All Hail the Power Washer
Power washing is a great way to Spring clean the outside of your home. We have a big patio project that we are planning in the near future and the concrete has gotten so dirty and moldy! We decided to rent a gas powered pressure washer. Wow….and I am always amazed every-time we do this.
Renting Power Washer:
We rented the power washer from ABC rental for about $90. We always rent on a Saturday afternoon right before closing (for a 4 hr. rental). Since they are closed on Sunday’s ….you can keep it until Monday morning to bring it back. I know, sneaky…..but ABC rental gave Ed the idea.:) A little trick we use to get every penny out of our rentals from ABC. It would probably have only taken a couple of hours to do the prep for the patio. But of course, we had the rental……let’s do the whole house right? Check out our pics. The kiddies got involved with this one.
This is the area under our gazebo that we are focusing our power-washing extravaganza. You can see how dirty the concrete has gotten.
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- Before
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- Underneath our Gazebo
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- The power washer ….do you see that concrete?
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- Attached our GREEN hose on the left for water source
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- Here we go!
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- Power washing
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- This may take a while
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- another pic
We also power-washed our outdoor rug. Check this out!
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- BEFORE: outdoor rug stains
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- AFTER: gone
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- MUCH CLEANER
Ed went all around the house to power-wash as well. This is our front porch. Ah yes, color again.
Also, I am not sure if many know, but the power-washer can be used right up against and through the screen of a window. Just make sure your windows are closed;) Dirt comes pouring out…my favorite part!
Removing Oil Stains:
We have a few oil stains in our concrete throughout the patio and on the side of our house. Ed had used a turkey fryer a few times on the concrete and there were remaining marks that were left behind. We thought for sure this product would take it out. Of course we did, the bottle said it would. hmmmm…..
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- Rust-oleum cleaner/degreaser
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- We followed the directions and scrubbed
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- our little scrubbing helpers
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- working hard
I usually am thrilled with Rust-oleum products. Maybe this works to get dirt out of concrete when scrubbed….. But oil stains? Not so sure…. because here is the result:
YIKES. Only slightly better than the original stain
I don’t think the Rust-oleum product worked well enough. We poured the solution and scrubbed multiple times with the Rust-oleum product. Frustrated, we tried another product that I think worked a little better.
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- Pour-N-Restore
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- wait till it dries to a powder
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- removing oil stains
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- Stain is still there but seems better!
Once we brushed and vacuumed the powder up, I thought the stain had lessened. This was an old stain that I knew was going to be tough to get out. Even though the stain wasn’t gone, I think the concrete looked better. I bet it is possible to get the stain completely out if it is a NEW stain. And…on that note maybe the Rust-oleum product would have worked better too if it was a new stain. In either case it looks better than it did.
BEFORE AND AFTER
So…..just for kicks, let’s revisit the concrete before he pulled that trigger:)
CONCRETE BEFORE
AND NOW!!
AFTER power-washing!
HAPPY POWER-WASHING!
K. Rupp
Check out my posts on our other big patio projects!
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The power washer is a huge help… we use it often here. 🙂
I know!!!!! No one realizes how dirty everything is really getting until you use it! It was a highlight to our weekend. ha!
What a awesome power washer…can i borrow it…hehee. Great post!! Rustoleum is good stuff
haha….rented it, don’t have the storage for something we use maybe once a year. Well worth it though!:)
Luckily my concrete in my large front patio in only 3 years old. Have you painted yours yet? hat color? Rustoleum puts out some great stains.
Next time you have a a fresh oil stain just use cheap clay cat litter. Works like a charm. It absorbs all the oil from the concrete.
Oh that is a great tip Evelyn! Thank you! Clay cat litter….who knew? I’m all about finding a cheap alternative; I will remember this for sure! Thanks so much for stopping by and adding to the conversation:)