Note: This post features a heavy-duty, gas-powered pressure washer we rented from the store. To see how we now use a $99 electric version we own, please see this Getting Started With Pressure Washing post.
Guys. I have a new favorite thing. And no, it’s not a pint-sized plastic vehicle.
Yup, we took our spring cleaning to the proverbial next level and rented ourselves a 2000 PSI pressure washer (just got it at the Home Depot in their tool rental department). For 80 bucks and thanks to borrowing my dad’s Kia to haul it, this puppy was all ours for a day. I was happier than a hip hop hamster.
I had never used a pressure washer before (and I had the usual “don’t want to break what’s not mine” anxiety), but the guy at the store gave me a crash course. It was pretty simple. Hook up the sprayer “gun” to the hose, hook that hose to the machine, and then screw in your garden hose. Crank the motor (it runs on gasoline) and spray away.
The main reason for renting it was our deck. It wasn’t looking so fresh after the winter so it needed some “rejuvenating” before we could stain it. We hadn’t stained it yet because, after finishing it in late August, we were told to give the pressure treated wood 2-3 months to dry out before sealing any of the moisture from the treatment in (apparently sealing or staining PT wood too soon can lead to terrible results). So by the time staining was advisable by the wood’s standards, it was no longer advisable by the stain’s directions because of the cold temperatures.
So yeah, we felt a little dumb for finding ourselves in that position, but ultimately it wasn’t too bad. There was just one area where some leaves and acorns had sat around longer than they should’ve, and it desperately needed some cleaning when spring rolled around.
The pressure washer was pretty fascinating to use. It almost felt like painting as you watched the dingy color give way to something lighter with each stroke of the water jet. This is a detail of that nasty area above. Pressure washing it board by board was making a big difference, although it wasn’t 100% flawless.
Here’s the whole deck once I gave it a once over. It was definitely looking a lot closer to it’s just-built days, although there were still some acorn cap stains in that one corner. I started to regret my decision not to use a cleaner (another option is that you can route your water feed through a cleaning solution so you’re essentially using pressure and soap to clean).
I did go back later with some cleaner (sans pressure washer) which seemed to do the trick, but I’ll cover that in our deck staining & sealing post. Right now there’s more power washing action to get to.
Since we had the thing for 24 hours, I kinda went crazy and aimed it at just about every piece of wood around our house. Fences, railings, steps. You name it, it got blasted.
And somewhere around the patio I discovered it also made a huge difference on brick (update: we rented a lower pressure version than some of the stronger varieties, which can apparently damage certain types of brick, so maybe do some quick research before spraying yours).
I never realized how green and dingy some of our brick was until now. (I didn’t think to take a before, so that’s a shot from our vine removal post before everything greened up).
When nothing was left to spray at our current house, I counted my lucky stars that I had more dingy brick to spray at our new place.
As satisfying as the process was (somebody stop me!) the moderate amount of energy it took to wrangle the spray gun for hours was starting to wear on me (no really, somebody please stop me). But in an effort to get our money’s worth, the spray must go on.
Since Sherry was wrangling Clara and taking pics of the process (her toe’s pulling a Where’s Waldo above) and I was already soaked and dirty, I pressed on. Or should I say I pressured on? Har-har.
The new house’s worst spot was on the back right above the deck. Between rain splashing there and it being fairly shaded, it was a color that I’m affectionately dubbing Ninja Turtle Green.
Sherry actually shot a video of this part, so you could see the satisfying de-greening for yourself. It’s almost like painting with a bleach pen or something, since you can watch things lighten up brick by brick.
By about 5pm it was time to call it a day and return my new toy. I was worn out and pretty nasty looking (thanks backspray) but I’ll spare you the shot of my grody dirt-coated leg. Instead you get my dirt-speckled face. Thanks for this flattering angle, $herdog.
So, in conclusion. I love you pressure washer. You’re a beast, but the kind of beast that has my heart.
That’s concrete by the way. I wouldn’t have even thought it was dirty to start with had I not accidentally sprayed it while doing some nearby brick. So it got a little facelift too. Amazing this thing, I tell you. It’s right up there with pegboards.
PS: Next Tuesday, May 7th at 7pm we’ll be chatting with Kate Hall (aka: Richmond Mom) about parenting, decorating with your family in mind, and Mother’s Day gift ideas at the Barnes & Noble in Glen Allen (near Virginia Center Commons). It’ll be followed by a Q&A and a book signing, so we’d love to hang with anyone who can make it.
