What do you do with your pressure washer?

DCOutdoors

DCOutdoors

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Okay, so I have a pressure washing business but am moving into full time detailing. For those of you with pressure washers, how do you use them and for what? What are some ideas you can come up with that can SAFELY employ a pressure washer?

Undercarriages would be a no-brainer! Thanks.
 
washer floor mats. i tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and it worked great. sprayed matts with folex scrub with brush then pressure wash off
 
PW and dd wheels.
PW, brush, degreaser to remove tire crud. Gets what brushes and chemicals alone leave behind.
 
As said above, floor mats are a breeze and a good up-sale. Spray w/ a citrus based cleaner, let dwell, then power wash clean. No scrubbing involved. Other than that and a foam cannon, I wouldn't use one on a vehicle.
 
Use mine for foam cannon, rinsing & everything else already mentioned.
Floor mats, boot carpets, wheels, wells, under-carriage, etc are SO much less effort when using one.
Only thing I would avoid or be extra careful with is engine bays.

Personally, I believe rinsing can be done safely as long as common-sense is used.
In saying that if your previous job was purely heavy cleaning you may have a fairly heavy duty unit?
I use an electric 2000w, 2000psi, 2GPM unit at home & a more powerful item at work. Not sure of exact specs as it's not mine....
Never caused any damage with either.

If anything I consider it safer from a detailers perspective as more dirt is removed in the pre-soak/rinse stage before the car is even touched.
 
neat e34 said:
Use mine for foam cannon, rinsing & everything else already mentioned.
Floor mats, boot carpets, wheels, wells, under-carriage, etc are SO much less effort when using one.
Only thing I would avoid or be extra careful with is engine bays.

Personally, I believe rinsing can be done safely as long as common-sense is used.
In saying that if your previous job was purely heavy cleaning you may have a fairly heavy duty unit?
I use an electric 2000w, 2000psi, 2GPM unit at home & a more powerful item at work. Not sure of exact specs as it's not mine....
Never caused any damage with either.

If anything I consider it safer from a detailers perspective as more dirt is removed in the pre-soak/rinse stage before the car is even touched.
Click to expand...

Because we have a lot of wells around here (N. Florida) I kept the size down to 4000 psi @ 4 gpm. I can change the tips to a larger orifice and back off some to bring the pressure down. Good point about getting more dirt off before washing. I guess the trick is to keep an eye out for chips and be careful of stickers.

Thanks
 
Yes, flaking paint, stickers, etc are definitely things to be rinsed from a distance, & even then carefully. Of course you will have to evaluate case by case & weigh up safety vs speed of job, etc.
Same with engine bays. They can safely be rinsed with a pressure washer but only from an appropriate distance.
Last thing you want is water forced into areas where it shouldn't be...
 
Keep the psi down if you do the car. I use a 1900 psi and don't stand real close (dont' listen if people say you will damage the paint) as long as s not a streamline straight shot and not real powerful it should be fine. I'll "swear" by the pressure washer to help with bugs, tar and especially wheels and rims. I don't think i can effectively clean rims if i don't use a pressure washer as hard as i may try or scrub!
 
If you use the spray pattern and keep the tip a reasonable distance, the typical <2000 psi washer should not cause any issues. With a pressure washer, you can use less overall water than with a hose especially if you have lower water pressure. They can rinse tires/wheels quickly.
 
Wheels, tires, wheel wells, general rinsing, house, tree sprays, mother-in-law, Agent Orange...to name a few...
 
DCOutdoors said:
Because we have a lot of wells around here (N. Florida) I kept the size down to 4000 psi @ 4 gpm. I can change the tips to a larger orifice and back off some to bring the pressure down. Good point about getting more dirt off before washing. I guess the trick is to keep an eye out for chips and be careful of stickers.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Use a fan tip, really hard to damage anything. :detailer:
 
BobbyG said:
Wheels, tires, wheel wells, general rinsing, house, tree sprays, mother-in-law, Agent Orange...to name a few...
Click to expand...

Goes it work on Sister-In-Laws too? I don't think the trees spray in public here! Good suggestions though.

Thanks
 
DCOutdoors said:
Okay, so I have a pressure washing business but am moving into full time detailing. For those of you with pressure washers, how do you use them and for what? What are some ideas you can come up with that can SAFELY employ a pressure washer?

Undercarriages would be a no-brainer! Thanks.
Click to expand...

This time of year......

To rake leaves!:offtopic:
Seriously though, I learned this 15 years ago at least. Old school friend was in the business with a 4500psi 6gpm 210 degree fire breathing unit that he used for building and parking lot cleaning. One day we were playing with the Zero tip and totally by accident we found out it'll rake a yard in a FLASH!!!

Since then I use my 13hp Honda unit for it at least once or twice in the fall. (between blowing the lawn) It cuts down on all the dust that you get with a backpack blower and will actually do the job a LOT quicker. As long as you keep a very shallow angle and sweep back and forth quickly you can move a wall of leaves at least 10' ~ 12' wide completely across a yard. When done correctly the ground isn't even wet, so much so that you can sit on it and not get your pants wet. :xyxthumbs:
 
cardaddy said:
This time of year......

To rake leaves!:offtopic:
Seriously though, I learned this 15 years ago at least. Old school friend was in the business with a 4500psi 6gpm 210 degree fire breathing unit that he used for building and parking lot cleaning. One day we were playing with the Zero tip and totally by accident we found out it'll rake a yard in a FLASH!!!

Since then I use my 13hp Honda unit for it at least once or twice in the fall. (between blowing the lawn) It cuts down on all the dust that you get with a backpack blower and will actually do the job a LOT quicker. As long as you keep a very shallow angle and sweep back and forth quickly you can move a wall of leaves at least 10' ~ 12' wide completely across a yard. When done correctly the ground isn't even wet, so much so that you can sit on it and not get your pants wet. :xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

You use a zero tip to move leaves? Have you looked at the concrete under leaves or anywhere you spray that thing? You might try a rotating nozzle... it gives a lot of power without leaving lines! In fact, they are great for doing driveways, walkways, and other odds and ends. Beware, a zero tip will cut right through your arms or feet!

Here's what I found that works for leaves... my Grandson or a neighborhood kid.

Happy Black Friday Evening (the best part of the day when it's all over).
 
DCOutdoors said:
You use a zero tip to move leaves? Have you looked at the concrete under leaves or anywhere you spray that thing? You might try a rotating nozzle... it gives a lot of power without leaving lines! In fact, they are great for doing driveways, walkways, and other odds and ends. Beware, a zero tip will cut right through your arms or feet!

Here's what I found that works for leaves... my Grandson or a neighborhood kid.

Happy Black Friday Evening (the best part of the day when it's all over).
Click to expand...

I can do leaves without any damage underneath AND without even leaving the yard anythign but just slightly damp. Enough so that you can sit on it without getting wet. ;) Seriously, it's about keeping up wand speed as you walk forward and not going too wide. It'll move a rolling wall of leaves, 8' ~ 10' wide across a 15' ~20' (or greater) section at a time. If your wall gets too high, then it's time to go to another section.

OTOH, it's not something that I'd trust someone to do that hasn't done it before, it's an aquired thing. And oh yes I'm all to familar with the damage a zero tip does! ;)

Wish I had a grandson.... And the neighborhood kids are either too little or too big. Do have one that's still college age but he's almost useless around the yard! :rolleyes:
 
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