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Pressure Washer Rules of Play
Guidance Using the Popular Spring Home Owner Cleaning Device
The best of every child’s world is joined in the ever-important pressure washer! Anyone who has grabbed the plastic wand shimmering with pent-up power knows the brilliance of a gas-powered engine, water hose and Star Wars photon-torpedo blast. This spring essential is being borrowed, rented and dragged from garage corners as the weather improves. On a recent walk I could hear the familiar rumble of a motor and see the whisp of fine spray. As the driveway came into view I cringed. The home owner was not cleaning the drive surface and flossing the seams of grimy buildup. He was blasting his sporty car! I lamented his abrasive treatment of the glossy finish, pliable weather seals and delicate tire walls. The rest of my walk I mulled over what I might have said and what other pressure-washing-cringe-moments I have seen as a home inspector.
This particular walk resulted in some hastily scribbled notes that have expanded into this brief article on what to do and not to do with your pressure washer. Most folks wielding the saber wand seem to be men looking like grown-up boys playing in the summer yard sprinkler. When one project is finished they become hunters of the next. Why put away the pressure washer since it is already out and we are (delightfully) soaked already? Why not get it all done? Tragically many home features have never recovered from the abuse of these good intentions.
Things not to do with your pressure washer:
Wash your car. Car manufacturers warn against this. Finishes, seals and other tender parts can be obliterated by the forceful stream. The classic car was not the car harmed providing inspiration for this article. It was a beautiful piece of machinery I found safely within a garage during a recent home inspection.
Contact your skin. The first 12 inches of the spray head is painful and dangerous for human flesh. It will sting, bruise, blister and rip skin.
Clean the roof of moss and debris. Roofing is delicate. Most roofs are a composition of fiberglass mesh, tar pressed with fine rock granules on the surface. When the granules come loose the tar breaks down and will need replacement in a few short years. Pressure washers are notorious for destroying roofs or shortening their life in half. Aging shingles can be blown off and aging rubber boots torn. Metal and tile roofs are susceptible as fasteners have rubber washes and seams or gaps are vulnerable to water entry.
Clear cob webs from eaves. Most eaves have vents in their soffits and gables. Water blasted into these vents will soak the insulation and can impact drywall board with the walls or ceilings below.
Wash windows. There are weep holes and vents in window frames that can permit water to spray into the house. Depending on the flashing configuration water can get inside the wall in these areas.
The pressure washer is good for:
Here are some of the best uses of the pressure washer.
Wash driveways, walkways and concrete surfaces. This particular use is so enjoyable it hardly counts as work! This is one of the great chores for kids and grown-up alike to learn the pressure washer in a form of Tom Sawyer white-wash-the-fence task. Let me pay you to wash your driveway!
Clean organic growth from fencing and gates. Most fencing is cedar, a soft wood, that can easily be gouged and disintegrated if the spray head gets too close. Practice on some unseen boards to see what will remove the gunk without compromising the grain.
Clean decking surfaces. Composite decking seems extremely durable and able to handle the forceful water spray. Wood decking boards and railing may be soft cedar so use caution and maintain a careful distance from the spray head.
Remove organic growth from siding. Spray in the direction of rain fall. This will reduce water spraying under the siding materials. Avoid forcing water into seams. Do some extra research before you begin to ensure you understand the best way to clean your siding type without damage.
Clean gutters. I’m not a fan of blasting debris inside the gutters all over the roof and ground. Way too much clean-up and it doesn’t save me any time in the total project. However, the green grime that can build-up outside the gutter can be quickly removed from the metal finish. Avoid getting water into the eaves and soffits.
Ways to Improve Skills and Machine Care:
It can seem easy to pick up and master the pressure washer but it actually takes practice and skill to become proficient.
Practice. How hard can it be? Harder than you think. Pressure washing is like cutting hair. Ever notice streaks, swirls and lines in driveways? Solution: Practice.
Practice on concrete and easy to reach surfaces. Hard surfaces are tough and forgiving. Ground-level surfaces can be clearly seen and will require much less strength than lifting and over-head angles.
Begin cleaning areas in low traffic and less visible areas. Give yourself a chance to get your technique back after the winter off-season before you get into the places everyone will notice.
Clean up completely before putting the washer away. Be sure to close the fuel line and follow manufacturer recommendations. This is usually reverse of what you did to fire up the unit. If it is a gas-powered machine fill the tank with ethanol-free gasoline.
Don’t put the unit away with the tank empty. These units usually sit unused for months and through the winter months. A full tank of ethanol free reduces likelihood of moisture collecting in the fuel tank. This is what I put in all my yard machines and buy it from the Snohomish Farmer’s Coop.
Weather matters. On wet days it is hard to see your progress when things do not dry quickly. Wait for a hot, sunny day and wear flip-flops and your swim trunks. Put on some music or just belt out a song. The hum of the motor will drown out your voice and I promise no one will hear your singing.
