Pressure Washers: Let's Keep It Clean!

So, you've got a big cleaning job on your hands: perhaps it's that wood deck with a winter's worth of dirt on it; or the family van with tons of road salt and road spatter. Or maybe it's the dirty third-floor windows of your home. There are some situations where everyday cleaning methods just won't cut it - and that's where pressure washers can help you out.

What makes pressure washers so wonderful and effective in cleaning is that they literally 'blast' the dirt and sludge away by forcing water out at a very high pressure. Whatever outdoor surface that needs to be cleaned around the home can probably be cleaned with a pressure washer - outdoor furniture, house windows, outdoor equipment like the BBQ, the air conditioner, you name it. In the past you could only find pressure washers in factories and other industrial locations. Today there are many models built just for use around the home.

When you get your new pressure washer home, you will find that there are several basic parts to it: a pumping unit, one or more hoses, and one or more spray nozzles that fit into a trigger gun. The homeowner units are not nearly as heavy and difficult to move as their industrial counterparts.

Pressure washers for home use typically shoot the water at high pressure but do not heat it. As well, the consumer models typically plug right into your household electrical outlet. In contrast, the heavy-duty-cleaning professional models can heat the water to a high temperature, to really knock out the heavy grease and oil sludge that often needs cleaned off of industrial and factory equipment.

One thing that you must never do is to treat your pressure washer as a toy - like a 'squirt gun'. You must never point it at any person. It is very easy to injure yourself or others with a pressure washer. If the water stream hits your skin, you can get bruised - or the flesh can actually be detached from the bone! Of course, if the water is squirted into the eyes, serious damage, including blindness, can be the result.

To prevent injuries, you should take some simple precautions. Always wear eye goggles or safety glasses to protect your eyes. Never, never point the stream of water at another person, or pet. And be careful when cleaning - if the surface you are cleaning has lots of loose objects, like stones or pieces of wood, they can fly up and hit someone. And if you are using a professional model - one that heats the water so that it is very hot - be careful not to burn yourself.

Perhaps you've been thinking about buying a pressure washer but are wondering just where you could use it? Well, you can use a consumer model pressure washer for such tasks as cleaning driveways, automobiles, trucks, SUV's and vans (especially underneath), car engines, walkways, basement floors, pools, windows, air conditioners and heat pump units. Once you begin using it, you will think of many more uses.

As a consumer, most of the pressure washer models you are likely to use will be powered by electricity - you just plug it into your household outlet and go! The electricity powers a pump that is responsible for powering the high-pressure stream of water. Industrial models can often heat the water to such a high temperature that steam is produced, and this really helps in cleaning industrial-sized messes. Short on funds? Well, try looking into a refurbished unit - they are all fixed-up and work just as great as their shiny, brand-new cousins.

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Author: Ken Blaylock talks about home repair projects and Pressure and Power Washers Read about Pressure Washer Reviews at www.pwrwashers.com.