Pressure Cleaning Lines / Pressure Washing Lines

There are so many misconceptions about pressure cleaning I find it almost as entertaining as the work itself.

I have been talking with customers over the last few years of business and almost all of them are both impressed with the quality of work i provide them, but more so shocked with how long pressure washing takes. I take a lot of time on my work because if pressure cleaning is rushed you end up with lines all over the surface you are cleaning.

For the purpose of this post I am going to be talking about residential pressure cleaning and pressure washers >2500 psi (pounds per square inch).

Taking a look at the picture above you can clearly see pressure cleaning "Lines" in the wood. This job was done by a contractor who wasn't familiar with pressure cleaning and according to the client, they rented one and cleaned their deck to the best of their ability. The contractor did use a rotating nozzle which is a great tool when used properly. This is a tip for the pressure washer that spins the water in a circular motion. This tip needs to be held level while cleaning or you will end up with lines similar to the left hand side of the above picture.

These lines come from random movements while pressure cleaning and not keeping a standard movement while cleaning. This is by far the most difficult part about pressure cleaning properly. If you think of it as colouring and moving back and forth shading in the same direction over and over again across the entire area that you are cleaning that will get you the best result.

Pressure cleaning wood is very unforgiving. This project is most commonly done by homeowners themselves and if you do plan on cleaning your own deck or fence it is actually best to use a weaker pressure washer (>1200 psi). This lower pressure will prevent the wood from splintering immediately.

When you end up with pressure washing lines on concrete it is not easy as it might look. The picture to your right is a section of patterned concrete and exposed aggregate that has been cleaned. The darker sections are actually the cleaned area this is because of the sealer that was used on it before being cleaned off.

Pressure cleaning Is something that shouldn't be rushed. When it is, it will be very clear to everyone looking that it was. Keep a level head, a level wand and make sure to take a look over your own work after the job has dried to inspect it.