Preparing for a Family Gathering

If you just purchased a home with an old wooden deck that needs to be rejuvenated, then you will be pleased to learn that you can complete this project in a weekend's time, using these time-tested tips:

Tip: Wear Old Clothing and Protect Yourself from Wood Splinters

Pressure washing your deck is a messy project. You should wear old clothing that can get dirty. You should also wear rubber boots because you will be working with water and walking on a wet surface. Additionally, you must wear goggles for eye protection. As you pressure wash the deck, small particles of wood will be in the air, and if you get one in your eye, then it can cause a painful scratch.

Tip: Use the Appropriate Spray Tip When Pressure Washing Wood 

While you may be tempted to use the pressure sprayer's tip that makes the hardest stream of water to clean off your deck, this is actually the worst thing that you can do. Wood is soft, and you only want to remove its top layer, so you must use the pressure washer's spray tip that puts out its spray in a fan shape. The fan shape disburses the water so that it will not drill holes in the wood as you pass it along over your old deck.

Tip: Purge the Air Out of the Pressure Washer's Hose Before Connecting the Spray Tip

Once you have placed water into your pressure washer's reservoir, then you should turn it on and gently squeeze the handle on the sprayer to remove any air that is present in the system. Once the pressure washer begins to spray water and no longer has any visible bubbles in its water hose, then the system is ready to use and you should connect the spray tip. Turn off the pressure washer when putting on the sprayer's tip to ensure that you do not get injured by the high-pressure water. Water coming out of a pressure washer can cut your skin and break your bones if you get in the way of the spray stream.

Tip: Always Keep the Sprayer's Tip Moving While Washing Your Deck

Finally, while you are pressure washing your new home's old deck, make sure that you never let the water sprayer stay in one place. Move the wand back and forth to evenly remove dirt and grime from the deck's boards. If you don't constantly move the water, then the strong stream will damage the deck's timbers.

For more information, contact a business such as Nothing But Clean Window Cleaning.