If you’ve spent any time pressure washing, you’ve probably heard two schools of thought:
"Just turn up the pressure.”
And:
“You need a stronger chemical.”
The truth is usually somewhere in between.
Pressure washing is not simply a matter of pressure, water, and a nozzle. The right cleaning process depends on what you’re removing, what you’re cleaning, what the surface can tolerate, and what you need the finished result to look like.
Sometimes water and the right amount of pressure are all you need. Other times, adding the right detergent or cleaner can dramatically improve results while actually allowing you to use less pressure.
And then there are situations where the wrong chemical—or too much of the right chemical—can create a bigger problem than the dirt you started with.
At Youngstown Spray Equipment, we’ve spent years helping contractors and maintenance professionals figure out the difference.
What Do Pressure Washing Chemicals Actually Do?
Cleaning chemicals aren't magic. They work by changing the chemistry of what's stuck to the surface so it can be more easily removed by water and mechanical action. Different contaminants require different approaches.
Degreasers
Grease and oil don't always respond well to plain water. A properly selected degreaser helps break down oily and greasy contaminants so they can be lifted and rinsed away.
They’re commonly used for:
- Equipment and machinery
- Concrete shop floors
- Loading docks
- Dumpster areas
- Automotive and fleet maintenance areas
- Industrial facilities
The important word here is properly. A stronger degreaser isn't automatically a better degreaser. Concentration, dwell time, temperature, agitation, and rinsing all affect the result. And some degreasers are far too aggressive for certain painted, coated, or finished surfaces.
Detergents
Detergents are useful when you're dealing with general dirt, grime, soils, and organic contamination.
They can help loosen contaminants that water alone has difficulty removing and can be particularly useful when you're cleaning large areas where you want the chemical to do some of the work rather than relying entirely on pressure.
That's an important distinction: The goal isn't always to use more pressure. It's to remove the contamination efficiently without damaging the substrate underneath it.
Specialty Cleaners
Some jobs call for a more targeted approach. Rust staining, mineral deposits, oxidation, efflorescence, biological growth, and other specific contaminants may require specialty chemistry.
This is where guessing can get expensive. A product designed to remove one type of contamination may react poorly with another substrate. The fact that something looks dirty doesn't tell you what chemistry belongs on it.
Before reaching for a specialty cleaner, identify both the contaminant and the substrate.
Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 for more insights into pressure washing chemicals.