Michelle says
Oh, my – I loves me some power washing! It is hard to stop. When you are done, you hand vibrate for another few hours :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Totally did!
-John
N Shirley says
I enjoyed this post also- we LOVE our pressure washer- luckily the vibration gets to one after a while- so we just say “no” after a while! lol It must be a relief to not have to “hide” your new house all the time now- good to have it out in the open- right?
YoungHouseLove says
SO NIIIIICCCEE! The hillllllssss are alllliiiivvvvveee, with the sound of MUUUUUSSSSIIIC!
Sorry, I’m excited.
xo
s
Jennifer says
I love the difference a power washer makes–it’s amazing how many different things it can clean! Is this the first time that house has been powerwashed? Because it looks like new in comparison, and I can’t imagine that it’ll get grimey again soon.
Lacy says
So funny that you posted this today. We are pressure washing our new house (has green on the back side) and the decks at both of our houses so we can get ready to stain them. Can’t wait to start on outside projects!
Michelle @birdsofberwick.com says
We. Love. Power washing. It does WONDERS for outside space, decks, fences, bricks and siding! We pressure washed and stained about 500 LF of fence a while back! Looks amazing now!
http://www.birdsofberwick.com/2013/04/24/from-ruins-to-rebirth/
Heather says
You might be the only man I “know” that likes pressure washing. We just did our whole house (works great on siding) and deck and it was whine-central over here. I found it satisfying, but I’m kind of a type-a, instant gratification person haha.
TJ says
Linking to a PowerWheels ad AND a Kia ad in the same post? I hope you’re getting some serious sponsorship money from that! Reminds me of the interviews at the end of a Nascar race: “I’d like to thank the crew of the Home Depot Powerwasher brought to you by Kia in the PowerWheels 500.” That’s, like, $10,000 right there. :-)
Kasey M. says
My parents made power washing the concrete around the pool part of the normal “time to open the pool” routine. Guess who got to man the power washer as a teen? You’re right, they are tons of fun (it is so satisfying to see such instant results).
Except – not so fun if you accidently spray yourself. I use to power wash barefoot (you end up getting soaked anyway) but I sprayed part of my foot and let me tell you it HURT.
YoungHouseLove says
Ouch! That sounds painful!
xo
s
Melissa says
So awesoeme! This post couldn’t have come at a better time. This is what I’ll be doing to my new house this weekend!
Virginia says
Haha when I was teenager, I was tasked with power washing the back patio. Obviously I immediately wrote my name in HUGE letter across the surface. Unfortunately my (greatly annoyed) dad was never able to get it to come out completely with smooth strokes so my name was faintly written across the patio for years. Last time I was allowed to use the pressure washer! Oops.
Deborah says
Oh yeah. Power washer=instant gratification.
Kristin says
I’ve been a long time reader, but I’ve never commented before, so that’s how crazy I am about power washing. Ha. My husband and I “fight” over who gets to power wash around the house. Once you start something, you can’t stop. I made the mistake of washing a square foot of my driveway just to see how it would look and ended having to do the whole thing because it looked funny. I thought my grip would never return after that.
Kristin says
Oh, and you sure have a lot of moss to blast when you live in the Northwest. Every.darn.year.
Daniela says
A friend of mine decided to pressure wash her deck after drinking some wine. She accidently sprayed her foot, and man, did that thing do a number on her! Instead of going to the hospital, she decided to use duct tape. Thankfully, she’s still with us today, as is her foot.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh! They say duct tape can cure anything, but maybe not in a medical sense…
xo
s
Nicole Y, says
Since we live in a condo, there aren’t many spots to power wash, but its just as satisfying to watch someone else do it. Once I looked up youtube videos just to watch tutorials! hahah
Did you guys do the front steps of your current house? I remember I saw a picture once and I thought to myself how much fun it would be to power wash those things.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, those are the ones pictured with the tip of my toe in the shot. So much fun to see them cleaned up!
xo
s
Rachel says
It is amazing what a difference it made! I wouldn’t have thought it would be that simple.
Melissa@TheHappierHomemaker says
I bought my husband a pressure washer a few years ago (not as heavy duty as the one you rented though) and he does the same thing every time he hooks it up…starts looking for things to spray. It’s like a magic eraser for the outside of your house!
YoungHouseLove says
It totally is!
xo
s
Meg Kearney says
My Husband also love the pressure washer! We did all our brick and concrete retaining wall last year and it made such a difference! We helped out neighbors our and did their walkway this year since they were having their engagement photos done at their house! Yay for clean outdoor surfaces!
