Pressure Washing – Don’t Try This at Home!

Pressure washing can make a big difference in the appearance of your home and property. Pressure washing makes a big difference in the overall health of you and your family. It can make a difference to your guests, who will be happier visiting a home that’s as clean as possible and looking great. Your landscape team at Fair Lawn has the experience that might work well for you.

Pressure washing – can I do it myself?

The truth is you can rent or buy equipment to do pressure or power washing. You can try to follow the instructions that come with the equipment. But, you can take your chances with a machine that can cause significant damage to a home and severe injury or worse to people.

Let’s see if do-it-yourself pressure washing is safe and worth the time and money to buy the equipment and do it independently. The manufacturers of pressure or power washers will try to have you believe that their machine has the power to “blast through any job easily.”

Well, that part is true. Some of the machines you can rent have few adjustments available. Some only have one power that goes on or off. What happens if you use a full power washer on your driveway? Your driveway gets clean, but only after scrubbing the sticky, oily, or slippery spots with a detergent made for driveways. So yes, it will get clean. Buying a washer might be more expensive than you thought.

What happens when you aim the washer toward your house? The siding on most houses cannot stand up to that kind of pressure. Voom! Nekkid house. Windows are gone, smashed to splinters under the heavy pressure, and the rooms behind the windows, doors, and siding are flooded. Yes, the mold, mildew, and other allergy-causing growths are gone. So are the walls.

Imagine something worse. You don’t realize how powerful the spray is, and your child comes running toward you to play in the water while you’re cleaning your driveway. You playfully turn the spray on them, only for a second or two, to soak her down. It just doesn’t bear thinking about.

Is this the worst-case information that might not come with every washer? Yes, it sure is. But do you want to risk doing that much damage to your home or a live member of your family or a pet just because you have no experience and thought it might be a good idea?

Make sure you read and note every warning and caution you can find in your search for information. Then, be honest with yourself, make the best choice for your home and family, and call your landscape team at Fair Lawn. They have the experience to get your job done right.

What can my landscaping team do that I can’t do?

They have experience. They will gladly visit and evaluate your job and give you an estimate of each step and for the whole job.

They do excellent work and have the work experience and references to let you know that your job is in good hands.

You already have a relationship with your landscaping team. Have they been there every time you’ve expected them to be there? Have they done an excellent job? Have they told you about a problem and what they can do to fix it?

The answer to these questions is probably a resounding “Yes!” The choice appears to be relatively easy.

What services are included in pressure washing?

Do you know all the stuff that gathers on your paved surfaces, like your driveway, walkways, and patios? Oil and grease from the cars, squirrels, throwing stuff at you as you pass under their trees, pollen blowing across the surface, and little bits getting stuck, mold, mildew, and other dirt.

This stuff can all be washed away. And hiring your landscaping team to do the work will guarantee that it is done correctly and completely. Each surface needs a different level of water pressure to get completely clean. Your team at Fair Lawn knows how to handle all outdoor home surfaces, including pavement, bricks, house siding, decks and patios, and all of your other outdoor hard surfaces. Yes, even your grill and fire pit.

Your lawn and other planted areas will be safe, too. The detergents and materials to clean the hard surfaces are environmentally friendly and won’t damage lawns or plants right next to your hard surfaces.

What is not included?

Surfaces that are not safe for pressure washing will be bypassed. For instance, the shingles on your roof are not generally safe to be pressure washed. Likewise, surfaces that are already cracked or crumbling are not pressure washed because the water pressure can cause more damage.

Other items are not pressure washed because of potential damage, so AC units, windows, gutters, or stained wood are not usually pressure washed. However, decks and other stained wood surfaces can be badly damaged by pressure washing, so they may be washed at a much lower pressure to make them clean.

Other benefits

Dirt and grime can hide problems, like leaks or rot. Having these surfaces cleaned can help prevent problems and damage.

A property that looks clean can increase in value and curb appeal. It’s essentially the first thing a visitor or potential buyer sees as they enter the property.

One of the most significant benefits of pressure washing is the reduction of mold and pollen. Mold and pollen are responsible for a lot of illnesses and allergic reactions. Getting rid of these problems from the surfaces closest to people will make a difference in the need to be treated for allergies or other breathing problems.

If you’re interested in pressure washing your property’s hard surfaces, give your Fair Lawn representative a call to make an appointment for a free estimate. You can also request a quote on their website: https://fairoutdoordesign.com/pressure-washing/.