Understanding the Process of Pressure Washing: How Does It Work?

Did you know that powerwashing is a good way to remove mold, salt, and even mildew from different surfaces, including your driveway, deck, and other exterior areas? Pressure wash doesn’t just make your property clean, it’s a great way to ensure the safety of your property and those that use it.

It also promotes overall well-being and the saving of water. With that, it’s even a great way to transition through different seasons.

If you’ve never had pressure washing done on your commercial or residential property, you may be wondering what the process entails, what all it can help, and what areas need pressure washing. We’re going to discuss how the process works and what benefits it can provide. Keep reading to learn more.

What Is the Purpose of Pressure Wash?

So, what is pressure washing and what is its purpose? Pressure washing is the process of using high-pressure water to remove dirt, grime, mold, mildew, salt, and other build-ups from surfaces like driveways, decks, sidewalks, patios, and more. Overall, it’s a great way to clean all kinds of surfaces. It also helps to prolong the life of those surfaces as well.

In addition, the main point is to use water at high pressures to help loosen and remove things that might be too difficult to get rid of from a regular wash. Some other things could be paint, dust, clay, or anything else your property may have been exposed to for a period of time.

Pressure Wash: How Does It Work?

The way it works is quite simple – it uses high-pressure water to remove build-up from surfaces. The pressure of the water does all of the work. Oftentime, you can do this without the use of chemicals. However, you can also use soap on concrete surfaces during pressure washing. And depending on the condition of the concrete, bleach may be used as well.

Different surfaces are approached in different ways. For example, for a concrete slab, you should do your best to treat oil stains before getting started. This will help to saturate the stains and to even out the results even more.

Spot treating different stains on your slab is often the first step and a diluted detergent solution for concrete is often used for this. You let the solution sit on the oil stains for at least ten minutes. Then, you can proceed with a full rinse from the pressure washer. There are also several other types of chemicals you can use during a pressure washing session and they all have different purposes.

For example, sodium hypochlorite is great for disinfecting and working stains out of surfaces. Citric acid is another good stain remover. It is versatile enough to use it on on both wooden decks and concrete surfaces. If you want to remove any signs of rust, you can use oxalic acid.

The proper cleaning solution applied to your project and then a power settings chosen that best suits your property. Most times a pressure washer should have a setting of 1200 to 1900 PSI depending on what you’re washing. Professionals like Sunset Pressure Wash, utilize washers that feature 8.5 gallons per minute and that reach 3700 PSI.

Benefits of Pressure Washing

Now, let’s discuss some of the benefits it can provide. One of the main benefits of pressure washing is that it can remove mold, mildew, and salt from surfaces.

These things can cause serious damage to your property if left unchecked. For example, overgrowing of mildew can cause structural damage down to the line to wooden decks if not handled early enough. Mold can also cause health issues especially if breathed in.

This means that you can’t enjoy your deck or outdoor space as you’d like. While you can often wipe the mildew away, it can easily come back. This is why different chemicals are sometimes used in conjunction with a pressure wash.

Another thing to pay attention to is the buildup of salt on surfaces. Salt actually causes concrete beneath surfaces to start to corrode. This can cause different surfaces to start to discolor or become cracked.

While salt may be necessary during different points of the year, you’ll need to remember that washing it away can help to enhance the safety of your property. Pressure washing is a great way to get rid of them and prevent further damage. Another benefit of using pressure washing company is to update the look of almost any property and it can do so quickly.

While pressure washing saves time, it also limits the chance of any injuries. It can even increase the value of your property. This is especially beneficial when you are actively selling or preparing to sell a property.

What Else You Should Know About Pressure Wash

Although you can do it on your own, it’s often safer and more effective to let a professional company take care of your pressure washing. For one thing, oftentimes you’ll need a certain type of equipment like a nozzle for example. When washing brick you might use something different than you would for a wooden deck.

Also, you should pressure wash your property at least twice a year. However, there will be other times in between where you still might require it, especially depending on where you live.

Speaking of where you live, for example, if you live in areas where there are high levels of pollen during Spring such as Greenville, SC, pressure washing may be a good proactive measure for you. Excessive pollen can take a toll on your comfort and how active your seasonal allergies might become.

The best time to pressure wash your residence is after the pollen season. This way you are getting rid of pollen around your home and preventing yourself from tracking it inside your home. Pollen season often starts in late February in South Carolina and will often end by mid-May.

It can take its toll on those that suffer from asthma or that have a rough time with allergies so this is another reason that both commercial pressure washing and residential pressure washing would make it worth doing.

Upgrade Your Property

When you need residential or commercial pressure washing done, you want to trust your project with the professionals. We clean gutters, pavers, sidewalks, decks and more.

Working with Sunset Pressure Wash will revamp the way your parking deck, gas station, or even driveway looks and how you feel when you see it.