Power washing a deck can do a good job of deep cleaning it. However, it can also ruin your deck, if not done well. Most people use too much pressure when they are doing window cleaning Chandler AZ, or they might keep the power washer too close to the wood.

Pressure and Tip Selection

Since cleaning services Chandler AZ can be done on many things, it means that the machine comes in many different sizes and pressure ratings, based on what you want to use the machine for.

While cleaning wood, keep the following things in mind:

Go for the lowest possible pressure

When cleaning softwood like cedar or pine, go for a pressure of 500-600 psi. For hardwood, go for a pressure of 1,200-1,500 psi.

Go for a fan tip, but you can also choose a rotating tip if you will use it carefully.

When starting the machine, press the trigger when the tip is facing away from people and glass and at least 24 inches away from the wood. Then you can gradually move it to 12-18 inches away.

Don’t go closer than 12 inches to the wood, unless you are operating at very low pressure.

Test the pressure someplace else before starting to use it on your deck. Replacing a deck board can be expensive.

Proper Washing Technique

Here are a few proper washing technique tips:

The tip of the machine should be 40-60 degrees

Start cleaning at 600 psi and gradually increase the pressure until you reach the pressure that works best for you. However, don’t put too much pressure because you will damage the wood.

Start the trigger when the tip is a bit far from the surface of the deck and then gradually lower the tip, but don’t go further than 12 inches to the surface. Use a sweeping motion when pressure cleaning.

Move your arm back and forth horizontally, as you pressure sweep, in order to maintain a constant distance between the tip and the floor.

Start from the inside and work your way outwards

Pressure clean along the grain, so that there are no visible outward edges

Raised Wood Fibers

You have to be careful when you are doing house cleaning Chandler AZ so that you don’t erode the wood or etch the fibers of the softwood. When wood becomes wet, the fibers get raised and this may result in splinters.

There are a number of things that you can do. In case not much damage was done during the cleaning, then a bit of sanding on some spots will ensure that everything is in order. Alternatively, you can choose to refinish the wood. This requires that you sand the deck.

There are several benefits to this. Splintering won’t occur or even if it does, there will be just a bit of it, the wood will be smoother and the process would open up the wood’s pores to allow it to soak up the sealer.

Don’t use sandpaper that’s too fine, otherwise, it won’t be possible for the sealer to be soaked into the wood easily.