Let’s be real here.. Pressure washing is not rocket science. Having said that, there are some formulas we must know and techniques we must master in order to not damage the services we are cleaning. One of the quickest ways to wipe out any hard-earned profit from a project is to do damage to someone’s home or business and be asked to pay for the cost of repairing the damage. Yes, insurance may cover you at the time it happens, but it’ll cost you over time and down the road with higher premiums.
I’m not going to lie. I’ve left my mark in places where it shouldn’t have been left. Thankfully, the property owners didn’t feel it was a huge deal and the accidents happened in areas that were going to be re-finished in the near future anyway. Still, I didn’t like that it happened and I’ve made sure to adjust my technique every time that it has. I'm not the best there is, but today, I’m a way better washer than I was at this time last year. It’s just taken some time to learn and practice. Just like with most other things in life, the more times you do something, the better you'll be at it.
Having said that, here are some guidelines when it comes to cleaning different types of services and best practices that I have discovered since starting my business.
Concrete
Concrete is probably the hardest surface to mess up. The main thing that you have to look out for is the age of the concrete. You don’t want to use much pressure on a recent pour because it can leave etch marks permanently in the surface. Some professionals recommend not using a surface cleaner at all on a new pour, but I believe it’s ok as long as you keep it to just a few hundred psi. You want just enough to move some water and the solution around but obviously, not etch the concrete. With that being said, when starting out, it’s best to use a soft wash technique and no less than a 40 degree fan tip from a distance on any concrete poured within the year. If the concrete has been poured more than a year prior, you may use a little more pressure (300-500 psi), but not much. Always pre-treat and post-treat the surface to get the best results. My pre-treatment is usually around a 2% concentration mix of bleach and surfactant (soap). I will also add a little degreaser in with my pre-treatment when I’m doing a driveway, parking lot, or drive thru.
When surface cleaning, always run your machine parallel to the street and not from the street to the house or business. This will minimize the appearance of streaking that may occur both during the wash and several months after. After surface cleaning, post-treat with 6% in a light mist over the entire surface. I do this using a 2 gallon pump sprayer. This will kill any algae or bacteria that may have been missed and pushed back the time that the algae will likely return.
Brick (To be continued…)
What type of surface do you want to learn about next?
Brick
Stone
Vinyl
Metal
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