# Me and my power washer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2002, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034 "2002-07-21T01:26:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/1 "2002-07-21T01:26:48Z")
I borrowed a friend’s power washer to finally maintain our deck and patio furniture. For too long it’s been growing a fine patina of green all over it. Not real problematic unless it’s raining, or damp, as then it becomes like wet ice in terms of friction. It’s a big job. I’ve got over 1000 square feet to do, and I’m about one third done now. Each time I use the device, I learn more and more. This last time, I learned that if you get some mud and sand on your foot in the course of power washing, **do not** reflexively wash said mud and sand off your foot with the power washer. **I can not emphasize this enough**. _ **DO NOT** _ reflexively wash said mud and sand off your foot with the power washer. Gosh, that stings. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/2 "2002-07-21T02:50:48Z")
I got one for Christmas last year. 2 days later, I decided my gutters needed cleaning. My gutters are plastic. One 8 foot length of gutter and 4 mounting brackets at Home Depot, $11.45. Turned the pressure down to 10 psi from 50 psi. Works great. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/3 "2002-07-21T03:29:17Z")
I understand, **Racer**. I also discovered the power washer is excellent for taking the green mold off the house. However, the difference between taking the green stuff off and leaving the paint on, and taking the green stuff _and_ the paint off is a subtle one, which takes practice to do. I have this very vivid red line across my left foot, shaped kind of like a check mark. I’d estimate it’s about 6 centimeters long, and about a half centimeter wide. It still stings. Oh yeah, power washing barefoot is not such a good idea, even if footwear would get very, very soppy. ---
**Author:** ![Billy\_Rubin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billy_rubin/32/3622_2.png) [@Billy\_Rubin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy_Rubin)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/4 "2002-07-21T04:37:00Z")
Power washing barefoot? Quag, you’re smarter than that, Next you’re going to tell me you’re not wearing gloves, or you are wearing shorts or a shortsleeved shirt, or you aren’t wearing safety glasses. b. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/5 "2002-07-21T13:31:56Z")
Just a quick heads-up… I was looking into using a pressure washer on my deck to strip the finish, however many web sites and the folks at Home Depot said to never use a pressure washer on a deck :eek: I was told that the pressure will damage the wood fibre and you will get a lot of splinters in a short while… Sounds possible to me, especially if the wood is already old and weather worn. I’m sure a professional that knows their equipment could fine tune the pressure to a non-destructive level, but I decided to do it the old way and scrub away… ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/6 "2002-07-21T13:42:46Z")
_Ou est Scylla_? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/7 "2002-07-21T15:07:20Z")
Hey, give me some credit! I wore pants! I nearly power-washed the cat, too. _That_ would not have gone over well. Actually this is the 3rd time its getting power-washed, each time by amateurs. Splinters have diminished after each wash, rather than having gotten worse. The lumberyard man insisted that the treated wood we used would tolerate it. So far he’s been right. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2002, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/8 "2002-07-21T15:11:16Z")
I once or twice used the big gasoline model pressure washer that weighed something like 300lbs. Eventually I noticed I could do a pretty similar job with a pointed nozzle on a regular hose. As for mold on wood, I just use a light bleach solution & spray it on. No more mold & the latex stays on the house. Same stuff on dirty furniture, with a small amount of scrubbing its clean. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2002, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/9 "2002-07-22T00:29:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by manhattan \* > \*\*_Ou est Scylla_? \*\* Houston. God that sucked. Use the power washer. Then you need to get a sander (you can’t borrow mine,) and give the deck a nice light sanding. That will take care of your splinters. Hose it off, scrub some bleach mixed with water into the deck with a brush, hose it off again. Wait until the wood starts to turn grey again (2-weeks to a month,) and then stain with McCloskey’s stain and waterseal. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2002, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/10 "2002-07-22T06:55:17Z")
Sorry Qadgop, but that foot’s gotta come off. PSM (“severe pressure sting with morbidity” for you laymen) syndrome is deadly if not treated quickly. It starts as a red welt line and then after a few days your foot suddenly cracks in half without warning, which can be deadly if operating heavy machinery. The most common procedure is to remove the foward portion of the affected foot as a prophylactic measure and spray the affected area with Bactine [sub]TM[/sub] for a few days afterward. ---
**Author:** ![ultress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7c8e57/32.png) [@ultress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultress)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2002, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/11 "2002-07-22T16:36:14Z")
I am the pressure-washing queen. Purchased mine this past Spring, 2300 psi. This is now in my plans for a second career. We have come a long way together, this pressure-washer and me. I have this big Z on the front door, where I managed to take the paint off the door. I also have two brand-new front porch lights, thanks to over pressure-washing and shorting out the old ones. I washed my whole house before I realized that none of the cleaning solution was coming out. But that’s another story. I now have the cleanest house in the county, complete with washed deck stained with Olympic Brand watersealer. I work cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-and-my-power-washer/120034/12 "2002-07-22T17:07:49Z")
I have a Power Washer. You put the clothes in, a little detergent, crank, crank, crank, and miraculously dirty water comes out of the little drain. Oh.