House Cleaning Can Get Quite High Pressured
Power Washing Gives Your House A Good Scrub from the Hazards of Being Outdoors
By Maureen Costello, Staff Writer. July 10, 1977
A power washer is a pump hooked up to a gas motor. It uses high pressures at varying streams to clean exterior surfaces. Done properly, it removes dirt and deposits under eaves and soffits, says John Princiotta of Princiotta Painting in Boxborough.
The pressures can vary from 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch--which is a little stronger than the average garden hose-- to 4,000 psi. At that level, "you can write your name in cement," warns Princiotta. "You can cut right through the human body with that."
Power washing is used to clean exterior walls of mold, mildew, and other buildup such as paint chips and insect nests. A simple power wash can return a dull-looking house back to its natural luster, and it can help prepare a house to be painted.
"It’s not only for aesthetic purposes, but it actually serves as a preservation of the life of that stain," says Princiotta.
Princiotta says proper power washing can restore dead wood fiber back to its natural color. "Most people are in awe after I leave their situation," he says.
Properties surrounded by pine trees are prime candidates for sprucing up. The trees shade the house and prevent the sun from drying the wood , vinyl or aluminum siding or brick after rain or snow falls. With that constant moisture, mildew forms.
Bugs, mold and mildew like to live on properties near lakes, ponds, and other wetlands. Carbon monoxide, among other toxins from passing motorists, can leave a filthy film on properties near a well-traveled street. "There’s no stopping mildew," says Princiotta.
Left unattended, mildew and other grime could damages the wood, and cause a fresh coat of paint to peel prematurely.
"Something that’s been sitting outside that many years is going to get dirty," says Princiotta. Power washing the property first, he says will provide a better bond for the paint. It also makes sense, adds Princiotta who equates painting a house without power washing it is the same as putting make-up on a dirty face.
"Why spend thousands of dollars on the exterior of your house if you’re going to have to be painting it again in a few years?" he asks.
"Power washing is a very important thing to do. There is a lot of hidden mold and mildew people don’t see. If you don’t power wash, you’ll just be painting over something that will keep on growing," Princiotta says.
"In a year or two, your house will be peeling and you’ll wish your house was power washed."
Power washing is also used to revive brick and vinyl and aluminum siding. Aluminum siding will oxidize, Princiotta says, causing buildup and the color to change. Spraying vinyl siding is pretty straight forward, adds Princiotta.
At one time sandblasting was used to clean the residue from burned coal off of brick. Brick, being porous, can hold such contaminants and carcinogens forever. So old brick should be cleaned. However, the blasting ruined the brick’s outer glaze. Power washing cleans the brick without damaging it.
There are precautions to take when considering power washing, warns Princiotta. For starters, excessive pressure can damage wood and warp decks. Power washing machines have graduated levels of pressure and care should be taken that the correct pressure is being used at the correct distance to avoid any irreparable damage. "You never get a second chance with wood," he says.
Also, he does not always rely upon power washing to remove old paint from a house. "Paint chips and oil will be blown through the neighborhood," he says.
Power washers sometimes add a little bleach or another biodegradable cleaner to the water. Often, says Princiotta, the cleaner is highly diluted and should not damage nearby bushes and gardens, which are likely to get some runoff.
Princiotta also encourages wetting down the surrounding areas before and after power washing. The last rinse, especially, will further dilute any chemicals used, he says.
