3 Tips On Pressuring Washing Your Deck

Need your deck pressure washed? One thing to keep in mind is that you have to know how to use a pressure washer before you begin. Without knowledge of how they work can result in damage being done. Beyond Maids in Lindenhurst, NY, can provide you with professional pressure washing services. 

 

Some of Important Advice

 

Pressure washing is something that people may assume is a simple task. But, there are some do’s, and don'ts that you need to be aware of when it comes to the process. The biggest one is not to underestimate this machine's power as even most of the small home owner grade power washers can cause lots of damage and misused and on high power, it can hurt you or someone else. 

 

A couple of the other don'ts that come along with using a pressure washer are:

• Don’t ever Point The Nozzle Towards People or Animals, it's not just about pressure but the nozzles on occasion can disconnect and launch like a projectile with serious force
• Don’t Get Closer Than 6 inches or better yet 12inches to your wooden deck boards.
• Don’t Use On or point when starting it at anything but the deck your cleaning or the ground
• Don’t Hold The Nozzle Still when on - keep it moving in a sweeping motion

The best scenario when it comes to pressure washing your deck is to hire a professional to do the job for you. That way, you can avoid the chance of damages occurring and be confident the job was done correctly. Simply cleaning your deck with these washers can lead to costly damage when used incorrectly. 

 

A Few Positive Tips To Using A Pressure Washer

 

You can purchase or rent a pressure washer from almost all local hardware stores. These units are typically not as strong as commercial machines, but can get the job done. For the best outcome, practice using it in a safe place before you spray it directly onto your home. Here are a few of the steps and precautions you want to take before pressure washing your deck.

 

Use The Proper chemicals and Pressure - keep in mind less is better.

Pick the right deck cleaning chemicals and actually read how to use then and follow the directions, when it comes to deck cleaning those chemicals do need a good few minutes to work on the deck and don't let them dry, if you start power washing your deck too fast after chemical application then the results will not be as good and you might actually spend more time pressure washing it so a few minutes more of waiting might mean a faster better wash.

When your pressure setting is too high, the water can etch lines in the wood. This can also happen when you are too close to the surface with the nozzle. The wooden deck can get splinters in it when this happens, look gorrible and be not plesant to use after at all. A recommended place to start is around 500-600 PSI or even much less on hardwood like mahogany or ipe then try starting with 100-200psi. Always use large fan style tips the wider the safer, never use a pencil jet or a rotating turbo nozzle on a wooden deck as you might mark it up real bad.

 

Use A Sweeping Motion

 

You never want to hold the pressure washer hose in one spot. The nozzle should continue to move at all times in a sweeping motion. This is to prevent indentations and etching from happening on the wood. The ideal space between the wood and your nozzle is one to two feet. If an area needs a little more elbow grease, you can get a little close, around 6 inches. But, don’t stay at that distance for too long. Begin your spray at the edge of the house and work out with the grain of the wood in a slow and steady motion. 

 

If Needed, Apply A Protectant

Some people prefer to keep their deck natural and not use any products. It can be incredibly beneficial to apply a protectant to your deck after you pressure wash it. You can purchase decking oil at your local hardware store to help keep the wood in good condition. 

 

Contact Beyond Maids Today

 

Call us today if you are ready to schedule Beyond Maids to come and pressure wash your deck. We love working with the people of Commack, NY, and surrounding areas. You can reach us at 631-774-2685, or visit our website for more information.