potential for damage to the machine itself or even personal injury. A professional powerwashing service has experience and will clearly understand the do’s and don’ts of residential powerwashing.

Choosing the Right Cleaning Chemicals

There are various cleaning chemicals that can be used when powerwashing and it’s important to pick the right one. There are chemicals for removing dirt and cleaners that sanitize and remove bacteria. There are also specific chemicals for different types of surfaces. The premixed solutions will be labeled with the surfaces they’re meant to be used on. 

Using a cleaning solution on a surface other than what it was intended for can damage it. For example, the cleaning solution used on your home’s vinyl siding wouldn’t be appropriate for your deck or driveway. There are specific cleaning solutions for siding, wood, and concrete. It is always safe to just use water in the powerwasher but using the appropriate solution for the surface being cleaned will provide better results. Professionals sometimes even mix their own cleaning solutions to achieve maximum results, one of the many reasons to hire a professional residential powerwashing service.

Choosing the Correct Nozzle

Using the right powerwashing nozzle is equally important as choosing the right cleaning solution. Powerwashers typically come with 4 to 5 different color-coded nozzles that regulate pressure. These nozzles are rated by the degree or width of the spray they deliver.

• The red nozzle is a zero-degree nozzle. It produces a narrow, concentrated stream of water that covers a very small area about the size of a quarter. The nozzle is normally used to remove tough stains or debris from metal and concrete. The zero-degree nozzle is not meant for use on wood or siding as it delivers a stream of water that is so powerful it can damage softer surfaces. 

• The next nozzle is yellow and delivers a 15-degree wide low-pressure spray. It can be used on most surfaces and is normally used for surface preparation to remove dirt, mildew or old paint. 

• The green nozzle provides a 25-degree wide spray that delivers a lower surface pressure. This makes it perfect for clearing away dirt and debris from decks, driveways, patio furniture and more without harm the surface below.

• The white 40-degree nozzle creates an even wider stream of water, appropriate for gently cleaning more delicate surfaces such as windows or vehicles. 

• The black 65-degree nozzle has a wider opening which decreases velocity and increases hose pressure. This low-pressure nozzle is most commonly used to apply cleaning solutions or detergent to surfaces.

Surfaces That Shouldn’t be Powerwashed

There are some surfaces that shouldn’t be powerwashed, especially not as a DIY project. While painted surfaces can be powerwashed, it takes a high level of skill to do it without destroying the paint. Even if the purpose of powerwashing is to remove old paint, special care should be taken not to damage the underlying surface.

Powerwashing an asphalt roof can significantly shorten its lifespan or ruin it completely. Powerwashing will loosen or even wash away the granules which provide more than just aesthetic value. They help protect against UV rays and provide fire resistance. In most cases, simply rinsing your home’s roof with the garden hose will clean away dirt and debris without damaging it.  If the roof is covered in mold mildew or moss, powerwashing may be the most effective way to clean it. However, it should only be done with very low pressure by a professional residential powerwashing service.

Old surfaces or structures such as old furniture, decks or wooden buildings shouldn’t be power washed. They can be dry rotted beneath the surface and deteriorate when power washed. Powerwashing stained wood can take the stain right out of the wood. That might be fine if you are planning to restain the wood. If not, skip the powerwashing. 

Residential Powerwashing Professionals

If you’re in need of residential powerwashing, the experts at Always Immaculate can have your home’s exterior sparkling in no time. Our trained professionals use biodegradable solutions to breakdown and penetrate soiled areas before powerwashing them. We use state of the art equipment which uses just enough pressure to remove dirt without harming your surfaces while keeping noise to a bare minimum. Contact us for all of your commercial and residential powerwashing needs.