Everyone has felt the frustration of cleaning outdoor furniture, cars, dirt bikes, and driveways only to see that the dirt and debris have not actually come off. How do you usually wash it? With a regular garden hose, some soap, and water? This might do the trick for weekly maintenance – rinse off the new dirt from the patio furniture, wash the footprints off your deck and get rid of dry leaves…
Do you feel exhausted by trying to make your courtyard look like those courtyards from TV commercials but it just seems to evade you? It is possible; you just need to know the right way to do it. And it is not even that difficult once you know the basics and you take some precautions. The secret to a sparkling courtyard is in a pressure washer. It does wonders in minutes with just a pressured stream of water (you can add some special soap, though), and you do not even have to scrub.
Setting up
Most of the time, your pressure washer will come with a set of instructions; follow it, as not all pressure washers are the same. But let’s go through a step-by-step process of setting it up for use.
First of all, pour the gas in the gas tank and make sure that you closed it before starting the engine. The next thing will be to attach the garden hose to the washer and the water supply, then attach the pressure hose. Pressure hoses are attached by a system that has little balls inside it so that it is secure to endure the pressure of the water.
In the same way, attach the gun to the pressure hose. Turn on the water supply and push the trigger on the gun to remove air from the hose. You should hear a puff of air, and then some water will start to flow. It is ready to use when you see steady water flow.
Depending on the type of pressure washer, you can now attach the nozzles. They come in different angles 0, 15, 25, and 40 degrees (or others depending on the manufacturer). As not all pressure washers are the same, you may not have the option to attach the nozzles separately. In that case, your pressure hose may work similarly to the regular shower head- just try to turn the head of the hose and find the angle that suits your cleaning needs.
How to use
Some pressure washers give you the option of putting soap into the water, or in a separate, soap container. If you think you need it, go ahead and use it. It is advisable on stubborn oil stains.
One thing worth mentioning is that there is no need to use a pressure washer on surfaces like decks, driveways, and home exteriors (vinyl or brick) more than two-three times a year. Pressure washing is great against stubborn dirt, but a regular garden hose ill do fine on new dirt.
When you notice moss, algae or mildew on your surfaces, then is the right decision to pull out the pressure washer. It does wonders in the groves of your pavements, refreshes the wooden fences and decks, and brings back the ‘as-good-as-new’ shine to anything white (furniture, exterior, fences).
Use the middle range angle (25-30 degrees) for concrete and wood. The narrower the nozzle, the higher the pressure and the cleaning power is. Be extremely careful with the 0-degree nozzle as it can substantially damage the surface you are cleaning, although it can be highly effective on grease and oil stains on the concrete.
You can also use it to clean the mud off your terrain vehicles (be careful not to damage the paint), clean carpets (use the widest angle), pavements, stairs, grills, and windows. You can also successfully remove debris from drains and gutters without having to get your hands dirty.
The cleaning process is fairly simple and really fast, so it saves you time and enables you to easily clean all that dirt in the meantime.
Safety measures
When we talk of safety in using pressure washes, we think of your own safety and the safety of your property.
Before even starting the setup and cleaning process, make sure that you have protected yourself and other people around you. You should wear rubber boots and gloves as the pressured water can easily injure you by practically peeling off your skin. Never point the pressure water at a person! The stream can go through the fabric of the sneakers injuring you in the process.
Another thing that you should not take lightly is that you should wear protective goggles at all time while you are using the machine. Why? The debris (think: rocks, branches and the like) can be scattered in the cleaning process, and since it is under a lot of pressure, it can ricochet right to your face.
In order to protect your property from damage make a test run. Try the pressure washer on a hidden part of the surface you want to wash just in case, as it can nick the paint, damage wood, or even concrete. Make sure that you are using the right stream angle for the said material.
If after the test run, the surface is not chafed, you can continue to the more visible parts of it. In any case, make sure that you are keeping the nozzle a few inches (or more for finer surfaces) away from the surface you are cleaning, bringing it closer very carefully for more stubborn dirt.
Before even starting the setup and cleaning process, make sure that you have protected yourself and other people around you. You should wear rubber boots and gloves as the pressured water can easily injure you by practically peeling off your skin. Never point the pressure water at a person! The stream can go through the fabric of the sneakers injuring you in the process.
Another thing that you should not take lightly is that you should wear protective goggles at all time while you are using the machine. Why? The debris (think: rocks, branches and the like) can be scattered in the cleaning process, and since it is under a lot of pressure, it can ricochet right to your face.
In order to protect your property from damage make a test run. Try the pressure washer on a hidden part of the surface you want to wash just in case, as it can nick the paint, damage wood, or even concrete. Make sure that you are using the right stream angle for the said material.
If after the test run, the surface is not chafed, you can continue to the more visible parts of it. In any case, make sure that you are keeping the nozzle a few inches (or more for finer surfaces) away from the surface you are cleaning, bringing it closer very carefully for more stubborn dirt.
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