If Your New Year’s Resolution Was to Tackle More DIY Projects, Take Pressure Washing Off Your List!

Written by: Julie Keating

If you are one of the many who committed to putting home improvement and DIY projects on your New Year’s resolution list, good for you. Although pressure washing might seem like a great task to put on your to-do list, it isn’t! Instead of risking danger to your exterior spaces and yourself, cross it off, tackle the lawn care, and call the Sunshine Boys instead – for these and many other reasons!

Pressure Washing Equipment is Not All the Same

It seems like you can pick up a pressure washing machine from just about any home improvement store. What the manufacturers don’t tell you is that commercial equipment differs significantly from the residential do-it-yourself models. Pressure washing is a great way to protect your exterior by removing build-up, but not if the machine isn’t powerful enough to do so. Only commercial machinery is good enough to remove the dirt and debris – otherwise, you are throwing money out the window!

Go Pressure Crazy – It’s Fine!

Although most people assume that if it is an exterior surface then pressure washing is fine, that is not the case! In the pressure washing industry, we use two different techniques: pressure washing and soft washing. If you don’t know the difference between the two and spray at will, you can unwittingly do a whole lot of damage. Not all exterior surfaces are safe for pressure washing, and if you aren’t trained about what to use where, the damage and cost can be extensive!

Standing on a Ladder Spraying Water Sounds Like a Great Amateur Job!

There are many reasons pressure washing is a job for professionals, not one for amateurs, but chief among them is REASON. If you are not a trained expert, then standing up on a ladder with a spray gun in your hand doesn’t sound like a great idea to anyone who gives it a thought. There are some things that you can do and should, and some that you can and shouldn’t. Your homeowner’s insurance isn’t something that you want to put a dent in with a fall this spring. Leave it up to people who are trained instead of putting yourself at risk.

It’s About More Than Just a Machine

If you rent or buy a pressure washing machine, that is just the first step. Along with the machine, you need tools like convenient water sources so you aren’t tripping over hoses and electrical outlets. You also need industry-approved solvents that will help to remove deep stains, dirt, and grime. If that all sounds like a lot, it is. This is why there are many other great DIY projects to pass the time, but pressure washing is not a good one!

Insurance

Pressure washing companies carry workers’ compensation and business insurance to cover themselves from risk just in case. If you do it yourself, then the risk is all yours. If you damage paint unwittingly, it is your fault and cost. If you use pressure washing on surfaces like the roof, which is a no-no, and you damage it, it is your fault and cost. Lastly, if you fall from a ladder, it is your cost both physically and financially. Of all the things that need work around the house, can’t you choose something much less risky and leave this one to the professionals?

We get it – with the New Year, who doesn’t want to make improvements while saving money at the same time? But sometimes you spend dollars trying to save pennies, and that is surely the case if you think that pressure washing is a good DIY project to tackle. Damage is easy if you don’t know what you’re doing, and so is personal harm. For the small cost, you get so much – and safely – by hiring Sunshine Boys to make your house sparkle in 2024! Contact us and make your appointment with us today!