Are Your Sidewalks Dirty?

If the sidewalks outside your home are dirty and depressing, you may be wondering what to do. The first thing you need to consider is pressure washing your sidewalks. It is quite simple and not expensive but can make a huge difference.  We reached out to commercial pressure washing Houston expert Jeremy from ProTech to see if he could give us some good tips on how to do pressure washing yourself if you are not able to hire a professional.

Use the Right Tools

Using the right tools, professional pressure washing can bring back to life the sidewalks and pavements. You may be thinking that you should tear out and rebuild new sidewalks, but in most cases, you just need have these sidewalks cleaned. The force of the water blasts from the pressure washer forces the dirt away to leave the surface clean and attractive.

With time, concrete sidewalks look dirty and gray.  You will be surprised to know that pressure cleaning can work out well for them. Brick sidewalks and bricked houses can also benefit from pressure cleaning. Brick can accumulate dirt as well and sidewalks often turn black and gather moss as well.

Hot water pressure cleaner that operates on gasoline or propane is suitable for outdoor operations, such high-pressure washers are highly mobile. The best electric pressure washer with advanced cleaning features can also be used for commercial cleaning if there is no shortage of power sources. These machines are easy to operate, as all you need to do is plug them into the power source and get started.

Power washers for home use are available on the market. The smaller units are either powered by gas or electricity and deliver a less powerful stream than a commercial pressure washer. For smaller cleaning jobs, a consumer model power washer might do the job but you will need to think of the cost of buying one and how often you intend to use it.

Also, note that these machines can be dangerous if not used correctly. The pressure at the nozzle of a power washer is strong enough to cause severe injury if you get in the way of the stream. A power washer can also dislodge objects from a surface and propel them away at a high speed, which could pose a great danger to nearby objects and people. In addition, using a pressure that is too high, can damage the surface you are cleaning. You might accidentally peel off paint or leave the area pockmarked.

How to do it yourself
All you need is a pressure washer, a little time, patience and a little knowledge. Basically, a pressure washer is a machine that sprays out a powerful jet of water that can blast embedded dirt, dust, and debris from surfaces. You can adjust the pressure to spray at different strengths, depending on the surface to be cleaned. As mentioned above, be very careful because you can actually cause damage to yourself or your property because the force of the spray can be more than you expect.  You can also change the nozzle on the hose to get different results, from a narrow, powerful flow of water to a more diffuse, gentler spray. Add detergent to the water, so that the liquid itself will help to loosen grime. This way, you will be lowering the amount of force required hence lowering the chances of causing damage to the surface.

Other pressure washing services
The other exteriors for which you can use pressure cleaning services include your porch, garage, roof, chimney, siding and so much more. Pressure washing removes the stains of rust from a metallic chimney and prevents further damage. If your chimney is made of brick, pressure wash is necessary to prevent it from mold, fungi, insects, and dirt. Pressure washing is the easiest way to get rid of the oil and grease spots that hamper the look of your garage. The fences and porch must be pressure washed regularly to keep their good appearance.