What are the different surfaces you can use a power washer on

What are the different surfaces you can use a power washer on?

What a time saver your Power Washer is! A pressure cleaning rig has so many uses that soon it will be your best buddy. Let’s take a look at some surfaces that will definitely save you a back ache and time using a power washer.

Cleaning Your Car

Using the power washer for cleaning your car is super easy, quick and enjoyable that you´ll look forward for the next car wash. Be careful you don´t use the highest pressure nozzle as it can literally take the paint off your car. First, you would wash the car with just water to make sure all the dirt is gone. Don’t forget to aim underneath the car to get all that caked-on dirt. Afterwards, apply car soap yourself or use the soap tip if you have one. Then use the low pressure tip nozzle to take the soap away.

Your Wooden Deck

Your power washer is a great way to clean a wood or composite deck. When you just hosted a barbeque, your deck ends up being sticky from pop, juice, wine and the dessert crumbs are stuck from being stepped on. Who really wants to manually clean that? Leave it to the pressure cleaning rig! It is amazing with wood house sidings, gazebos, stairs, wooden fences and outdoor wooden furniture. If you are planning on re-painting it can help take off the loose paint or help you prepare the surface for a new paint job. Just keep in mind when you just want to clean the surface use a low-pressure nozzle tip. Your Powerful wand can strip off the finish from the wood easily. Also, the water particles can embed themselves further inside the wood that can cause it to bend or rot over time. This is the reason you don´t combine detergent with a high-pressured nozzle when washing wooden surfaces. For a little help power washing your deck in Arlington, give Ecotek a call.

Your Greasy Barbeque Grill

Yes, guys love to take over the grill but do they love cleaning it after? The smell of grilled meat is just amazing as the grease and fat start melting away. That grease can stay in there for a long time if you don´t clean your grill after every use. It’s a huge pain to clean in manually. But the power washer is a life changer. Here’s how to clean your grill. Make sure it is disconnected from the propane tank or a natural gas line. It would be wise to start with a wider nozzle tip (45 degrees) to get the loose grease, grime and fat. Then add a strong degreaser and let it sit there for at least a few minutes. Use a stronger spray to remove the harder stains. As you removed all that grime you can rinse it down back with a wider nozzle tip.

Keep Your Driveway Spotless

There is always a car that ends up leaking a little bit of oil and having oil stains on your driveway looks ugly. Your garage floor, walkways and your driveway can be very difficult to clean. But again, nothing can stop your that high pressure spray. When you use a higher pressure nozzle tip with detergent it can easily get that grease and oil stains leaving your driveway spotless.
Your Swimming Pool
Your pool or your Jacuzzi can easily build up mold during time. This is when buying a power washer that uses hot water will benefit you. If you get a unit that can produce steam you can quickly demolish mold and the surfaces will be microbe-free.
Adaptable to the Weak
Not only does that high pressure setup display mighty acts against strong material, it is considerate to fragile surfaces like glass. Do you have huge windows on the second level? Well your best buddy can be strong enough to take the dirt but gently at the same time. Most of all, it cleans fairly fast on those big windows when using a wide angle nozzle tip.
Perfect for Boats
If you own a boat this s your answer. No doubt it is a lot of work to clean and maintain a boat. You have materials like metal, wood, glass and fiberglass on your boat but with the proper tip it is versatile to clean all those surfaces. Just be aware of what kind of nozzle you should use for each material.
There you have it; a power washer is an amazing tool to own for a homeowner. It saves you a lot of time as it gets the job done for many different surfaces in more than the half amount of time doing it by hand. If it is your first time owning one, read about the other blog on the different types of nozzle tips and its uses so you can fully use this tool to its full potential.

June 11, 2017

Choosing the right power washing nozzle or tip

We have the pressure washer set up, all ready to go, and then we realize all that we have is the machine. Yes, the power washer itself is just 1/2 of what you actually need to get started, it’s only the part that will be pumping a high pressure of water through a wand. What we really need to learn is the correct nozzle we should use, to be the most effective and to achieve the best results.

