FAQ: Pressure Washing Services for Your Ann Arbor Home

As the years go by, nature slowly attempts to take over your property. Moss creeps across brick patios, dirt builds up on vinyl siding, and a slick layer of algae covers deck boards. If you're looking for a way to reclaim your outdoor surfaces, prevent damage, and boost your curbside appeal, you and your home can benefit from professional pressure washing service.

If you haven't seen pressure washing in action before (or even if you have), you may be wondering what the big deal is and whether you can just accomplish similar results with a garden hose. But, a garden hose is to a power washer what a teddy bear is to a grizzly—there's just no comparison when it comes to the sheer power and effectiveness.

In this guide, we'll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about pressure washing, and explain why professional service from My Handyman of Ann Arbor, Saline, and Chelsea is such a huge advantage in your mission to maintain your home.

What is Pressure Washing?

It is a highly efficient method of cleaning outdoor surfaces and items with pressurized jets of water. The "pressure" part is what makes it so effective. Pressure washers—also known as power washers or cleaners—are advanced equipment capable of producing pressures that range from 750 to 3,000 psi (pound-force per square inch). That's enough to cut through some materials and blast away difficult stains that other cleaning methods can't budge. Comparatively, a typical faucet clocks in at around 40 to 60 psi.

What is the Difference Between Pressure Wash and Power Wash?

The terms are used interchangeably to refer to the same service, but some make a distinction and specify that power washing machines can use heated water—which is better at removing some substances such as oil and grease. Most power and pressure washers can also use soap if necessary.

What Can Be Pressure Washed?

Power washing is an ideal cleaning method for many exterior surfaces and items. Here are a few of the many things power cleaning can be used for:

• Concrete surfaces such as a driveway, walkway, sidewalk, patio, or pool deck

• Wood & composite decks & porches

• Other outdoor structures such as gazebos & sheds

• Window cleaning

• Vinyl siding & garage doors

• Fences

• Patio furniture & grills

• Bicycles & wagons

• Large play & sports equipment

Is Commercial Power Washing Useful?

If you're a business owner, you know how important it is to keep a well-maintained business to impress your customers and raise your credibility. Pressure cleaning services are incredibly useful for your commercial property. Anything that can be power washed at your residential property can also be done for your commercial building, but it's also very efficient for large-scale cleaning projects like an office building with wall-to-ceiling windows or a fleet of service vehicles.

What are the Benefits of Pressure Washing?

Aside from the obvious benefit of making everything a lot cleaner, there are some big advantages to power cleaning that can really help with the care and maintenance of your property.

Avoid Erosion Damage

Dirt and grime build-up on your outdoor surfaces is an unsightly cosmetic issue, but it can also cause damage. It harbors harmful bacteria that eat away at paint, leaving the surface underneath vulnerable to serious problems like wood rot, rust, and other forms of moisture damage. Power washing thoroughly removes build-up before it has a chance to create problems that require more costly and time-consuming repairs. It also makes a safer environment for small children and pets who may accidentally ingest the bacteria.

Prime Surfaces for Refinishing

Are you seeing signs of peeling, flaking paint or wood stain on your deck, porch, and other places around your property? Power cleaning is the best way to prime surfaces for refinishing, because it can remove loose paint far faster and more effectively than sanding ever could, leaving behind a smooth, clean surface to work on. If you're not up to the task of painting and refinishing, no problem—My Handyman's service pros can take care of that for you as well, and add a coat of sealant to help repel moisture damage in the future.

Boost Curb Appeal and Property Value

If you're thinking of selling your house in the near future and are looking for ways to make the property more attractive and increase its value, power cleaning should be at the top of your list. It offers an excellent return on investment by making prospective buyers feel like they're getting a like-new house—and by adding on to the overall selling price.

Can Pressure Washing Cause Damage?

Power cleaning can cause a lot of damage in the hands of an inexperienced amateur, from smashed windows to missing roof shingles. It can also cause serious injury if the water jets accidentally hit a person or animal. That's why it's a job that's best left to professionals who have the training and skill to develop the proper pressure washing technique and to know which settings to use on various surfaces.

What Should Not Be Pressure Washed?

As great as power cleaning is, it can't be used for everything. Here are a few items and surfaces that you should never use a power washer on:

• People, animals, & plants

• Anything that should not get wet, including items with electronic components

• Roofing material & wood siding

• Masonry surfaces with crumbling, loose, or old mortar

• Lead-based paint (because lead paint is toxic and the flakes need to be contained, not blasted everywhere)

My Handyman is Your Trusted, Local Pressure Washing Company

Whether you're in Ann Arbor or a nearby town such as Whitmore Lake, Dexter, or Pittsfield, you can rely on My Handyman of Ann Arbor, Saline, and Chelsea for quality pressure washing services. Customer satisfaction is our top priority!

Give us a call today to find out more about how we can enhance your home and make your life easier.