Pressure washing is without a doubt one of the most, if not the most, effective ways ever devised to clean hardscape surfaces like driveways, walkways and patios. It’s also incredibly effective when it comes to cleaning years of soot, grime and mold off of vinyl and wooden siding, backyard decks and other surfaces. However, some of our Massapequa and Oyster Bay customers have questions about the process and in particular, whether or not it’s in any way dangerous to the environment. In this post, the team at Majestic Windows and Exterior Cleaning address the issue.
Pressure Washing and the Environment
In and of itself a pressure wash does not present any hazard to the environment. All you’re doing after all is directing a high-powered stream of water at a hardscape surface like concrete or pressure-treated lumber and allowing the force of the water to remove unwanted dirt, grime and other substances. Unless your patio is covered in toxic chemicals for some reason cleaning it with water alone won’t have any negative environmental impact.
The only way this type of industrial strength cleaning can pose a threat to the environment is if the person operating the pressure washer decides to use harsh chemicals in an attempt to make their job a little easier. In that case, the problem is not with the device itself, but with the irresponsible choices of the operator. So how do you make sure that doesn’t happen?
Simple, you make sure you enlist the services of Majestic Windows and Exterior Cleaning. Our 20+ years of experience and commitment to the safety and satisfaction of our customers inform everything we do, including the cleaning solutions we choose to employ. You can be certain we will never use harsh chemicals on your property in a selfish effort to save ourselves a few minutes of cleaning time.
The Company You Choose Matters
As a general rule, pressure washer surface cleaners take 1 of 3 approaches to their work. Either they eschew cleaning agents altogether and simply rely on the power of the pressurized water to do the work. Or they add a bit of non-toxic, environmentally safe detergent to the pressurized water if the dirt and grime are particularly stubborn. Or, they attempt to take a shortcut and add bleach or other potentially dangerous additives to the mix in an attempt to save time.
Bleach can be particularly problematic because it doesn’t take much to kill grass and sensitive plants. Oxalic acid is another compound some pressure washers use due to its proven ability to clean various hardscape surfaces. But while oxalic acid is generally considered environmentally safe it can represent a health hazard if used in high concentrations by someone not wearing proper protective gear. Also, if you have pets and one of them should lap at a pool of water containing oxalic acid they could become very ill.
Some other chemicals used by inexperienced or unscrupulous power washers include citric acid (commonly used for stain removal), sodium hypochlorite (a disinfectant), sodium hydroxide (used to dissolve grease) and potassium hydroxide (often found in liquid soap). None of these chemical compounds are considered environmentally friendly and could pose a danger to pets, children and plants.
A Better Kind of Pressure Washing in Massapequa
The bad news is some companies will employ these potentially dangerous compounds without telling you. The good news is that you don’t have to put up with that kind of subterfuge. When you enlist the services of Majestic Windows and Exterior Cleaning you can rest easy knowing we always take the responsible approach to our work. We have a hard-earned reputation to uphold and would never risk it just to save a few minutes here or there.
If we do feel that pressurized water and elbow grease alone will not be enough to produce the high-quality clean we’re known for we may use one of the many environmentally-safe cleaning products currently on the market. What we won’t do is default to something cheap, easy and dangerous.
Why it’s Important
The further we get into the 21st century the greater the environmental challenges we face. If we are to leave our children and grandchildren a world worth living in we have to understand that the choices we make now will impact that future world.
For more than 20 years we at Majestic have been helping our customers keep their properties looking great. We understand that there are 2 ways to approach any job: the cheap and irresponsible way and the right way. From the very start, we have been committed to doing things right because we are convinced you can have a beautiful world today without endangering the beautiful world of tomorrow.
The Bottom Line
If you are searching for the right company to clean the hardscape elements of your property, or to clean the house itself you can do an internet search for “pressure washing near me” and roll the dice with the results. Or you can simply call Majestic Windows and Exterior cleaning at (631) 421-2295.
As we said at the outset, power washing by itself does not present a hazard to the environment. Any environmental hazard is the result of operators employing potentially hazardous chemicals in order to save time. You won’t ever have to worry about that when you enlist our services. Our commitment to our customers extends to the environment we all share. We wouldn’t have it any other way.