How To Clean Your Garden Effectively With A Pressure Washer

Having a deck or patio can add a beautiful dining or entertainment space in your garden. Regular cleanup is essential to prevent algae, dirt, and grime from building up.

Using a pressure washer to maintain your garden is more effective and manageable compared to getting down on your knees and scrubbing it with your hands. Your patio or deck will look a lot better and will prevent it from becoming slippery and unsafe for people to walk on.

Find out on this article the best methods on deck, patio, and garden furniture cleaning by pressure washing.

Patios, Decks, and Fences

Here are some things you need to do first in your work area before starting:

• Read your unit’s manual to know right spray tip and spray angle for the cleaning job.
• Get rid of all the obstacles to prevent tangling hoses and tripping yourself.
• Sweep any loose debris around.
• Cover your nearby plants, all light fixtures and electrical equipment to protect them.
• Doors and windows should be kept close to prevent water from seeping inside your home.
• Pay close attention to the direction of the wind.

Once you’re done with all of these, you can now start pressure washing. Make sure to follow the instructions of the manufacturer on which wood cleaning solution you need to use and what the spray tip distance should be from the area you’ll tackle.

To get the best result, try testing the spray distance and pattern on your deck’s hidden area before cleaning the entire surface. Test the high-pressure setting as well and check if there’s a damage on the area. 

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Cleaning Solution Application

• Use a wood cleaner especially made for pressure washers. Set the setting in low-pressure when using a soap nozzle.
• Detergent should be applied from bottom to top.
• Apply the cleaner, covering several boards with every pass.
• For stained or dirty spots, use a rotating scrub brush attachment.
• Avoid working on surfaces exposed to direct sunlight.
• Let the detergent stay on the area you’re cleaning as per the time recommendation of the manufacturer. But don’t let it dry out.
• Once you’re done with the cleaner application, flush it from your pressure washer following the manufacturer’s directions.

How to Spray Off the Cleaner

• When spraying the cleaning solution off of your fence or deck, work with the wood’s grain.
• Rinse from the top all the way down to avoid streaks from forming. For even cleaning, do overlapping passes.
• Once the cleaner is sprayed off, leave your fence or patio to dry for up to 48 hours before applying any sealer or stain.
• Relieve water pressure, liquid from the pump, and store your unit according to the instructions of the manufacturer.

Garden Furniture

Springtime is the best time to pressure wash your garden patio furniture. However, you should also consider your location and if your patio furniture set is outdoors the whole year. If this is the case, you may want to deep-clean them simultaneously with your first lawn mow. Pressure washers make cleaning easy, so you can clean anytime you want as well.

Here are the steps on how to pressure wash patio furniture easily:

• Ensure that all your outdoor furniture are placed on a flat surface and away from your home’s doors and windows.
• Attach a low-pressure nozzle spray with an angle of 25 or 45 degrees to your unit’s wand.
• Power wash from top to bottom.
• You don’t need a cleaning solution for this cleaning task. But if there’s a need to, use detergent only the furniture’s harder or plastic surfaces.
• Spot clean stubborn dirt on cushions by hand using a brush.
• Again, use a low-pressure spray when rinsing and flushing.
• High-pressure or turbo nozzle can be utilized on iron furniture and tables.

Gas Pressure Washers vs. Electric Pressure Washers: Which One Should I Use?

Pressure washers can either be gar or electric. But no matter how it is powered, it works a pump which in turn pressurizes the water from the hose up to 1,000 lbs and even more. The water is then forced out through the machine’s spray wand. The higher the PSI or pressure, the more difficult the cleaning tasks it can take on. Most homeowners doing occasional cleanups find a pressure washer that can deliver a PSI ranging from 1,300 to 2,400 works best.

Electric power washers can provide you with up to 1,400 PSI. They are ideal for light cleaning jobs such as driveways, grills, outdoor furniture, and washing cars. Generally, they are quieter, more portable, lighter in weight, and cheaper. However, you’ll work surface will be limited to the length of its cord.

Majority of power washers you’ll find in the market today are gas pressure washers. They are more powerful and can provide you with higher water pressure compared to the electric type. There are even models that can deliver up to 3,000 PSI. They are great for bigger cleaning jobs such as preparing your home’s sidings for painting, concrete deep-cleaning and getting rid of aging stains from wood decks. However, they are more expensive, a bit louder, and heavier which makes it hard to move around.

When choosing between the two types, make sure to consider your budget, what purpose it will serve you, and how often you’ll be using a pressure washer. Make sure to read https://cleanup.expert reviews of pressure washers to find the perfect pressure washer for your home and needs.