Koliti says
Come to the dark side…they have power washers.
I see what you mean about the Ninja Turtle Green…
if that was on painted brick, it would not be a good look.
John, since you ended up wearing a lot of Ninja Green, you probably ended up breathing in a lot of Ninja Green. Maybe you need a nasal saline rinse (but NOT with the power washer!) and wear a dust mask next time. Happy spraying.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip Koliti!
xo
s
Brandi says
Awesome results! I need a pressure washer in my life!
Katie Baker says
This is such a ‘man’ post! I love it! I can see my husband doing the same thing! “Hey, come out here and look at the difference from the washed and unwashed part!” It’s just like when I got our Dyson Animal vacuum and kept showing my husband how much dirt I could collect in the can! “Oh my gosh! Look at this dirt!”…”Oh my gosh! Look at this dirt again!”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I can totally picture myself doing that. Like “look John! I’m like an infomercial!”
xo
s
Megan says
John – Do you kind of feel like you cheated on your compression nail gun? I bet that he feels like you did :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh snap. Nail gun be getting ornery. Haha!
xo
s
Criss says
One of my first thoughts when you spilled the beans about moving was all that hard work on the deck and you hardly had a chance to use it!
Katie Rose says
My sister & I bought my dad a power washer (Brute brand) a couple birthdays ago and he loves it! It too makes it’s longest appearance in spring to wash away all the winter grime. In addition to using it on wood & stone/brick like you, he also uses it on our siding (which is white and can also get quite dingy), garage door, planting pots, and our outdoor rugs.
You know, you can buy yourself a good-strength power washer for not much more than $80. Might consider buying your own next time around!
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip Katie Rose!
xo
s
My Boys' Teacher says
I *bought* our powerwasher from Home Depot for about the same price as your rental. It’s an HDPowerwasher 1600. I don’t see it on the Home Depot site right now, but here is the website for the powerwasher itself: http://www.hdpowerwasher.com/
It is ELECTRIC which I love (if you have power close enough to where you intend to use it) because I don’t like getting, storing and smelling like gasoline.
The one you rented is likely heavier duty, but maybe heavier duty than you needed? We bought ours to use on a deck and brick and it has always done the job. In fact, I got overzealous and powerwashed the color right off of our aluminum siding!
Anyway, if you want to use one every year consider buying an $80-100 electric instead of paying that rental fee and having to borrow a vehicle to haul it.
YoungHouseLove says
I like the sound of that!
-John, addicted to power washing
Andrea says
Can you use a pressure washer like this to take peeling paint off a deck?
YoungHouseLove says
I think different pressure washers have different amounts of pressure (called PSI I think?) so ours didn’t seem to get any of the old faded and crusty stain off the new house’s deck (it got the grime and the green off, but the old messed up stain stayed on) but maybe if you use a stronger one? Anyone have a tip for Andrea?
xo
s
Katie Deegan says
My husband rented a pressure washer from Home Depot to clean our deck before we stained it. He had the same reaction! He cleaned the driveway, the front steps, the retaining wall, sidewalk… anything that didn’t move.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m happy to hear that I’m not the only one!
-John
Alicia says
ummm…that totally looks like my idea of a good time; I totally want to rent one now! I love anything where you get instant, visible results…totally gratifying!
Hayley says
I have been painting under our carport outside and I can’t wait to power wash my mistakes right off!
Kathryn says
As certain green reptiles were mentioned in this post…
FACT: On this side of the pond they were called Teenage Mutant HERO Turtles. Okay, I’m an American girl of the same vintage as you guys and when my Irish husband dropped that bomb I may have tried singing a forlorn chorus of ‘Go hero, go hero, go’ before just shaking my head and feeling sorry for him. Apparently ‘ninja’ was too violent for the kiddies here and in the UK.
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Best factoid I’ve heard in months.
xo
s
Dina says
Best. John post. Ever.
Too funny!!
Elaine says
Bought this one for my husband’s birthday and he LOVES it! He went crazy with it the whole weekend after getting it, but I was happy because the outside of our house never looked cleaner! http://amzn.com/B002Z8E52Y For the price of two rentals, you could have one of your own and share it with family…
YoungHouseLove says
That looks awesome! Thanks for sharing the link!
xo
s
Caitie says
MUST.BUY.POWER.WASHER!
