Can You Remove Rust With Pressure Washing?
When it comes to removing any type of dirt and stains from your residential or commercial property in The Woodlands, a pressure washing (power washing) service is the best method to get your property clean and healthy in no time.
Still, some types of dirt are not so easily cleaned, and one of the things most homeowners or business owners are worried about is how to remove “rust” from various surfaces.
Out of all other stains, rust can be incredibly stubborn and hard to remove, not to mention it can sometimes even be hazardous. It can be painted over, but after some time, it will emerge again to mock you with its orange ugliness.
So, what can you do about it? Pressure wash it, of course!
What Are Rust Stains?
Rust appears when metal surfaces are exposed to water or moisture for an extended period. And it can appear everywhere on your property. Your home’s sidings, roof shingles, fences, or decks, even your concrete driveway, can show signs of rust. If your sprinkler irrigation system is filled with rust, just know that once you turn the sprinklers on, you are coating the whole area with rust.
And while homeowners usually battle small patches of rust at a time, rust is a well-known nemesis to commercial property owners. Larger industrial facilities can show signs of rust everywhere because there are many more metal surfaces and much more water is being used.
It comes up from cervices and spreads basically anywhere, eating away the metal until there’s nothing left but rust, creating an extremely unhealthy environment for all employees.
How Does Pressure Washing Remove Rust?
In the simplest terms, pressure washing will strip away the rust from any surface. Rust removal service is done at high-pressure levels. This means that for some rust removal projects, pressure washing companies may use up to 6,500 psi of water pressure to remove all the rust.
However, removing rust is not so easy as pointing a water spray in the right direction. Not only is this amount of pressure hazardous for people if they somehow come in contact with the water spray, but it is also dangerous for your property.
Depending on the type of surface that needs to be de-rusted, in order not to damage your property, pressure washing professionals will use a different amount of psi. To do this successfully, you need to know the exact psi you can use for each surface and how likely it will get damaged under a greater pressure level. Therefore pressure washing should always be left to a professional pressure washing company.
Besides being experienced and skilled at handling pressure washing equipment, you need a bit of chemistry knowledge to clean those rusty spots successfully. Rust is not something that lays on top of the surface.
It actually eats away the surface and can seep into it. This is why for some rust removal projects you need to use chemicals and specially designed rust removal solutions.
Why Is Pressure Washing Rust a Good Idea?
Well, why not? Finally, you get to dispose of the ugly rusty stains from your property.
But we understand the question, and we have an answer. Pressure washing service is the best way to remove the rust because removing the rust is not all that it does. By stripping away the layers of rust, it can also strip away the layer of the surface. Now pay attention — this will NOT damage the surface in any way. Instead, think of it as a fine sanding of the surface below the rusty stains.
Now, because you pressure washed the surface, you made it fine and smooth and ready for a new coat of paint. That’s right- pressure washing is impressive when it comes to prepping any type of surface on your property for a paint job. All you must do now is choose a new color that will make your residential or commercial property really shine.
Removing Rust from Concrete with Pressure Washing
Rust stains may appear even on your concrete driveway. The cause is usually a presence of a metal of some kind, or the concrete itself has rust elements. Also, if your concrete surface doesn’t have a proper drainage system, it may cause water to sit on the concrete, making rust appear.
Pressure washing has proved to be the best method for removing all types of dirt from concrete surfaces. In addition, it has proven to be the most effective way of getting rid of nasty rust stains from various types of concrete.
However, there are some instances where pressure washing can remove some but not all the rust from the concrete. Concrete is a very porous material, and rust stains, if left for too long, can seep deep, causing stains that are nearly impossible to remove.
Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that rust removal service typically includes using various cleaning solutions. The most effective ones can often have a high acidity level. While on most concrete surfaces, these would work well, the painted concrete could suffer significant damage as the acid eats the paint away. Therefore, other cleaning solutions are used with these types of concrete surfaces, impacting the final results.
Overall, pressure washing your concrete driveway will give you great results, provided the rust wasn’t sitting for years on your concrete. And besides removing rust, the pressure washing service can dispose of other types of dirt on your driveways, such as chewing gums, oils, and algae.