Here’s a quick look into 5 different types of universal power washing nozzles to help clean any surface, whether its concrete, siding or a wood deck. It can be tricky to learn the different spray tips, but we tried to make it as simple as possible- even color coated.

RED :
Here we have the red tip. Which is a 0 degree extremely concentrated spray. You really do have to be careful using this tip, because it can damage sensitive or soft surfaces. Do not use on wood or painted surfaces unless you are trying to remove the paint. It has the power to scratch some surfaces due to the high intensity so using it on siding is NOT recommended unless it is several stories high and you’re using this tip to reach the third story.

YELLOW:
Now the next tip we use, disperses out water with a 15 degree spray pattern. This is best used for concrete, and also used when removing mildew stains. Keep in mind when using this tip, to achieve the best results we choose not to use it with chemicals or detergents, because it can eventually lead to the chemicals being embedded in small crevices.

GREEN:
This tip has a 25 degree spray pattern. Fast and easy to use for large areas! It works really well on vinyl siding from a moderate distance, decks, walkways, patios, sweeping leaves and if used correctly, you can use it when cleaning outdoor furniture. Ca

WHITE:
One of the most diverse nozzles is the white tip. It has a spray pattern of 40 degrees. It can be used to clean delicate surfaces. Such as, aluminum siding, wood, vinyl, and vehicles. This is one of the most commonly used nozzles and can be used on vinyl siding at closer distances.

BLACK:
Lastly, we have the black tip. It has a spray pattern of 65 degrees and sprays with a very gentle stream. Power washers usually use this tip when needing to prepare or presoak the surface for the official cleaning.
Knowing exactly what type of tip to use is crucial. Potentially a short task could turn into being a longer one if the wrong nozzle is used. Keeping this color coated cheat sheet will help ensure efficiency and effectiveness for any job.

May 24, 2017May 24, 2017

Why Choose Professional Power Washing Arlington Virginia

Why Choose Professional Power Washing in Arlington Virginia:

When it comes to house projects we all just initially want to do them ourselves. Time after time though, we may start to realize that we need the professionals help.

What is Power Washing and Soft Washing?:

We use an upscale, professional grade power washer to pressurize water, using it on just about any surface. Some places really need or can handle more pressure so we make sure to adjust the needed pressure for the task. We also use a variety of different sized nozzles to ensure that we are being as efficient and safe as possible. But vinyl siding and near windows needs a more gentle approach, so using the same powerful machines, we spread out the power over many feet, so we can be done your home fast, while barely hitting your house with any psi from the pressure washing wand.

When misused you can really do some damage to your home and it’s surroundings, which is why we recommend leaving this task to those who are trained and insured in this profession.

The Benefits:

Everyone has their own opinion about power washing. We have found that the majority of people love it and the other small percentile of people are just the ones who haven’t tried it yet. We are confident you will not be disappointed in the results. With the right equipment and knowledge of using a power washer, even the most difficult stains can and will be removed from your siding or roof cleaning.

We all know when it comes to spring cleaning you tend to notice some areas that over the years have collected quite the amount of dirt. But, when you choose to power wash, those small crevices that cannot be reached by tool or hand will be blasted out by the right amount of pressure! Also what many people think is dirt, may actually be mold and algae, especially if it forms on the north side, or less sunny side of your house or roof. This mold will prematurely age your roof, and just makes the siding look bad and may pose a allergen response, especially in children who play outside near the home.

Hiring the Professionals:

There is a few benefits of handling the power washer yourself and trying to accomplish the job on your own. Then, when we start to think of safety, time, and quality- we realize just how much easier it would be to leave this project for the professionals to take care of.

When you use a power washer, the pressure that fires out is so powerful, if used improperly and misdirected it could actually damage the skin in an instant. Bruises and eye injuries are also very common.

Power washers really are not the hardest thing to figure out how to use, but the time invested in researching a good quality one, and effectively using it can be very time consuming.