Also, so excited for you guys & the new house! It’s beautiful! Can’t wait to see what you do with it :)
katie says
Such a difference! A word of warning, though – we have a friend who pressure washed in flip flops and got a serious burn on his foot from the water.
YoungHouseLove says
Ouch! John had his sneakers on and seemed to think that worked, so that’ll be our protocol :)
xo
s
Amy says
We just bought a 1973 ranch “fixer upper” and this post gave me a LOT of peace of mind. :) Thank you!
Megan says
If I could have any super power, it would not be flight, invisibility, mind reading, time travel, etc. It would be a POWER WASHER ARM!
YoungHouseLove says
Best. Superpower. Ever.
xo
s
Wrenaria says
We power washed the concrete path that leads from our rental home to the driveway not long after moving in. It was super green/mossy (also rather slick when wet, which was our main motivation). Looked almost brand new when we were done.
Count me in on the pressure washer fan club.
Brandi from Bloomington says
Great! Now I have the power wheels song stuck in my head.
Thanks for showing the magnitude of power washing projects. My dad has one so I will definitely borrow it to get some scum off the driveway and bricks on the north side of the house. Stupid, shady, north side.
Karen S says
My father-in-law has a pressure washer we get to borrow to clean our new house. There’s a huge deck and lots of dirty vinyl siding that has sat for years (thanks to being a foreclosure). This post has me super excited to give it a try!
Tipling says
If you loved the pressure washer for the outside you need a steamer for the inside. It is like a pressure washer for tile, grout, caulking, and kitchen grime. Plus it makings taking down 30 year old wallpaper so much easier! P.S. my husband lived in Virginia for a while and after seeing your new house he says we are moving there ASAP, it’s amazing. Congratulations!
Mr. & Mrs. P says
Pressure washing works miracles!! Freshens up surfaces in a flash!!!!
Jessica says
New place? I’ve missed something!!!??? :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, if you scroll one page back, that post is at the top of the page :)
xo
s
Amanda says
Pressure washers are great! Just a quick PSA, since it doesn’t look like you had this problem – have to be really careful how close you get to the boards on a deck.. spraying too closely for too long (sometimes even a few seconds depending upon the distance or water pressure) will etch (basically chew up) the top layer of wood. We did that in a small corner of our deck last year and have yet to replace the damaged boards, but will definitely have to before we stain (or attempt to walk barefoot in that area).
kathleen says
oh lordy… a friend of ours was looking to kill some time, so he power washed his driveway and sidewalk, and lo and behold, he started a side business, owing to the fact that the neighbors didn’t like his house and concrete looking so clean! it was hilarious :-)
MM3 says
It’s addicting, isn’t it? You start looking around — what else can I wash? The before and after are oddly exhilarating.
Shelly says
Hey guys,
This is really random, and you may know it already, but your book is featured in an Anthropologie bookend ad! http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/27210285.jsp
Just thought you might enjoy seeing your book on display. I got a big smile when I realized it was yours! Have a great day,
Shelly
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t that crazy?!?! And now I totally want those bookends. Well played, Anthro. Well played.
xo
s
Grace says
Speaking of Anthropologie, have y’all seen this ceramic Chihuahua?!
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-office/F25682014.jsp
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo,
s
Katie @ Spirals & Spatulas says
It’s so efficient to have two houses! One rental fee, twice the productivity! Haha!
Dominique says
Hilarious!
I get a lot of satisfaction in watching the transformation from ‘nasty gross’ to ‘sparkling clean’ happen right before my eyes, so I hear ya!
Ally says
JBoom ~ do you own a Clarisonic?
It’s like having your own personal power washer for your ‘man meat’ face (as coined by the lovely $herdog :)
#backoffhesdirty :)
xox
YoungHouseLove says
I don’t, but thanks for the suggestion. Power washing my face sounds a bit scary!
-John
Diane says
Years ago I borrowed my neighbor’s gas-powered PW a few times and never could get along with it. We then bought a small portable electric PW and eventually wore out something in the trigger – and replaced it with another. The electric PW’s don’t have as much power, but if you get one with enough – it’s a good thing. I can still doodle on the concrete but I’m unlikely to damage anything. Or hurt myself! You might want to invest in one, if that hasn’t already been suggested a few dozen times in the comments I haven’t read yet!
Gretchen says
Only thing better than renting a power washer? Owning your very own!! Which we did…. until this past weekend when it broke. Like – broke broke. And I was halfway through the sidewalk, so now it look ridiculous. Guess it’s time for some Craigslist stalking for a new pressure washer!