Does it really matter how much pressure is used during pressure washing?
You probably receive mailers, emails and door hangers as you drive around Greenville you also see yard signs all saying the same thing “Pressure Washing” ” Soft Washing” or “Low Pressure.” It can become down right confusing when it comes down to hiring a local contractor to wash your home or business so you just go with your gut and hire a company to wash your home. Basically it does matter when it comes to pressure and pressure washing. Too much pressure your home or other surfaces can be permanently damaged, not enough pressure and the money is wasted and the dirt, grime and mold comes back way to soon.
What is pressure washing?
In a nutshell pressure washing is when you use high speed to propel water at an object to clean debris off of it. Simply adding a nozzle to a garden hose will constrict the water flow, which in turn increases the pressure or PSI (pounds per square inch). With a pressure washing machine you can increase the pressure to many thousands of PSI most pressure washing machines will be between 2,500-5,000 PSI and between 2 and up to 8 gallons per minute (GPM). Using the pressure created by the device and the amount of water flowing you can begin to clean your surface.
What is the proper amount for pressure washing?
Now here is where it gets interesting most surfaces can be cleaned both safely and quickly with very little pressure or much less then one would think. This is critical because if one just wants to blast away at a surface the result will be just that everything will be blasted away. However, if your goal is a clean surfaced that is undamaged, not marked, not striped and best of all lower the pressure! Curb Appeal Solutions employs for most surfaces low pressure cleaning or what can be called Soft Washing. Homes that are vinyl sided and are green and moldy can usually be cleaned between 100-300 PSI and is many cases less than that. Low pressure roof cleaning is performed with even less pressure usually less than 100 PSI. Concrete cleaning can often times be cleaned with pressure between 1,000-2,500 PSI. The result? These surfaces look super clean and there is no damage done. The results are because of using the proper techniques, soaps and pressure.
The moral of the story… The next time you see or receive an ad for “Pressure Washing” buyers beware always remember: Low Pressure Means NO Damage!
If you would like more information regarding having your home or business washed here in Greenville feel free to give us a call at 864-214-4959 we would love to see how to help you.
Serving the fine homes in and around Greenville, Simpsonville, Five Forks, Greer, Thornblade and the entire upstate of South Carolina with professional pressure washing services.
