Turning Houses Into Homes: A Home and Garden Blog

Three Tips For Properly Cleaning Your Exterior With A Pressure Washer

A dirty home leaves your curb appeal looking less than stellar. In an effort to retain your home's value, you want to make sure the exterior remains clean. This can be difficult to accomplish when you are faced with grass clippings, pollen, mud, mildew, and more collecting on your home. One of the best ways to help keep the debris off the exterior of your home is by using a pressure washer machine. There are a number of different types of pressure washer systems. In order to do an effective job at keeping your home looking great, you need to know what type of pressure washer system to use, what accessories will help the most, and how to work the system. 

Pressure Output

When it comes to choosing the right pressure washer, you want to find one that offers you the right amount of pressure for the job. The water pressure is measured by pounds per square inch (PSI). You also want to check the water flow measurement or gallons per minute (GPM). The water pressure times the water flow provides you the cleaning unit measurement. This will help you determine how powerful the system is. For a typical residential job, you want to find one that offers around 1300 to 1900 psi. 

Accessories for the Pressure Washer

When you do start using the system, you may find yourself facing obstacles that a simple accessory can help you get the job done easier. The most common accessories are the extension wands, brushes, and tips you can choose between. The right tip can make all the difference in getting the surface clean. You can choose between four different kinds of tips with each one serving a different purpose. A 40 degree tip is used for cleaning large areas at a faster rate. A 25 degree nozzle is used for cleaning metal furniture, dirt off sidewalks, and removing wet leaves. A 15 degree tip can remove grime and paint from hard surfaces. And the last one is a zero degree tip that is used to remove the toughest stains. 

Tips for Getting it Clean

Once you have the right system and accessories for the job, you can get to work on cleaning your exterior. When spraying the water onto the surface, you want to hold it at angle and from a safe distance. Holding it too close and directly on it could cause you to damage the surface you are spraying. Ideally, you want to wash the exterior from the bottom up and rinse it from the top down to ensure that no soap is left on the surface. Start out by using the lowest pressure and slowly increasing it as needed for the best results without damage. 

For more information, contact companies like Joe's Tractor Sales Inc. 


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