Power Washers

[Passport1]

Power washed my brick patio this afternoon. It is an electric unit producing 1800 psi. I filled the fluid reservoir with a cup of bleach and some dishwashing soap. It worked ok but I went over the bricks afterwards with bleach and a deck brush. Looks about 80% better. Most of the black/green goo is gone.

Any of you skilled power washers have tips/suggestions? I'd like to p/w the house too.

 

[walterjay]

A more robust power washer is what I would recommend.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Pre-soak with a bleach and dawn solution. Buy the 12.5% bleach, not the 6.25% and look online for the right percentage mixture. Spray plants before and after with water to avoid damage.

 

[cptbarkey]

1800 will barely give someone a skin rash. 2900 now your talking.

 

[Oro_O]

Pre-soak with a bleach and dawn solution. Buy the 12.5% bleach, not the 6.25% and look online for the right percentage mixture. Spray plants before and after with water to avoid damage.

This is one big thing. Pre-soak. Bleach seems to be the most effective ingredient among the things I’ve tried over the years.

The other big bonus is a rotary cleaning attachment. This makes short work of driveways and decks in the PNW. The job is five or 10 times harder without it, even w/pre-soaking.

https://www.amazon.com/Kärcher-Univ...55-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

There’s a warehouse deal on that one for $40, seems a good value. I have a Ryobi one, but it’s the same type device.

 

[ecotourist]

I've heard that both pressure and flow rate are critical issues.

Used my SILs electric power washer to clean the driveway and it was mighty slow. My neighbour's Honda powered washer worked much better (at least twice as fast).

 

[Donald]

Think twice about using a pressure washer to clean your house. You want to softwash a house NOT pressure wash it. A pressure washer is good for a lot of things, cleaning a house is not one the them. High pressure can damage exterior materials and can get water in places it should not be.

 

[Rand]

it might be 1800psi but only with the needle stream 0 degree nozzle and probably 0.8gpm.

using a bigger nozzle it would be 1.2?GPM but only 1200-1500psi ~~

I suggest buying clearance gas model. should do better job and 4x faster.
around $225 for something decent. 2500psi/2.5gpm or so.

 

[Pablo]

Weak.

 

[Finklejag]

You need a gas one for surface cleaning. That thing is good for washing your car.

 

[Toy4x4]

I have a Greenworks electric power washer (lower model than yours, 1600 psi I think) and like others have said, not powerful enough for heavy duty cleaning. I like it for car washes and rough driveway cleaning, but that's about it. It was free, so it is what it is.

 

[MSCH]

Power washed my brick patio this afternoon. It is an electric unit producing 1800 psi. I filled the fluid reservoir with a cup of bleach and some dishwashing soap. It worked ok but I went over the bricks afterwards with bleach and a deck brush. Looks about 80% better. Most of the black/green goo is gone.

Any of you skilled power washers have tips/suggestions? I'd like to p/w the house too.


View attachment 189053

try this stuff first.... then power wash... it is one of the most excellent products I have every used.. I live in SWFLA, which is a prime area for mold and mildew growth... and this stiff really works... you can mix it about 3 parts water to 1 part product, put it in a garden sprayer.. let it soak for a few minutes and pressure wash it off..

30 SECONDS 1-Gallon Mold and Mildew Stain Remover Concentrated Outdoor Cleaner​

https://www.lowes.com/pd/30-SECONDS...XN_hvL1UY_ChbN6oVz4aAgMbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[MSCH]

Power washed my brick patio this afternoon. It is an electric unit producing 1800 psi. I filled the fluid reservoir with a cup of bleach and some dishwashing soap. It worked ok but I went over the bricks afterwards with bleach and a deck brush. Looks about 80% better. Most of the black/green goo is gone.

Any of you skilled power washers have tips/suggestions? I'd like to p/w the house too.


View attachment 189053

this stuff works excellent too, but it is a treatment that will take a couple months to work as it functions differently... back in the day I had mold in my stucco on my house that nothing would remove... and I treated the stucco with this stuff twice over a 3 or 4 month period and all of the mold went away without power washing

Wet & Forget Outdoor Liquid Surface Cleaner & Stain Remover, Eliminate Mold Mildew & Algae Stains https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wet-Forg...oesmBXYOy5OcLj9xseq4xjxBTgqExOosaArNUEALw_wcB​

 

[facility1]

when i pressure washed my home,used a green works 1400 psi (budget electric one),and used a cleaner/degreaser called jungle jake with a dash of bleach,,,did the job well.

 

[SHOZ]

If you have algae on siding pre treat with straight bleach then the power wash.

I got one of these a coupe years ago and it's been great. Used it last month with a 150 ft drain jetting hose and nozzle set up.

Megashot MS61114(-S) 50-State | Simpson

The SIMPSON® MegaShot Series is perfect for the “Do-it-Yourselfer” looking for maximum performance with minimal investment.

simpsoncleaning.com

​

Megashot MS61114(-S) 50-State​

2800 PSI at 2.3 GPM KOHLER® XTX675 with OEM Technologies™ Axial Cam Pump Cold Water Premium Residential Gas Pressure Washer​

 

[Pablo]

Bleach and your own soap works as good or better than those above - use an alkaline soap - DW, Laundry, SG, PP, etc. No need to buy a specialty solution. The ones that work better, just have a bit more bleach. The set and forget stuff never works in the PNW. Land of instant algae and moss.

 

[4WD]

Bleach and your own soap works as good or better than those above - use an alkaline soap - DW, Laundry, SG, PP, etc. No need to buy a specialty solution. The ones that work better, just have a bit more bleach. The set and forget stuff never works in the PNW. Land of instant algae and moss.

pool bleach (+/-10%) and skip the power washer on many jobs

 

[CharlieJ]

Go to a pool supply store and get a 2.5 gallon container of pool chlorine. It's the most effective and cost efficient cleaner that will kill mold/mildew.

 

[MSCH]

Bleach and your own soap works as good or better than those above - use an alkaline soap - DW, Laundry, SG, PP, etc. No need to buy a specialty solution. The ones that work better, just have a bit more bleach. The set and forget stuff never works in the PNW. Land of instant algae and moss.

Pablo, bleach did nothing on the mold in the stucco on my house... I tried it several times... now you being a vendor of boutique oil products will have heard me say I am not the type of people who buy expensive stuff when the regular cheap stuff works just as good, so when I tell you bleach wont work on everything but Wet and Forget does, trust me as I don't spend extra money on more expensive methods until the regular household laying around stuff does not work.... and the stuff I recommended is relatively cheap when compared to the results and how much faster the cleaning process becomes with it's use....

on top of that that 30 second cleaner I also recommended turns pressure washing a house from an all day affair to an hour or two. worth saying I pressure wash my house 2 or 3 times a year...

but Wet and Forget is good stuff, but it is a treatment with enzymes in it... and you wont see results the first day, you will see them a month later.... as well as the 30 second cleaner... that stuff kicks butt and is maybe 12 dollars a gallon.

 

[SHOZ]

The pre-bottled siding cleaners are worthless. I had flat paint algae infested siding. Straight house hold bleach and let it set for 10 minutes. The power washer stripped it right off.

Painted the house a couple years ago and this time added copper based algae preventer. So far no algae.