6 Misconceptions about Pressure Washing

Misconception #1: It's easy lets just do it ourselves.

This may be true to some extent but you can easily cause damage to yourself and your home if your not careful. I don't recommend to anyone to pressure wash from a ladder or on a roof, this is very dangerous and should be left to a professional. Getting up in the air and away from the house will allow you to clean the building at a flatter angle. This can only be done with the proper equipment. Having the right equipment allows us to adjust the pressure or heat so you're not causing any damage, we also use the correct scrubbers for any surface and the right lances for working at heights.

Misconception #2: High pressure is the only way to get it clean.

Not true at all. High pressure can do a lot of damage to your home or property. Too much pressure will force water to get into widows, doors, under tiles and blow paint off. Using too much pressure on straight raw concrete is a huge mistake as it will damage the surface and leave streaks. Using too much pressure on stencil crete or not cleaning in the right direction can really damage the surface like everyone's trade there is a fine art and a lot of trade secrets to successful pressure cleaning.

Misconception #3: The products being used will damage your plants or hurt your pets.

Quality contractors use only environmentally safe products that will not harm your pets.But plants are more sensitive and need to be protected. If a product is allowed to dry on the leaves of a plant it can leave burn spots. Covering plants with plastic is an option, but that can also be dangerous to the plants on a hot day. A better alternative is to wet the plants down with water before, during, and after the cleaning process. As long as products are not allowed to dry on the plants, there should be no damage. Generally we don't use a lot of products we let the hot water do the work but if needed we always try to use non harmful products but in some instances stronger products are required.

Misconception #4: Your roof is black and dirty and needs to be re sprayed

Not necessarily true. Unsightly black staining or streaks on tiled or iron roofs is caused generally by mould or mildew build up. Your roof tiles or iron can be cleaned properly to remove the staining and generally if it hasn't been left too long doesn't need re spraying and can be restored into great condition. The problem with roofs if left untouched for too long the contaminants can eat into the surface causing the paint or colourbond to strip off when cleaning so check with your contractor first to do a test area.

The right heat and low pressure is a must, so that damage is not done to the roof.

Misconception #5: You should hire the company that offers the lowest price.

Here are some points to consider:

1. The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay. Many property owners have learned that the low price they saw advertised lasted only until the contractor did the quote. Then they were pressured into paying a lot more for a variety of up sells.
2. Some contractors market strategy is to get jobs by being the lowest bidder. The contractor will then cut corners in order to make a profit.
3. Due to low start up costs, many companies come and go. When first starting up, a lot of companies do not educate themselves, because pressure cleaning looks easy and profitable. So, they lack the right equipment, products, insurance, knowledge, professionalism, and normally, will charge an extremely low price.

Misconception #6: Any honest pressure cleaning company should be able to give quote over the phone. It would be easier if this was true, but it is not. Honest, reputable pressure cleaning companies almost never give a cleaning quote over the phone. Most companies charge by the square meter. But there are too many variables that can change that price from one property to another. For instance, different types of terrain or landscaping can affect the price. Is it brick work or render? Has it ever been sealed? Is water accessible at the job site? Maybe your property is not extremely dirty and could be done for less than a dirty property the same size. The good news is, once a quality contractor gives a quote, you know that that's the price you will pay no last minute surprises.

Steve Moreels owns and operates the Envirotech Pressure Cleaning and Concrete Coatings on the Gold Coast. Envirotech delivers outstanding pressure washing and concrete colouring results to their clients by means of our state of the art technology.

I love to read books and want to share all the things that I've learned from books and from my own experience.