House cleaning outside!

Drain cleaning, gutter cleaning, cleaning a patio and cleaning wooden decking

BRICK CLEANING

Brick, and stone is cleaned by being very careful with hydrochloric acid and using it in dilution of about 1 to 20 parts of water, but it should be well rinsed off with water after cleaning.
NOTE WELL: Since a mineral acid burns the skin and eyes easily, cover your eyes with goggles and your hands with gloves, and use some protection for your clothes. You can apply the acid with a sweeping brush; leave the area to soak until you can see the colour lighten of the bricks and then rinse. Rinse off with water. Make sure, before you start that there are no near - by surfaces which can be damaged by the acid and protect them. You can usually buy this acid already in solution as brick cleaner. Leaving the surfaces to soak makes the acid work much more effectively.

PATIO CLEANING

The same cleaner will clean your patio

CLEANING DECKING and OUTSIDE FURNITURE

You can clean all types of wooden decking by soaking it in a solution of very dilute (1%)caustic soda (sold as drain cleaner) and scrubbing it while in soak with a long handled deck brush. This removes the black slimy stuff which hangs around the wood after a winter. You must rinse this well after treatment. A pressure washer rinses this well. Don't get tempted into using an acid or bleaches on decking - you'll ruin it. And be careful while using caustic soda - cover your hands and be aware of splashes. For more specific information go to our boat cleaning section.

HOW TO CLEAN OUT A SEPTIC TANK

In septic tanks, where there is a lingering smell, it may be necessary to empty the tank, pressure wash it, and then reseed it with non-pathogenic bacteria. You will have used bleach or heavy disinfectants in it to get to that situation in the first place. The contents of the septic tank need care - it's the lack of any bacteria which cause the smell. Bleach and disinfectants kill off the needed aerobic bacteria. The septic tank should be a self - contained colony of healthy breeding bacteria, these bacteria should be a balanced mix of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. The smell is caused by a lack of aerobic bacteria so don’t use bleach if you have a septic tank.

HOW TO CLEAN BLOCKED DRAINS

Caustic soda crystals closely followed by a small amount of cold water, and leave, avoiding breathing in the fumes as you do so. This dissolves everything. Sodium carbonate (known as washing soda) will also work but takes much longer and you need to use it in hot or boiling water. After the drain is clear, wash some washing - up liquid solution in hot water down the drain to remove and emulsify any excess fats left, which might be clinging to the pipework. Now none of this will upset septic tank flora. Clean out your drains only when needed, not on a regular basis. You’ll still be here to tell the story if you don't clean them in 2 years.
A regular flow of detergent keeps them sweet anyway. A regular flow of congealing fats will not, so when you get the urge tothrow fat down the drain next, run some washing - up liquid and warm water in to it, first.

HOW TO CLEAN OUT A GUTTER

Note well - remember your ladder safety and make sure your ladder is footed.
Remove the leaves, grass and anything else which is blocking your gutter, with an extension pole by loosening the obstacles with this and pulling it out of the gutter. Do not clean only one part of the gutter, clean it all. This job is much easier after rain when everything is loose. Remember the gutterings and supports are a relatively weak material and will not stand any direct weight.

HOW TO USE A PRESSURE WASHER

You need care with one of these. On close work, sufficient pressure to be bearable to your hands is sufficient. This is quite low pressure, but using high water pressure will very easily damage a relatively fragile surface like glass or gel coat However, on a wide area and a harder surface material like steel or Ferro - concrete boat hulls for example.
Or concrete flooring, then you can use a higher pressure, but use the pressure washer when the surface is coated with detergent solution for maximum effect. A pressure washer will never substitute for use of a detergent; it simply makes cleaning a particular area easier. It is not a particularly faster method of cleaning either. Use one to wet a whole area before detergent soaking, and then rinse off using the pressure washer.
The following article was provided by Victor Popovics from www.ultimatewasher.com

Pressure Washing Tips

Many times, people put too much effort into washing their cars, boats, patios, grills and house exteriors. By using the pressure washer you will overcome that burden and you will complete any of these jobs much better and much faster. If you just follow this simple guideline your home exterior cleaning will be short and painless process. Here are some valuable tips:

1. Choosing nozzles and/or tips In order to pressure wash efficiently you need to choose the correct nozzle and/or tip. Majority of our machines come with the interchangeable spray tips that serve two purposes. One is to lower the pressure and draw the detergent; and the other is for high pressure rinse at the different spray angles. Our pressure washers come with several color coded tips/nozzles (red, yellow, green, and white). They vary from 0 degrees to 40 degrees. As a general rule, the smallest angle delivers the most powerful "punch." For example, it you want to remove the stubborn smudge from you driveway you will use a 0 degree angle; however, if you want to move debris (such as leafs) away from your house you will use a wider angle such as 15 or 25 degrees. Caution: be sure the nozzle/tip is completely attached before using the trigger gun. Failure to do so may result in the tip becoming the projectile and may be lost or it may damage the property and/or harm persons.

2. Using detergents Use only detergents and cleaning solutions that are approved for pressure washer use. We offer a Super Film Remover and Citrus Degreaser. Super Film Remover is mainly used for car washing and light dirt or road film. Citrus Degreaser is used for removing heavy greaser and industrial cleaning. All of our pressure washers come with the detergent injector which allows for continuous, uninterrupted flow of the cleaning solution into the water stream. If you buy unapproved detergents they may not be environmentally friendly and they may be dangerous for pressure washer components. One solution might work well for the concrete, but it could harm the wood.

3. Testing the power Test your pressure washer for its power. The best is to start spraying few feet away from any object. Slowly bring your wand to 3-4 feet distance from the surface you want to clean. Move your wand side to side couple of times and check if the surface is clean. If additional cleaning is needed move your wand gradually closer to the surface (approx. 1-2 feet). The reason for the gradual cleaning is because pressure washers are extremely powerful and if you start too close you could damage the object instead of cleaning it.

4. Planning what to clean. Be careful when spraying around windows, postage box, flowers, vents, leaves, or light fixtures. They can brake or became damaged if aimed directly at them. In addition, keep the trigger gun pointed downwards so that you don't spray under the siding. This will prevent the siding from collapsing. Also, be cautious when cleaning the edges around the windows. Small, unnoticeable holes can leak water inside your home. In order to prevent this check for any holes, dents and scratches on the frame of the window.

5. Pressure washing Pressure washing is similar to painting. If you get into "happy mood" you may start spraying everything and everywhere. This random sprayings are not thorough, they will make you miss spots and you will waste your time by cleaning places twice. To overcome this, spray horizontally with smooth left to right movements. In one strike cover 3-4 feet wide area. To prevent streaking, start from the bottom and work your way up to the top.

6. Pausing before rinsing since you used the cleaning solution, you have to give time for it to do its job. You should allow 5 to 10 minutes for the detergent to start dissolving the dirt, but do not let it sit too long so that it dries out. When ready to rinse start at the top and work towards the bottom until entire area is detergent free.