Tips for Pressure Washing Your Home
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by: Craig Elliott
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The elements can wreak havoc on the exterior of your home and diminish its appearance. When you are preparing for spring cleaning, don’t forget about getting out the pressure washer and giving the siding on your home a good cleaning. This will not only restore its appearance, but removing minerals, dirt, debris, mildew, and pollutants protects it from the harmful affects that elements can cause to siding, helping it to last longer.
Personal safety and protecting siding and other items from damage should always be a main concern when using pressure washers. Your pressure washer came with a users guide, read it thoroughly before using the pressure washer to learn how to use it safely.
Small twigs and branches, rocks and small objects can become sharp, dangerous, and airborne projectiles when hit by a pressure washer and cause serious injuries. These should be removed beforehand to prevent accidents and serious injuries.
You should be properly clothed whenever using a pressure washer. This includes shoes with rubber soles to prevent slipping on wet surfaces, and a long sleeved shirt and jeans or slacks to protect the body should any debris strike you. Safety glasses to protect your eyes are a must when using a pressure washer a well.
Never point the nozzle of the pressure washer at your face or at others. If your pressure washer becomes clogged, keep it pointed away from you as you try to dislodge whatever is causing it to be clogged. If you cannot unclog it, turn your pressure washer off before inspecting the nozzle and hose for obstructions and removing them.
Children and pets should never be in the same area in which a pressure washer is being used due to the risk of serious injury that a pressure washer presents. The pressure of the water can cause burn like injuries and even remove layers of skin. The full pressure of the water hitting someone in the eye can cause serious eye injury and even damage that cannot be repaired and blindness. Children should be taught to stay away from pressure washers and to never play with them. A pressure washer should be stored where children cannot get to them and turn them on and risk hurting themselves with.
You should never stand on a ladder or makeshift platform to clean a two story home or tall building on your property with a pressure washer. Not only can the ladder or platform become slippery when wet, the ground underneath can become unstable due to the added moisture and cause an unexpected shifting of the ladder that could cause you to lose your balance and fall. Buy extension wands for your pressure washer to extend your reach to clean higher areas.
The force of the pressure propelling water from your pressure washer can also cause you to lose your balance. The pressure is controlled by the nozzle, open it gradually, letting yourself become adjusted and sure of your footing before opening it further and increasing the amount of pressure being released.
You need to protect your property from damage that can be caused by the high pressure of a pressure washer. Inspect your siding for loose or damaged panels before using a pressure washer to clean it. Panels that are loose, bent, or torn can be ripped off by a pressure washer causing further damage to your siding and increasing the cost of repairs. Always maintain a distance of 6 to 8 inches from siding and other objects you are cleaning with a pressure washer to prevent causing damage to them.
Storm windows should be removed prior to cleaning your siding because they can become loose and fall off and break during cleaning. The pressure washers recommended for washing your home with are not ideal for washing storm windows with, even when well secured. The higher pressure can take the paint of window trim and cause the wood to splinter. Use a smaller pressure washer to clean storm windows and similar small objects.
It is a good idea to clear your gutters of debris before cleaning your siding so that the debris is not blown out by the pressure washer and create a disgusting mess scattered on the ground below for you to have to pick up. Worse still, the debris could fall on you and hurt you. Dirt sprayed on your siding from your gutters will turn to mud and cause you to have to clean your siding twice.
If you live in an area where mildew buildup on your siding is common, you may need to use cleaners specifically made for mildew removal with your pressure washer. Check your user’s guide to ensure that a specific cleaner is safe to use with your specific model of pressure washer. Many pressure washers can be used with certain detergents that provide even more cleaning power for a lasting clean.
About the Author
Craig Elliott is a freelance writer who writes about products for the workplace such as Pressure Washing | Pressure Washing Equipment
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