A pressure washer is a tool that many homeowners love and hate at the same time. No matter how much they complain about it blowing off their carefully applied paint or ruining their carefully trimmed bushes, this machine is an irreplaceable helper in most situations where there’s dirt and grime around.
And yet, pressure washers can be quite dangerous if not handled properly. Their high-pressure jets of water can cause severe injuries and damage to property. For this reason, we decided to dedicate today’s article to the lessons pressure washers taught us so far and share them with you. Visit now Giraffe tools pressure washer.
1. Know your limits
For many homeowners, the very thought of using a pressure washer is too daunting even to consider it. Then some say that they can do it because they have been cleaning their driveways and patios by hand forever. Well, let us tell you from experience, you can’t! Pressure washers are not for everyone. If you don’t know what you’re doing, stay away from them until you do.
2. Pressure washer journeys start with a single step
When it comes to pressure washers, you might start your journey in one of two ways: either buy or rent one. Both options have their ups and downs. Buying will come out cheaper in the long run if you plan on using it often, while renting is the only way to go if only occasional use is expected. When buying our first pressure washer, we opted for electricity because it costs almost nothing to operate compared to gas-powered ones that need fuel refills which can get very expensive over time.
3. The harder they fall, the harder they hit
It would help if you remembered this when handling pressure washers and when working with anything that has even a hint of danger. We heard many stories of people not getting up in time and suffering an injury or two as a result. No matter how careful we are, accidents happen – especially if we’re doing more than one thing at the same time (we watched someone injure himself because he tried holding his dog and operating a pressure washer at the same time). Right now, there’s no such thing as being too careful so put down what you’re holding before turning on the machine.
4. Pressure washer injuries can be fatal!
If an accident happens and someone gets injured, the pressure washer is usually the culprit. As we said, these machines are dangerous if not used properly, and one of their most common dangers is the water they shoot out at high-pressure. If that hits you in the wrong spot (eyes, head), there’s a big chance you’ll be seeing stars for quite some time to come. When it comes to pressure washers, always think safety first!
5. Even professionals sometimes make mistakes
We learned this lesson when we took on our first job using a pressure washer. We were so excited about cleaning those dirty walls that we didn’t see how much paint got blown off by accident. Of course, it wasn’t easy for us to look at them afterwards, but we had to learn from our mistakes and get better at what we did. As professionals, there’s no excuse for something like this to happen, but if it does – you have to learn from it and keep going.
6. It pays to have a backup plan
As professional cleaners, we can’t afford to let minor water damage stop us, so we learned how to minimize the effects of minor accidents by having a backup plan. This is also why we always carry spare parts in our van that might come in handy if something fails or gets dislocated from accidental mishandling. Every job has its own set of problems, even pressure washing jobs with seemingly nothing out of the ordinary about them (it doesn’t matter what it is or how many people have done it before). As a pro, you need to be ready for anything.
7. There’s no such thing as overkill
When it comes to pressure washer settings, we know from experience that the higher the ground, the better when it comes to deep cleaning. Some jobs may require switching to a much more powerful machine or risk not getting everything cleaned correctly in time. This is especially true when working with clients who need their houses to be spotless for a big party or family gathering where everyone will see it. Prepare yourself for this responsibility and do your best every single time!
Conclusion
As you can see, pressure washers are not as simple to operate as they may seem at first. The lack of knowledge about their proper usage often causes accidents and other problems, so keep these things in mind if you plan to buy or rent one. Before you do, always read the manual and never forget to wear protective gear. Once you get the hang of it, these machines are one of the most helpful cleaning tools you will ever encounter!
We hope this article helped shed some light on how important it is for a pro to know what they are doing and that it might come in useful for you.
