Nowadays, cleaning has become super easy; what you would do in hours is now done by a machine in minutes. The two most famous cleaning machines are dishwashers and pressure washers. One is used to wash dishes while the other is used to clean any dirty surface. For those who are new to pressure washers, among other things, you also might be wondering how to use soap with a pressure washer.
We use soap with a pressure washer to deep clean all those stubborn stains that can’t be clean with simple water. Another effective way of cleaning the hard stains is by cleaning them with the best hot water pressure washer.
In this article, we will teach you the more general way of cleaning thick stains, i.e., by using a soap with a pressure washer. First, we need to tell you the difference between a soap solution and a detergent solution, when and where do you these two.
Soap Solution vs. Detergent Solution
When water alone cannot clean stains or hard dirt, we use a soap solution or a detergent solution. With either of these two, you can remove the thickest stains and tough grime on any surface.
Soap and detergent, although sounds similar but quite different from each other. A soap solution is made from natural products such as fats and oils that are more environmentally friendly. Whereas, the detergent solution is made from chemical and less biodegradable material.
We use soap for cleaning surfaces with lighter stains and dirt and exterior, such as that of an automobile. The detergent solution is for cleaning harder surfaces with thick grease, dirt, or grime on them, such as concrete walls, garage floors, patios, decks, etc.
You can use a detergent solution instead of soap, but you cannot use a soap solution where you need a detergent solution. There are those detergents that are toxic and harmful to some surfaces, so in that use, you will have to use a soap solution. Whatever you use, make sure you don’t use bleach or some solution that has bleach in it because that might damage your pressure washer.
You can also make a soap solution at your home and use it to save you some money. That being said, homemade soap solutions might not be that effective at some times. So in that case, you will have to buy a pressure washer cleaner.
Below are the steps to use a soap with a pressure washer.
- Before doing anything, cover all the material that is vulnerable to the soap or detergent solution. If you have a non-toxic cleaner, you won’t need to do this step. You can also buy the best pressure washer cleaner that is not harmful and 100% effective.
- The perfect way of applying the soap is to prewash the surface with hot water. It will remove the soft stains and dirt and will loosen the harder ones.
- Most of the pressure washer comes with a detergent tank, so in that case, you will need to fill the detergent solution in that tank and let the pressure washer do its magic. In there is not a detergent tank, you will have to make a mixture in a bucket and deliver the detergent to the pressure washer, from the bucket, using a hose. You must check the pressure washer manual first.
- You can also do the 3rd step by putting a weighted hose into the bucket and connect the other end of the hose to the water inlet of the pressure washer.
- Some pressure washer will give you separate nozzles, one of which will be a soap nozzle, connect that soap nozzle to your pressure washer outlet. The soap nozzle is specially made for soap cleaning, and they will give you the perfect soap spray for cleaning any surface.
There are those pressure washers that have an adjustable spray pattern dial; in that case, you will have to set the dial to the soap applicator spray option.
- To avoid streaking and unwashed surface, you need to do two laps on each section of the body you are cleaning.
- Once you are finished applying the detergent, you need to leave it to sit on the surface and do its mojo with the stains and weaken them. But keep in mind, leaving the soap solution for too long might damage the surface.
- In case your soap solution is in the bucket, take out the hose from the bucket, connect it to a water source, and switch to high water pressure mode.
- Rinse the surface and make sure there is not a single drop of soap left on the body and the area around it.
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Conclusion
Above were the most straightforward steps to use a soap with a pressure washer. After reading this article, you should know when to use a detergent solution and a soap solution. You also should know what precautions to take while applying the soap on your surface.