What Do Professionals Use for Pressure Washing?

Jun 16, 2023

Pressure washing is an industrial-level cleaning technique that’s capable of cleaning homes and businesses more effectively than anything else. Only pro-level results are possible when you know what the best chemicals for pressure washing and the right equipment are. This is why professionals are able to make the transformations they achieve with their pressure-washing equipment. Learn what tools, accessories, and chemicals the pros use for pressure washing to improve your results today.

What Do Professionals Use for Pressure Washing?

Professionals use a gas-powered pressure washer, a surface cleaner attachment, and a careful selection of specialized nozzle tips, surfactants, bleaches, degreasers, and oxalic acid for pressure washing.

What Do Professionals Use to Power Wash a House?

Most professional pressure washers rely on specialized equipment and specialized chemicals to powerwash a house. For lightly soiled homes, a power washer that delivers between 1,500 PSI and 3,000 PSI of pressure is enough to fully clean the house. Apply this pressure using a nozzle between 15 degrees and 25 degrees for an effective clean.

When washing with water alone isn’t good enough, you can use some of the following professional pressure-washing chemicals too.

Soft washing surfactants
Industrial degreasers
Mildewcides
Sodium Hypochlorite

When your home is heavily coated with dirt or grease, apply a soft washing liquid with a special chemical injector or a soap cannon to remove all the grime on your final rinse. If you’re dealing with heavy amounts of mold or mildew, or deep stains that soaps won’t handle, you can use a downstream injector and sodium hypochlorite (bleach solution) to treat the stains and remove them more effectively. Just be sure you perform your final rinse using a bleach neutralizer to protect your home’s surfaces.

What Is the Best Mixture for Pressure Washing a House?

Each house is different, but there are general chemicals for pressure washing a house that works for most homes. You should always start with a surfactant (soap or detergent) to capture dirt and break down mild grease for a deep clean. Many people recommend a DIY power wash soap dawn solution to clean with, but that’s the wrong way to clean, in our opinion. Instead, if you must use a DIY soap, you should use a laundry detergent that can blend with bleach without an issue. A good homemade pressure washer detergent will work nearly as well as a professional solution, but most pros choose a commercial solution because it’s easier and only slightly more expensive.

If detergent alone isn’t doing the job, you can add an industrial degreaser to your solution for more cleaning power and potentially a mildewicide to kill off mold and mildew. Consider using a diluted bleach mixture injected through a downstream injector after your first cleaning pass to get the deepest clean possible. Just be sure you finish things off with a bleach neutralizer to protect your home and surrounding surfaces properly.

Sodium Hypochlorite pressure washing is one of the most effective ways to clean concrete and other surfaces well, but it must be done with care. Never run bleach through your pressure washer, and instead, use a downstream injector to add it to your hose after the water passes through your pump. Also, find a good source for bulk sodium hypochlorite if you’ll be using it regularly because prices range from $30 per gallon down to about $12 per gallon when you buy in large quantities.

What Do Professionals Clean Concrete With?

Professionals rely on a blend of high-performance tools and accessories to fully clean concrete. Selecting the perfect blend of equipment is essential for getting a deep clean you can be proud of.

Professionals use all of the following items for a deep clean on concrete.

A gas-powered pressure washer that delivers 3,500+ PSI
0-degree, 15-degree, and 25-degree nozzle tips
Turbo nozzle attachment
Foam Cannon
Surface cleaner attachment

What Is the Best Chemical to Use for Pressure Washing Concrete?

If you’re wondering, should you use chemicals to pressure wash driveways, the answer is almost always yes. You’ll only get a deep and powerful clean when using chemicals, but you must use the right chemicals in the proper order to achieve a deep clean.

The best chemicals for pressure washing driveways are detergents, degreasers, and a bleach solution. Sodium hypochlorite or a strong bleach solution is the best chemical for cleaning concrete, but it must be used at the right time to achieve good results.

What Do You Spray Before Pressure Washing?

Begin by hitting the surface you want to clean with a surfactant or a detergent solution. The soapy suds will bind with dirt to remove it away fully. Apply this detergent using a chemical infuser or soap cannon and a specialty 60-degree nozzle tip.

Once you’ve fully soaped the surface, you must rinse it away before you’re ready to move on to bleaching the concrete. Rinse away your soap using a surface cleaner attachment if you have one for a rugged clean.

Finish off cleaning your concrete by hitting it with a strong bleach solution delivered through a downstream injector. Let the bleach sit for a minimum of 15 minutes before rinsing it away with a bleach neutralizer for a finished clean.

Professionals achieve stunning pressure washing results by using the best combination of tools and chemicals, and it takes hours of research and years of practice to match their results.

Skip Right to a Pro-Grade Clean Today

Stop trying to achieve the perfect combination of cleaning tools, nozzle types, accessories, and chemical mixes and get pro-level results by working with professionals today. Get your home or business cleaner than it’s ever been by hiring the pros at S&K Building Services today.

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FAQs

How much should I charge to pressure wash a driveway?

You should charge between $200 and $400 to pressure wash an average-sized driveway. That’s a driveway of about 650 square feet. Most professionals use a rate of $0.20 to $0.80 for driveway pressure cleaning services.

How much should I charge a square foot for pressure washing?

You should charge between $0.20 and $1.00 per square foot for pressure washing services. Charge near the high end for roofing and other difficult surfaces and closer to the low end for home siding and driveways.

How much does it cost to pressure wash a house?

It costs an average of $250 to $750 to pressure wash a 1,500-square-foot house. A 2,500-square-foot house would cost $500 to $1500 on average. If you have an irregularly sized home, you can multiply by between $0.20 and $0.60 per square foot for a cost range estimate.

How much does it cost to pressure wash a driveway per square foot?

It costs approximately $0.20 to $0.80 to pressure wash a driveway per square foot. Only heavily soiled driveways will cost near the upper end of that price range normally.

How much does it cost to pressure wash a 2,500 sq ft house?

It costs between $500 and $1,500 to pressure wash a 2,500-square-foot house. This range varies depending on how dirty the home is, how tall it is, and what company you’re working with.

What are the risks of starting a pressure washing business?

When starting a pressure washing business, you risk investing in equipment that will break down and fail and cause harm to the properties you are working on. You must be careful to maintain your equipment properly and always have insurance before working on someone’s property.

What are the pros and cons of pressure washing?

Pressure washing offers a deep clean that can be achieved quickly. Pressure washing also has the potential to damage the surface being cleaned and can cause more harm than good when done by an amateur using the wrong equipment or technique.

How do you quote pressure washing?

To quote pressure washing, begin by measuring the length and width of the area to be cleaned and calculating a surface area in square feet. From there, you multiply your total area by an estimated pressure washing price per square foot to get the cleaning quote amount.