Pressure Cleaning Tips When Preparing your Walls for Painting

When it is time to give the exterior walls of your house a fresh paint job, you will know it. Usually, the walls are covered with smug, slime, soil, insect stains, mold, algae, and all manner of dirt. Additionally, the original paint might start to peel. Pressure cleaning is the simplest way to prepare the walls because it saves time and produces a good job. However, you are only guaranteed good results with proper cleaning techniques, for example, by using a pressure cleaning equipment. This article highlights tips for preparing your wall for painting using pressure cleaning.

Choose the Right Nozzle Tip -- The most critical role of a nozzle tip is to dictate the angle of flow of water. Therefore, a nozzle that produces a tight angle such as the zero-degree blasting nozzle will concentrate pressure in a small area thereby increasing cleaning ability over a short time. However, the pressure concentration increases the chances of abrasion and wear. On the other hand, nozzles that are less tight, for example, the 25-degree flushing nozzle and the 65-degree nozzle spread water over a large area, but cleaning will take quite some time. Therefore, you need to be very careful when choosing a vent for your pressure-cleaning machine. Notably, the nozzle type will depend on the condition of your walls, the stubbornness of dirt, as well as how fast you want the job done.

Start at Zero Pressure -- Irrespective of whether you choose a low or high-pressure nozzle, the moment you turn on the water and pressure machine, water will out with some pressure. The preliminary pressure produces recoil or kickback, which might damage a particular section of the wall. Additionally, the recoil can cause an accident as the wand could go flying about and injure someone. Therefore, to prevent either scenario from happening, make sure that you set the spray wand at zero pressure.   

Do Not Spray Directly -- When cleaning, do not hold the nozzle directly to the walls. The reason is that you increase the chances of driving dirt into the inside edges of the wall siding instead of washing it away. Therefore, the best way to clean is to hold the pressure wand at a 45-degree angle concerning the wall. This technique ensures that you clean in a downward direction thereby allowing the dirt to wash down and not into the joints. Additionally, you eliminate the chances of damaging the wall surface.