Pressure Washing

The Basics of Pressure Washing

Sometimes a pressure washer can do the job faster and more effectively than you can clean by hand. However, not all areas of your home are safe to be pressure washed. Here are a few places pressure washers work well:

• Vinyl and aluminum siding
• Concrete walkways, driveways, floors, and patios
• Garbage cans
• Decking made from unvarnished wood
• Unpainted wood and vinyl fences
• Roof (but only for certain materials, like metal or asphalt shingles, and only on low-intensity settings.)

Parts of the home that should not be pressure washed include:

• Gutters. Pressure washing gutters can result in sections becoming loose. Even low-pressure washes have enough force to cause serious damage to gutter systems.
• Electrical devices. This includes electronics as well as fixtures such as panels, lights and meters, HVAC systems and sockets. Applying water to electrical systems is a bad idea, even if they’re powered down. Water can pool inside sections of these devices where it’s difficult for air to circulate, keeping the internals wet even when other parts have dried. As a result, pressure washing these items can lead to shorts even when proper precautions are taken.
• Anything that has been painted, varnished, or stained. Decking, siding, floors, and walls that are painted, stained, or otherwise coated will quickly peel and become damaged when pressure washed.
• Stucco and brick. Both stucco and brick are soft materials, which will chip and become worn down when pressure washed.
• Windows. Pressure washing windows can result in broken panes, damaged trim, and dislodged weather stripping.

While pressure washing has become a popular online fad, with countless videos showing how effective it is at cleaning off grime, it’s not right for everything. If you’re interested in investing in a pressure washer or want to read up on more pressure washing techniques, check out some of the articles below.