What Is Pressure Washing?

So what is pressure washing?

Pressure washing uses highly pressurized water to remove dirt from a surface. This is done by using a pressure washer and various cleaning attachments. A pressure washer is the equipment that creates the pressure.

Pressure washing dirty pavers

Not all pressure washers are created equally

Most pressure washers sold in stores rely on using the water flow from a customers hose tap to supply their machine. This means that these machines are limited by the gallons of water that a customers home can supply. Commercial machines used by professional companies have a buffer tank that hold a surplus of water to allow their pumps to draw upon much higher gallons per minute. The result is a deeper, faster, and more complete cleaning.

As an example. A homeowner, general contractor, landscaper, or even a self proclaimed professional washer may use a 2.5 gallon per minute 2800psi machine. In real world examples this means that the user is likely using a wand or lance to clean thin lines of concrete. This can take many hours or days to clean a simple driveway. The end result is commonly an uneven and unappealing result that is only partially clean and will result in organic growth quickly returning.

A quick connect surface cleaner may also be used but at such low levels of flow the result will likely leave round circles and lines on concrete. This means the surface is not clean.

A professional pressure washing company with the correct equipment will buffer hundreds of gallons of water, put out at least 5.5 gallons per minute and anywhere between 3500-5000psi. The result is that they can then use larger rotary surface cleaners that are capable of cleaning more efficiently and completely.

At Sea Fan Investments we pressure wash the largest concrete areas in Freeport Grand Bahama. A typical 1,000-2,000 square foot driveway takes us a few hours to clean. We have cleaned numerous areas in excess of 20,000 square feet. We can easily clean 10,000 square feet per day.

Pressure washing dirty concrete at a school

Is pressure washing the right method to clean all exterior surfaces?

No, the idea that you can clean you whole home exterior with a pressure washer is old fashioned, outdated, and not safe for your investments delicate surfaces and finishes. Pressure washing is used for concrete cleaning however, using too much pressure on paint, a roof, home siding, stone, wood, and may other surfaces can, and does cause permanent damage. For all cleaning other than driveways we use soft washing equipment and techniques. If someone claims to be able to pressure wash anything other than concrete, be carful.

In closing, we consider our services to be industry leading on the island, we don't just pressure clean, we provide exterior cleaning solutions. By reading this it shows you care about your investment. We hope we have helped to explain the differences in equipment between someone claiming to be a pressure washing professional, and a licensed and insured company with the right tools for the job.

The next time you need your home cleaned, check out a companies social media. Look for lines in concrete, look at the equipment they use, and make a more informed decision so your concrete looks cleaner, and stays cleaner for longer.

At Sea Fan Investment we are here to manage and maintain your investment. We are your property management professionals and we care about your investment. Have a question, ask us! We are here for you.