When you pressure wash your concrete, wooden deck, or another wood siding, you must be extremely cautious. It is easy to damage the wood by over-watering it too much. But you can actually have a quite successful clean even without causing major havoc to your wooden deck if you follow a few simple guidelines. If you follow these tips, you should have minimal damage to your deck and have a clean, beautiful finish that will keep people coming back to your home.
If you have mildew or mold on your wooden deck, it may not be the result of a too-high-pressure water flow. In fact, most cases of mildew or mold are caused by people being careless and being outdoors when the temperatures start to get warmer. When the outside temperature begins to rise, especially during the spring and summer months, it becomes harder for the wood to cool down. As a result, it can become wet and stay that way, which encourages the growth of mold and mildew. By controlling the outdoor temperature in your yard during cooler months, you can prevent deck pressure washing problems from occurring.
Mildew and mold can also occur on your deck because of the moisture that may still be present after you have finished deck cleaning and are using a pressure washer to wash off the dirt and grime. Many times, mildew and mold will grow after a deck has been cleaned. This is due to the damp conditions that exist after a wood deck is cleaned. Even when you have properly cleaned the deck, there is always a small percentage of dirt and grime that can linger in the air. By using a pressure washer to wash off the dirt before you start decking cleaning, you can ensure that mold and mildew will not begin to grow.
Depending on what has happened after you have finished deck cleaning, you may need to repeat deck pressure washing. If there are still traces of dirt and grime after you have used your pressure washer several times, then you may need to go on with the next round of cleaning. Each time you are washing the wooden deck, there are certain chemicals that you will need to use. These chemicals will help keep the deck clean and prevent further damage that will be caused by excessive moisture.
Depending on what has happened after you have completed deck washing and using a pressure washer, you may need to repeat this step a couple more times. After each washing, your wooden deck will need another thorough cleaning. Be sure to use a good, strong detergent for your deck pressure washing. Also, it is best to choose a detergent that does not contain chlorine. Chlorine is a strong cleaning agent and can bleach out the materials that wooden decks are made from, including stain and dirt.
When you are choosing a detergent to use with your deck pressure washing machine, there are also some things that you will want to pay attention to. Some detergents are better than others. You will need to choose a detergent that uses smaller droplets. You should also choose a detergent that leaves stains and pet odors behind but does not weigh down the wooden deck surfaces. For window genie deck washing, make sure that you use a detergent that does not contain chlorination.
There are two types of pressure washers that you will need to choose from: those that have lower PSI and those that have higher PSI. The lower PSI pressure washers are better for smaller decks. They are also recommended for outdoor deck washing. The high psi pressure washers are better suited for decks that are deeper in the water.
A final consideration to your deck washing is the type of detergent that you will use. If you are just doing light deck cleaning, then you may be able to get away with using any detergent that is not specially formulated for deck pressure washing. However, if you have deeper stains on the wood, then it may be best to use a detergent that is specially formulated for deep deck stains. For the most part, the average cost of a deck pressure washing job will be about one-fourth of the cost of a full carpet job.