Power Washers, An Essential Tool To Have Around The House
Have you ever heard the joke about the man who asked his wife to clean the driveway? The story goes that there was a woman who kept asking her husband to get the lawnmower fixed. He kept putting it off until one day he came home and found his wife asleep on the lawn with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. He went into the house and came back a few minutes later with a toothbrush. He woke her up, handed it to her, and told her that when she finished cutting the lawn she could sweep the driveway. So what happened to this man? Well, the doctor told him he would walk again, but he would always have a limp. While this is a humorous example of back-and-forth between husband and wife, there obviously was a better way for her to clean the driveway than with a toothbrush. If the husband had had a power washer, perhaps he could have avoided bodily harm.
But of course, power washers are more than just a way to stay away from the hospital. They are an essential tool to have around the house, for both men and women. They can blast oil off of a driveway, clean siding with ease, and return a barbecue grill to sparkling condition in minutes. Unlike a garden hose, they do not simply push dirt around. They actually break the chemical bond between dirt, oil, and paint and the surface they are attached to. After that, clean-up is a breeze.
There are two basic types of power washers, electric and gas powered. The electric type is much more lightweight and portable, so it is easy to move and store. It also has less engine parts to maintain, repair, and replace. Black n decker and task force both sell some fairly inexpensive electric models, ranging in price from under a hundred dollars to a couple of hundred. However, the disadvantage of this kind is that they do not have near the power of gas models. The most powerful electric model still tends to have less pressure than the least powerful gas one. Some companies that sell good gas models are honda, pacific hydrostar, and karcher. These start at around $300, and can run into the thousands if you want a prosumer grade.
Power washers also come in various performance levels. Light duty models, from 1200 to 1900 psi, are lightweight and often small enough to be stored on a shelf. They are best suited for cleaning small areas, such as patio furniture, vehicles, fencing, and garage floors. They also work well for more delicate projects that might be damaged by something more powerful. Medium duty models range in pressure from 1950 to 2600 psi. They are great for most general cleaning, such as stairs, sidewalks, decks, and driveways. If you want to strip paint, clean the second story of a house, wash siding, or remove oil stains, however, you will need a heavy duty machine. These start and around 2650 psi and can go as high as 3800. You do need to be careful with these, however, as they can damage some surfaces. But whatever type or grade you chose, no homeowner should be without this high-pressure tool.
