If perhaps you have looked up info on how you can use your pressure washer on the edge of the home of yours or even the automobile of yours, you have most likely run into recommendations for soft washing with very little explanation on what it means and whether you want a separate piece of equipment to do it.
You are likely wondering whether you can make use of a pressure washer to soft wash? Yes, you can soft wash with a pressure washer by adjusting the PSI (pound-force per square inch) either through the pressure washer itself or perhaps by making use of a different tip on the sprayer of yours. It’s not vastly different from regular pressure washing.
The deeper you get into researching the very best ways to use your pressure washer, the more you will see this idea of soft washing, but there is not a large amount of info out there about what it means. Can it be different from pressure washing? And most importantly, how do you do it? We have got answers to each of these questions in more in this article.
Can You Soft Wash With a Pressure Washer?
In case you already own or perhaps have access to a pressure washer, there’s really no need to purchase a special soft washing pump. Here is why:
Your pressure washer itself may allow for adjustments to pressure in case you are using a professional-grade pressure washer. Check your user’s manual for directions on adjusting pressure.
If not, you can always correct the pressure by swapping out the nozzle to one with less pressure.
The Difference Between Pressure Washing and Soft Washing Manufacturers of soft washing pumps will tell you soft washing is very different from pressure washing. You have to be separate equipment and soaps for it. Still, the fact is. Actually, most home pressure washing tasks require soft washing. You are most likely already doing it!
The sole difference is just how much pressure you use to do the job, and most jobs around the home require soft washing, like:
Cleaning house siding, especially vinyl
Cleaning other structures and wood decks
Cleaning roofs
Cleaning boat, trailer, truck, or your car Using pressure that is high on these things can cause damage from the pressure itself or perhaps from water leaking behind and into crevices and cracks. The only instances where you would like to use high pressure is when you are cleaning stone or perhaps concrete!
Pro Tip: A good rule of thumb to follow is to make use of the lowest pressure possible that still gets the job done. You can always target stubborn spots later with greater pressure without using the higher pressure for the whole cleaning task.
Which Nozzle Should You Use for Soft Washing?
Many pressure washers come with a set of nozzles, but if yours didn’t, they would not set you back a lot. This particular set of 5 Tool Daily Pressure Washer Nozzles is actually under ten dollars and includes a white, white, green, yellow, and black nozzle.
Here’s what the styles of pressure washer nozzles signify:
Red: zero degrees. This’s probably the most effective pressure washing tip you can work with, and most of the time, you will check it out completely unnecessary. The stream is actually narrow and targeted.
Yellow: fifteen degrees. The stream on this nozzle widens a bit. You may make use of this on stone or perhaps concrete.
Green: twenty-five degrees. The stream becomes even wider with a green nozzle. The surface area you can wash increases. This’s among the most commonly used nozzles around the house.
White: forty degrees. This stream on the white nozzle is actually soft and cone-shaped. The white nozzle is actually safe to use on most surfaces.
Black: sixty-five degrees. This nozzle offers the gentlest and widest stream but may not be effective. The black nozzle is normally used for applying soap.
The white nozzle is actually probably the best nozzle to use when soft washing since it’s gentle while still being effective against grime and dirt.
What’s the PSI for Soft Washing?
The PSI for soft washing is hotly debated in the pressure washing community! Some say less than a hundred PSI, while others insist that less than 1,000 PSI is still soft washing.
Considering professional pressure washers can reach thousands of PSI, you can see why some might consider 1,000 PSI soft washing.
It would help if you never put the hand in front of the pressure washer’s wand as it can lead to severe injury, but some say the PSI for soft washing would not hurt your hand in case you did. (But do not try it. Really.)
We love to take the middle ground. A PSI of 500 or perhaps less would be considered soft washing. Keep in mind; the definition is actually flexible.
Tips for Soft Washing With a Pressure Washer
If your planning on using your pressure washer to soft wash, save yourself some trouble and follow these tips and tricks!
Do not Adjust the Unloader Many folks will erroneously suggest you adjust the unloader of your pressure washer to change the washer’s pressure. This’s bad advice unless recommended by the manufacturer.
The unloader’s main reason is to redirect the flow of water back to the pump, so it does not build up. It plays an important safety role in your pressure washer, and you do not wish to go messing around with it and damaging your pressure washer, or perhaps worse, hurting yourself and others.
Use Good Detergent and Follow Directions Because soft washing does not rely as heavily on pressurized water to scrub away grime and dirt, you need to make use of a good detergent intended for the process you are doing. Follow the detergent instructions that will often include the amount of time that you need to allow the soap to sit on the outside.
Let the detergent do several of the heavy liftings that your high pressured water normally would.
Do not Run Soft Wash Detergents Through Your Pressure Washer.
Detergents that are actually intended to be run through soft wash pumps are not always a great fit for your pressure washer. They often contain toxic chemicals like bleach that could cause harm if run through your pressure washer’s pump. If you have a downstream injector, it will be less likely to cause damage, however a possibility.
You can apply these detergents separately with a sprayer or perhaps with a long-handled scrub brush and then rinse them out with soft pressure.
You might also make use of a standard pressure washer detergent.
You are Still Likely to have a Ladder for House Washing Some folks think that since they are soft washing, they do not be concerned about the perspective that they spray their siding from, but that is not correct. Pressure washing or perhaps soft washing, you should spray your siding from a downward angle or perhaps a straight-on angle to help prevent water from being behind the siding and damaging the home yours.
Why? The siding was created to keep the home of yours from getting wet when it snows and rains, and since rainfalls downward, siding is not as effective at combatting water shooting up at it from underneath. Will it ruin the house of yours in case you do it a couple of times? Most likely not, but that does not mean it’s a great practice.
Do You Want a gentle Wash Pump?
In case you’re an experienced pressure washer, you may want to invest in a gentle wash pump since you will be able to make use of the powerful soft wash detergents with it, which will help you save some time. In case you are the typical homeowner with normal soft washing needs, you do not need another piece of equipment to maintain. A pressure washer can do the job just fine.