5 Times Pressure Washing May Be a Mistake

Pressure washing is an important part of home maintenance here in Raleigh, Apex and Wake County. Many homeowners call us after the pollen has (finally) cleared to freshen up their front porches, screened porches, and just generally get that gunk gone! While pressure washing and soft washing are fantastic for maintaining a clean home, there are some things that can’t be pressure washed. Keep those high-pressure wands away from the
following:

Avoid Pressure Washing These Things

1. Delicate furniture. While most outdoor furniture is hardy and waterproof, we’ve encountered some older wooden pieces that won’t hold up. Our Squeegee Squad owner has a couple of pieces in this situation. Even an electric pressure washer has too much pressure — it will not remove the stain. Instead, hose it off with your preferred soap and use a towel. While it’s more labor intensive, you’ll keep your furniture looking good. (Note: Wood must be resealed or retreated every few years.)
2. Windows! Some pressure washing teams will take care of your house soft wash — and
   leave residue on your windows. (Hire Squeegee Squad to complete the house wash first
   and then clean your exterior windows.) You may think it’s OK to ask the pressure
   washing team to rinse the windows. Depending on their age and how well sealed they
   are, it might be OK. Or it might not. You might end up with a ton of water leaking
   through there and a mess to clean.
3. Cars. Car washes exist for a reason. Very high pressure such as that used in
   professional pressure washers may take off the paint on your car. Unless you want to
   spend money on a new paint job, stick with a garden hose or head to the car wash.
4. Old brick or stonework with crumbling mortar. It’s very satisfying to remove algae
   from flagstones. But if your home has brick or stonework with mortar that is worn or old,
   avoid too much pressure. The high-pressure water is going to tear up your mortar. If
   you’re planning those repairs, we can coordinate with your masonry contractor for the
   best time to clean.
5. People! Our team was on a job on a hot day and some kids on bicycles asked us to
   spray them. Absolutely not! Highly pressurized water CAN and will cut your skin. Pull out
   the sprinkler or garden hose for the neighborhood kids.

Bonus: Old wood decks that are overdue for resealing. We’re very happy to do these! However, if you haven’t re-stained/resealed your wood deck in years, you can expect some of the paint to chip, and we want you to know that. We often see the dirt really ground in there and soap and high-pressure water aren’t always going to remove it all. So let us pressure wash it to clean the surface, but then make a plan to follow up next weekend with your chosen stain, paint, or clear seal.

When Pressure Washing Isn’t the Answer
It’s interesting what pressure washing can’t clean. Our owner had some odd stains on her porch ceiling, but pressure washing would not remove them. She then climbed a ladder and found a rag with elbow grease did the trick. Same with some white rocking chairs on a porch — there was a strange residue that came off with soap and water but not with pressure washing. So we cleaned them and the owner then repainted the chairs to get them back to fresh for spring.

We’ve seen this occasionally with black stains on porch columns and some round mildew on an old screened porch that had been there for years. If mold or mildew sits too long, they leave stains that won’t come off.

Hire our Squad to clean it, but it might be time to paint afterward. If you have a stain or particular area of concern, check in with our team about it before we begin so we can discuss what may work and what may need another approach.

Schedule Your Pressure Wash with Squeegee Squad
Ready to freshen up your porch with a pressure wash? Contact us for a free estimate: 984-351-4001.

This post was written by Squeegee Squad Raleigh/Apex owner Jennifer Suarez with no help
from AI.