People become intimidated when they hear “pressure washer” when in fact, it is the easiest and quickest way of washing your car or truck.
Gone are the days of traditional car washing with buckets of soapy water, a water hose, car waxes and polishes, and a lot more. You may not know, however, that some products can be more damaging to your car than others and even though you provide proper maintenance to your car by cleaning it regularly, it can be the most time-consuming.
Now if you’re planning to purchase a pressure washer, let us guide you to a step-by-step process on how to use this tool. We need to explore the two types of pressure washers available: electric and gas-run pressure washers.
Electric vs. Gas-powered
Electric pressure washers are lightweight and take up less space. They can also be easily stored in a corner of your garage and are also environmentally friendly. However, the main drawback of using this is the endless cords. You have to plug it in a power source outlet in order for it to clean. These types of pressure washers are usually good for cleaning around the household such as cleaning the driveway, patio and garden furniture, decks, or windows.
Gas pressure washers, on the other hand, are quite handy and the best thing about it is that it is cordless. You do not have to worry about plugging it in a power source. All that has to be done is to put in some gasoline and start cleaning, as easy as that. It comes with never-flat tires which makes you move it around with ease and the best part is you can clean everything and anything in one go. It is the perfect tool if you are planning on heavier cleaning and do not want to worry about cord lengths.
Now that you know the difference, and want to opt for the best gas pressure washers, you can make an informed decision on which one to buy according to your needs. Let’s take a look at the steps on how to use the pressure washer.
How to use pressure washers in 3 steps for your vehicle
1. Start from the bottom
Before beginning, make sure you have worn proper safety gear, especially protective goggles for your eyes, as debris may get shot back as you clean.
Attach your garden hose with the pressure washer and fill up the tank with car wash detergent to start up. Then, apply detergent from the bottom up of your car or truck by using the 40-degree nozzle and remove dirt wherever it is located.
Hold the lance approximately 3 feet from your vehicle, moving in closer when needed, to remove the stubborn stains. The wheel wells tend to be the dirtiest so you need to close in up to 6 inches in order to remove those muddy grills. You can also use a scrub brush which comes as an attachment to the washer and can be used for thorough cleaning.
2. Leave the detergent on
When you are done spraying detergent on your vehicle and removing most of those grimes, leave it on for a minimum of 5 minutes while sporadically spraying to keep it wet.
3. Detach the tank
Now you need to detach the detergent tank as it is time to rinse all the soap away with water. Once detached, you can again use the 40-degree nozzle to spray your car, however, this time it will be from TOP DOWN. Get your wheel cleaners ready prior to doing so to have a seamless process. Sometimes, regular soap won’t clean the wheels as the dirt on there is harder to get rid off. You will need wheel cleaners for the job. If you haven’t used one before, the guide on this link is helpful: https://www.grandprixtimes.com/best-wheel-cleaner
Make sure you are a few feet away when rinsing and take extra care when spraying delicate car parts such as side mirrors. Also, if you have stickers on your glass shields, you can clean it head-on instead of from the side as that would just peel it open.
If you are cleaning a truck, then you can try using a stronger spray nozzle (0 or 15 degrees) to clean your truck bed or tray. It all depends on how dirty your tray is.
Other Uses of a Pressure Washer
Other than removing stains and dirt from vehicles, a pressure washer can also be used for household cleaning. Garden and garden furniture, patios or decks, windows, driveways, garage doors, and even the sidings of your house. However, for sidings, you need to make sure to spray with less pressure otherwise you’ll be peeling the paint off the house. This can be ticked off as another benefit if you “want” to remove paint from a particular area.
Before the advent of this technology known as a pressure washer, people used to purchase a lot of car care products to make it sparkle. You not only needed soap and water but also waxes and polishes and extra buckets for those, gloves, mitts, different types and sizes of brushes, sponges, etc. With the arrival of pressure washers, all those equipment aren’t needed hence making it quicker and easier to wash vehicles and also cleaning outdoors.
Rounding Up
Car washing shouldn’t be that complicated and using a lot of car products without proper information may do more harm to your vehicle.
Using a pressure washer for your car or truck is not only a safe option but convenient too. With the proper attachments and tools, you can make your car sparkle as if it’s brand new. It won’t damage, scratch, or peel the paint off your car like other products may do and you can rest assured of how quickly you can get the job done. So now when you go to purchase a pressure washer, you can make an informed decision on which one works best for you. It’ll be an investment where you can only reap the benefits and keep your vehicles and your house spotlessly clean.