The Dos and Dont’s of Pressure Washing Your Car

by Caitlin

Pressure washing is one of the most efficient ways to clean the exterior of your car. However, like all things, working with a pressure car washer has its own dos and dont’s for effectiveness and safety. After all, a pressure washer has more force and water flow compared to an ordinary garden hose – and you know what they say, “with great power, comes great responsibility.”

If you plan to invest in a good pressure washer for this purpose, read up on these car pressure washing tips first to see if you can handle the job.

Always read the manual

Some homeowners are so excited to use their pressure washer that they barely read the manual. Pressure washers with a lot of settings should be studied first before using them. Otherwise, you might end up doing more damage than cleaning.

Cover your feet

When working with a pressure washer, always use closed shoes for safety purposes – even if you are just home. An accidental spray on your toes can be very painful.

Wear goggles

A pressure washer can cause debris to fly in any direction. You should wear goggles to protect your eyes from being hit.

Choose the right pressure washing setting

If you happen to purchase a commercial pressure washer, you will find that there are a lot of settings. Some settings are meant to strip paint and do harder cleaning jobs and if you use this setting on your car, you will be looking at a damaged paint job. Make sure you use the right settings before using the pressure washer.

Don’t wash your car on gravel surfaces

When you wash your car, do it where the ground is not gravel or have small pebbles and rocks around. The pressure can cause pebbles and gravel to bounce off the ground when you aim the house downwards. This can cause chips and dents on your car surface.

Keep a safe distance from your car

Make sure there is a safe distance from your pressure washer’s nozzle to your car so that the force of the water will not damage the paint job of your car

Always start on the roof

Whether you are using a pressure washer or an ordinary garden house, it is a big no-no to go from the bottom to the top in car washing. You have to respect the law of gravity! You will just end up doing the bottom all over again. Always start from the roof of your car and work your way to the bottom.

Don’t stray too long on a single area

Constant movement is important when you use a pressure washer on your car – even if you are using a lower pressure. The water stream must be in motion always so that the water pressure will not be fixed into one spot for too long.

Never play around with a pressure washer

We know how cute it is to spray family members with the garden hose but you should never do this with a pressure washer. The force from a pressure washer can be incredibly strong and this could cause a lot of pain.

Last thoughts

Now that you know the dos and dont’s of pressure washing your car, you can now do it all the time with much gusto,

Do not forget to pair your pressure washing with good polishing and waxing to make your car shine like brand new.

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