Danger
Don’t Pressure Clean Yourself !
Going further in this line of thought I will state that, in my opinion, it is highly irresponsible for the “Do-it-Yourself Stores” to even sell pressure washers that rate over 3000 psi without the proper education needed to operate it. A pressure washer with over 3000 psi in the hands of many homeowners and weekend warriors only leads to damage. More often than not, the damage is irreversible. Most professional contractors do not need to use more than 500 psi to clean most residential projects.
Let’s take a look at this in more detail. As far as cleaning is concerned, regardless of the surface being cleaned, it isn’t pressure that cleans surfaces, it is the proper chemical and cleaning supplies used. Pressure usually causes damage and scarring and does very little cleaning. Yet often I see homeowners and some of these “so-called” professionals using nothing but a pressure washer and water to blast away on folk’s properties. Any person who uses this practice in this business, in my opinion, is a vandal, and their work vandalism! If you have mold, mildew, and algae on surfaces, that needs the proper chemicals to clean and remove the spores.
Rust and grease stains are removed with the proper chemicals and not pressure. The use of biodegradable chemicals and dwell times (the time you leave the applied chemicals on a surface to be effective) is more important. Compare this to using an oven cleaner. If you try to scrub your oven with elbow grease only, it will take you a whole day, and you still won’t like the result. When you use a oven cleaner properly, you merely let it sit then come back and wipe the surfaces, no elbow grease, and a nice clean oven is the result. This applies to the uses of a pressure washer as well. Remember that in most cases, pressure causes damage; it does not clean.
In regards to shingle restoration, it is baffling to me that anyone can believe that “blasting” shingles with high pressure is going to restore it. It is going to remove the surface stain and the sand exposing the shingle base without killing the algae. Not only will the algae come back but that process also shortens the life of the shingle as well as voiding any warranty. Yet I have gone to many peoples homes who have tried to do it on their own because they thought it was easy or nothing to it, just a pressure washer, water, and blast off! Because of this, I have seen folk’s most precious asset, their home, damaged beyond simple repair. I have seen cedar sided homes, decks, fences, doors scarred and splintered to where they needed extreme sanding and actual replacement of the wood. Roofs with leaks that need replacement costing thousands of dollars. I have seen vinyl siding oxidized, streaked and scared, water blasted in behind the siding, around doors, windows and into the home causing thousands of dollars in damage. Stucco walls with chunks 
blasted off. Plants killed. It goes on and on. This comes from not knowing the capabilities of the equipment that is available to them as well as not having the proper education and training.
We haven’t even gotten to the safety issues or environmental concerns. I see people all the time using these machines without safety goggles. When pressure washing, any number of things can fly off the surfaces and become lodged in an eye. I often see people trying to use a pressure washer from a ladder, which, to the novice, can be very dangerous. If one is using the proper chemicals, it is also very important to wear the proper clothing, I have seen many homeowners and so called contractors use store bought chemicals, Many times these chemicals are not the right kind for the job being done and will soak through a sneaker and eat away at their skin. Safety is a huge concern and usually thought of after the damage is done.
The ability for anyone to go to an outlet store and purchase a machine is a problem within the industry. Their claim to be a professional contractor is like the person who buys a hammer, saw, paint brush and other tools and declares they are a carpenter, painter, etc. It really is mind boggling that within an industry that carries the responsibility of the use of chemicals, personal safety, working on other’s properties, working with potentially dangerous equipment, there isn’t the credibility or proper respect for the trained industry professional.
