Affordable Pressure Washing

Affordable Pressure Washing: 7 Ways to Pressure Wash Your Home on a Budget

Pressure washing your home is something that you should probably do at some point. It can be a daunting task, but it’s not impossible to do on a budget! Here are 7 tips for a successful, efficient and affordable pressure washing experience-from what chemicals to use, where to buy equipment, and more.

1. If you’re doing this on your own, the most important thing is to have a reliable source of water! Pressure washers can tap into a garden hose, but if you have a small enough area that you’ll be working on, simply hooking up a hose could take far too long and leave you feeling frustrated. Here’s where having an outside spigot comes in-you’ll need to attach something called a “hose adapter” which will convert from standard household plumbing to the smaller size required for the pressure washer. 
2. Using a pressure washer is generally pretty straightforward-its like using a garden hose, with the help of electricity to give it some extra oomph! One of the most important things to remember is that you should not be using your regular household plumbing for this, so if you think you might need an adaptor, go find one and use that instead. This will ensure that no damage comes to your home’s interior or exterior and that no damage is done to any equipment inside of your walls.
3. Getting supplies can seem overwhelming when you don’t know where to start, but here are some great ideas on where to begin:
   • Search online for “chemicals for pressure washing.” 
   • Once you have your supplies, ask a neighbor where they got theirs from or go into a hardware store and ask somebody who works there if they can point you in the right direction.
   • Search online for places to buy pressure washers-if you need one, this may be a great way to save some cash! 
4. When it comes time to actually power wash, make sure that you’re wearing safety goggles in case debris gets flung at your face. You’ll also want to wear closed-toe shoes and clothes that cover your skin because you can expect to be getting wet. Plus, if the chemicals are bad for surfaces like adobe, they’re probably just as bad for humans!
5. You should start with something called “pre-soak” which means that you spray down the surface after diluting it with water (which will help cut through dirt and grime). If you don’t do this step first, then your washer will simply spread debris all over the place. Just hold the nozzle of the washer about two feet away from the area you’re working on and spray down in a circular motion until it’s covered in soap suds. Now that the surface is nice and wet, you should allow it to soak for about 5-10 minutes or until it looks like nothing’s happening.
6. Next comes “washing.” This requires you to get closer with your washer, but also requires more water pressure at a higher distance in order to do any good. The standard advice is that you’re going to want to be about three inches away from whatever surface you’re working with and use a sweeping motion. You can even try crisscrossing if this helps!
7. The final step is called “rinse” and it just means that you hose off whatever you just power washed and flush out any leftover chemical residue. Don’t forget to look for cracks or little nooks and crannies where dirt may have gotten lodged (such as underneath your gutters). These areas need special attention!