If you happen to be in this predicament, give us a call. Our company, EcoTek Power Washing of Arlington Virginia is reliable, quick, and extremely efficient. Our goal is to provide high quality professional service at an affordable rate. We want to make it possible so everyone can receive the much needed “TLC” for their homes. Call us for a free estimate, you won’t be disappointed!

Your clean is our reputation!

May 11, 2017May 11, 2017

7 Things To Remember When Hiring a Power Washing Company:

7 Things To Remember When Hiring a Power Washing Company in Arlington

It’s getting to that time of year and you know you want to spruce up the exterior of your house. The thought of possibly having to go outside and scrub your siding and/or deck and doing it by yourself seems daunting. What better way to solve the problem and a hire a trustworthy power washing company to come and get the grunt work done for you. But first, there’s a few things we all need to remember before hiring the first company we see advertised.
1. Insured

This is crucial! Make sure the company has their own insurance that will cover any damage done while they are on the job. You do not want to be in a situation where you have to pay out of your pocket for all the damages caused by the power washing workers or products that they use to clean your siding, sidewalks, or deck cleaning.

2. Efficiency

A good power washing company should naturally be efficient and work at a good speed. You do not want to have to call back the company to set up another appointment because they missed something, or call them back because they damaged something.

3. Quality

How is their quality? Have you seen photos of their work? How long will it last? Have you read reviews from local users specific to Arlington Virginia? It would be absolutely terrible to have to call the company again for another appointment because the work they did, didn’t stay clean long.

4. Equipment

Talk or even ask to take a look at their supplies and power washer that they will be using. Is it just a cheap one that you can pick up from your local home improvement store or does it look like they actually invested in nice machinery.

5. Reputation

How long have they been in business? Have you heard good things about this company? How reliable do they seem? You really want to see what others say about the company and overall make sure you get good feedback and awesome reviews.
6. Communication

Talk about the “just in case” situations. Verbally communicate and see what exactly will be done, what products will be used for pressure cleaning services, and if anything happens to your surrounding plants will they take responsibility and replace them. If anything were to happen on their time clock, you would want to know that the company would take full responsibility.

7. Enjoy

Now, we are talking about one of the best possible ways to clean the exterior of your home, decks, sidewalks, and driveway. This service is bound to bring satisfaction to its customers, of course when hiring the right company. Your house will look absolutely astounding afterwards and hiring a power washer is 100% recommended to keeping a beautiful exterior for your Arlington home.
Keeping these 7 useful tips in mind will help you tremendously when thinking of hiring a power washing company. When you come across one, trust your instincts if you get a good feeling about them.
Remember as well, we are always ready to help any current customer and new potential customers with any further questions you might have! Especially when it comes to power washing.

May 11, 2017May 11, 2017

How to clean your roof safely in Arlington Va

You walk outside on a beautiful sunny day, your enjoying the weather, looking around at your yard and everything looks pristine…. but then…. you look back up at your house and see streaks on your roof that have progressively gotten worst and mold that has begun to grow. You know at this moment action needs to take place.

If your thinking of grabbing your ladder and you want to try to clean it all off yourself, please keep in mind that safety is very important. You have to make sure that your ladder is stable, the ground below it is level, and your supplies are easy to access, perhaps on a hip belt like construction guys use for their hammer. Most important, wear boots to have good traction when doing the roof cleaning. Another thing, is to find the correct products for the problem you have, mold and mildew require stronger, more potentially dangerous chemicals than simple dust, pollen, or dirt build up. Research what these chemicals will do to your plants and to your own health. When researching products think about how long this job will actually last. Unfortunately, with most products and diy roof cleaning, you will find at first they work great, and everything looks good, but then with time- the mold is back again and the whole process starts again. This is where the experience of a licensed power washing company in Arlington Va would come in handy

When keeping these tips in mind and the possibilities of what could eventually happen, you will be prepared to make the decision to either do it yourself or to leave it to the professionals. If you decide that you don’t want to do it yourself, call us! You will be guaranteed a safe, professional service that we promise will keep your roof clean, and in the long run a time and money saver.