Professional vs. DIY Pressure Washing

Making the Choice Based on Effort, Safety & Effectiveness

If you own a business in the Mid-South, you understand the importance of appearances. You expect your employees to dress well and represent your company professionally. You make an effort to keep the interior of your business clean, from the reception area to the bathrooms and everywhere in between. You know a sloppy-looking property doesn’t shine your business in the best light, so you continually maintain it.

Your efforts to keep your business looking great are admirable, but what about the outside of your building? You should take as much pride in the appearance of the façade, parking lot and any surrounding alleyways as you do on the lobby just through the door. One of the easiest ways to clean concrete, asphalt, brick and other building materials of accumulated dirt, grime and graffiti is with pressure washing.

You might think, “Great, I’ll go out and rent a pressure washer and do the job myself.” However, you’re wise to consider hiring a professional rather than attempting a DIY job. Here are three good reasons why.

DIY vs. Professional Pressure Washing: Effort

If you decide to go the DIY route, you need to put a lot of effort into the process. In addition to the rigorous, sweaty work of actually pressure washing your building and parking lot, a DIY job requires you to research power washers, learn how to use one, rent one, clean it when you’re done and remember to return it.

It takes a lot of time and effort to pressure wash your own property, especially considering that you have to go through the whole process again in a few months when the dirt, grime and litter start piling up again.

On the other hand, you could hire a professional pressure washing company with a quick phone call. On the day of the cleaning, you can go about your regular routine running your business while a professional does the hard work of pressure washing your building.

Advantage: Professional Pressure Washing

DIY vs. Professional Pressure Washing: Safety

Despite what you might think, pressure washers can actually be dangerous tools in the wrong hands. If you have never operated a pressure washer before, you may accidentally hurt yourself or someone else. With the wrong settings and aimed the wrong way, you could even damage the very property you’re trying to clean.

You have experience running your business and taking care of your customers’ needs. Put these skills to good use and leave the pressure washing to an expert who uses a pressure washer on a daily basis.

Advantage: Professional Pressure Washing

DIY vs. Professional Pressure Washing: Effectiveness

Companies that rent out pressure washers understand that the equipment can be dangerous to use. That’s why rentable machines use lower pressure and lack a heating element. This downgrade is for your safety—knowing that people renting pressure washers aren’t professionals in handling the equipment. Unfortunately, what this means is that a rented pressure washer isn’t as effective as a professional-grade model.

True, you can remove loose dirt, cobwebs and cigarette butts with water at any pressure. However, when it comes to washing away spray paint, imbedded grime and stains, higher pressure is definitely more effective. You’ll also appreciate the heated element of a professional-grade pressure washer if particularly stubborn spots refuse to wash away.

In addition to using commercial pressure washers, professional companies also have access to effective cleaning agents. Some heavily-stained areas of your building may need so much help that high-pressured water and heat aren’t enough. In those instances, a pressure washing technician boosts cleaning power with chemicals. Thanks to the technician’s training and experience, he or she knows how to implement the cleaning chemicals without allowing them to drain into the city’s water supply. This ensures you don’t get in trouble with the EPA under the Clean Water Act.

Advantage: Professional Pressure Washing

Professional Pressure Washing in Tennessee, Mississippi & Arkansas

If minimal effort, optimal safety and maximum effectiveness sound like the right combination to you, contact State Systems to schedule professional pressure washing today! We serve business owners across the Mid-South, including Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.