Understanding The Flaws Of Your Business

If you own a restaurant, a pressure washer can be a useful cleaning tool for keeping your patio clean for your customers. With a pressure washer, you can quickly spray down a patio, patio furniture, and exterior walls to make your business attractive. 

Doors and Vents

If you will be pressure washing the wall of your building as well as the patio, it is important that you avoid areas where water can get into your restaurant. Doors are often the main culprit, as you may not realize if there is not a tight seal around your door and water can seep in through cracks, usually at the bottom of the door or where two French doors meet. Vents can also potentially allow water into your business. 

The easiest solution is to avoid using the pressure washer on doors and vents altogether. However, if you choose to use the pressure washer on a door, you should concentrate on the surface of the door and avoid the edges around the door. If you use the pressure washer on vents, be aware of the angle the water is directed and keep it perpendicular to the vent cover, which may not be perpendicular to the wall. 

Windows 

Windows are another opening that can allow water into your restaurant when you are using a pressure washer, so the edges of them should also be avoided. However, they present another unique problem as well. If your windows are double or triple pane windows, the force of a pressure washer could potentially break the seals around the panes. This can allow water to get between the panes, creating a fog in your window. To avoid this, it is best to wash your windows gently, without a pressure washer. 

The Underside of Any Awnings or Gazebos

If your patio is covered with an awning or if you have a gazebo in your outdoor space, you may be tempted to use the pressure washer to freshen up the ceiling of the awning or gazebo. Whether this is a good idea or not depends on the material the ceiling is made out of. There are several different types of drywall that are intended for different uses. If your awning or gazebo has a roof made from a waterproof drywall, then you should be okay using a minimal amount of pressure from your pressure washer on it. However, if you have drywall without waterproof coating, using a pressure washer to clean it can result in a soggy mess. 

To test your outdoor ceiling, you can do a patch test on a small area by lightly spraying water on it and watching to see if it soaks in or if it beads and falls. If it beads off, it is most likely waterproof. 

The Roof 

The roof of an awning or gazebo is usually lower than the main roof of your restaurant and can be more visible to customers, so it makes sense to keep it clean. However, while you are cleaning you should make sure that you exercise caution. For roofs with composite shingles, you should make sure to spray down the roof so the water does not get beneath the shingles and flip them up or tear them off. If you have a tiled roof, it may be better to avoid pressure washing altogether so your tiles do not wear down before they should. 

Decorative Lighting Sources

If you have exterior lighting, especially post lighting, you should be careful when using a pressure washer on it. You should make sure all bolts and screws are tightened securely before you begin. If any of the lighting fixture wiggles or if there are wires exposed, you should skip that lighting fixture. 

A pressure washer can be a good cleaning tool, but you should exercise caution on certain areas of your business in order to prevent unnecessary damage. For more information, contact a company like Ben's Cleaner Sales.