If you have a cleaning business that services residential customers, you may only focus on cleaning the inside of the homes. If so, you may want to consider expanding your services to include deck, driveway, and exterior house cleaning. You probably already have all the cleaning equipment you need except for a power washer. A power washer is an essential tool for cleaning tough stains and grime off of durable surfaces. It makes the work go much faster than scrubbing with a brush, and when you're done, the fence, deck, or driveway will look fresh and nearly new. Here are a few things to know about buying a pressure washer.

Choose Gas Or Electric

A gas washer is a better choice when you're doing mobile work because you don't want to hook into your customer's electricity, which you'd have to do with an electric model. Plus, a gas washer is more powerful as measured in pounds of pressure per square inch or psi. The only caution is to make sure your staff is well trained on the use of a gas power washer. Because gas washers stream water under a lot of pressure, they can damage wood or paint if the setting is too high. As long as you control the pressure and use the equipment properly, a gas washer will make cleaning a dirty driveway or deck a quick and easy job. It blows off mold, stains, and ground-in dirt without the need for scrubbing.

Add A Soap Tank

You'll want a soap tank on the power washer you buy. With one of these, the pressure washer is able to spray soapy water as well as clean water onto whatever you're cleaning. This is handy when you need to clean mold or algae off a roof or high wall where you can't reach it to scrub with algaecide. Using soap also makes it easier to clean ground in dirt off a sidewalk or driveway. You can also use soap to clean siding, but be sure to instruct your employees to rinse soap thoroughly with a clean tank of water or the soap may dry and leave streaks, spots, or a haze behind. You can buy a washer with a soap tank already installed, or you can add a soap tank attachment later.

Invest In An Adjustable Nozzle

You can buy replaceable and adjustable nozzles for your power washer. You may want to have both, but an adjustable nozzle is handy since you can change the angle and width of the spray by turning the nozzle. This makes it easier to direct the spray into corners and to make it more powerful if you need to blast a tough stain. By widening the spray, you can decrease the force, which you may want to do when spraying around wood or paint.

You can buy other attachments for your power washer that may come in handy depending on the type of cleaning you intend to do. You can buy a brush attachment for cleaning siding, a water broom for cleaning a concrete floor, or a telescoping wand for cleaning gutters. By adding a power washer to your inventory of cleaning equipment, you'll be prepared to take on a wider variety of jobs, and that means your cleaning business could earn more money. Contact a company like Ben's Cleaner Sales to learn more.