The terms “pressure washing” and “power washing” are often used interchangeably; however, there are some small differences, the main one being heat. A power washer generally uses heated water, whereas a pressure washer does not.

Pressure washing your home and exterior surfaces can go a long way in improving its overall cleanliness and appearance. Pressure washing once per year is a great way to cut down on grime and build up to make your place really shine.

Yes, excessive pressure can certainly result in damage to the surfaces of your home, siding, deck surfaces, and more. You’ll want to exercise care with the pressure washer you use, as well as test it on a small spot first to avoid damages.

Cleaning your concrete with a pressure washer is as much about protection as it is about aesthetics. Washing concrete surfaces with a pressure washer removes built up dirt and grime, and helps prevent slippery surfaces, and can become a breeding ground for mildew.

PSI is pounds per square inch, which is what supplies the “pressure” for the pressure washing, forcing dirt and debris off surfaces.

GPM is gallons per minute, which refers to the amount of water coming through the pressure washer.

Generally, pressure washing jobs take between 30 minutes to 2 hours, or more. It all depends on the size of the space being pressure washed, as well as the efficacy of the machine being used.

Pressure washing can damage windows, and the best way to avoid this is by ensuring that the PSI is low enough to avoid breakage. You’ll also want to keep a safe distance rather than pressure washing the windows from too close. Be aware that pressure washing can also damage window screens if the PSI is too high.

You can use a pressure washer to wash a myriad of surfaces such as brick, concrete, house siding, stone, pavers, and more. Think driveways, walkways and sidewalks, decks, pool decks, and more.

There are a lot of popular uses for pressure washers such as window washing, drain, duct, and gutter cleaning, pool and pool deck cleaning, parking lots and driveways, grill cleaning, outdoor furniture, and other outdoor area cleaning.

Each surface you pressure wash requires different techniques, nozzle types and sizes, PSI, and chemicals. You can pressure wash surfaces using just water, but generally you will have better results when using cleansers, particularly on very dirty or neglected surfaces.

You can pressure wash painted surfaces; however, you’ll need to be extremely cautious as too much pressure, the wrong cleansers, or using the wrong equipment can result in a destroyed paint job.

You can pressure wash stained wood, but it will often wash the stain right off. If that is the goal, you can certainly pressure wash the surfaces, and then plan to re-stain them after they’re cleaned.

You can rent pressure washers and more at Chattanooga’s Action Rental & Sales.