There certainly is a lot of misconception involved when it comes to using a pressure washer to clean various surfaces. Most pressure washers, even small consumer grade ones, will put out at least 2000 to 2500 PSI or more. That is plenty of pressure to easily damage the surfaces around your home such as vinyl siding, shingles, wood and even certain types of brick and concrete.

The misconception with pressure washers is that most people think the pressure does all the work; after all it is called a pressure washer. But honestly nothing could be further from the truth. Even small power washers should have the pressure backed down before washing most surfaces. The problem is the nozzles that come with a new pressure washer allow for the maximum amount of pressure. This is like buying a new car and driving it around with the gas pedal smashed all the way to the floor which would definitely be reckless and probably would cause some serious damage. It is necessary to buy different nozzles that allow for the use of lower pressures without sacrificing the flow or the gallons per minute.

Too many people, including inexperienced contractors, rely too heavily on the pressure to do the cleaning.  Two major problems are caused by this; the first is what was mentioned earlier, the risk of damage to your home’s vinyl, deck, roof, window screens and so on. The second problem is because they are relying on pressure they are not using very effective cleaners if any. Due to this, contaminants like mold, mildew and algae are just blasted off but not killed resulting in them returning in a few short months. It is necessary to use the proper cleaners so these contaminants are killed and so low pressure methods can be used eliminating risk of damage. Be sure the pressure washing company you hire use the low pressure methods.