Whether you have a dingy, speed boat, fishing vessel, or sailboat docked, keeping that launching zone is essential to ensure that each water adventure gets started on a firm footing. Professional pressure washing for docks can directly impact the appearance, safety, and longevity of your installation. Here’s what residential and commercial dock owners need to know about the importance of cleaning them and why calling in an experienced dock cleaning company is a wise idea.
Schedule Your Dock Pressure Washing Appointment Today!
The Importance of Cleaning Boat Docks
While a boat is a valuable investment, owners need to ensure that the vessel can be safely accessed and launched from the boat dock and ramp areas. As users come and go and nature’s implements result in left-behind dirt, dust, mud, and other substances. Neglecting routine cleaning as needed or at least annually can result in personal injury or damages to users that can lead to legal and financial repercussions.
What can happen over time is that neglect can lead to accumulations of biological growths such as mold, algae, mildew that can compromise the integrity of the dock and lead to premature failure or costly repairs. More importantly, the presence of debris can increase concerns about safety issues, including tripping or falling on a slippery surface. Another concern for both home and commercial boat dock owners is that appearances speak volumes to neighbors and potential customers.
Professional pressure washing keeps waterfront property looking appealing and attractive so as not to distract from a beautiful boat docked there. Worn-out docks can become an eyesore and actually defray the value of the property. However, power and pressure washing a dock isn’t always a straightforward task. Due to the high risks of personal injury or property damage during pressure washing, it’s best to leave the job up to someone with the right experience, know-how, and tools of the trade.
Boat Dock Cleaning: Is Pressure Washing the Best Option?
The best method for cleaning boat docks depends on several factors: the level of accumulations built up, the materials the dock is made of, and the installation’s overall condition. Yet, spending hours manually brushing and scrubbing the dock’s surface with harsh, environmentally harmful chemicals isn’t the best solution for most. There are actually several steps to take in the process, various methods, and specific chemicals and equipment that are more effective in getting the desired results. We’ll break them down here and explain why professional pressure washing is generally a solid choice.
Conducting a Pre-Cleaning Inspection
It’s essential to give the dock a thorough inspection for any signs of compromises such as loose railings, splintering or rotting wood, rusted metal, corroded nails or screws, and cracks in the cement. A professional pressure washing company’s experienced technicians will perform such an inspection and offer tips for addressing any issues before performing a service to prevent further damage to the dock.
Using Eco-Friendly Cleaning Solutions
One of the main benefits of pressure washing is that the pressurized water does a lot of the work, so there’s no need to use harsh cleansers. Eco-friendly companies like the Squeegee Squad only use EPA-approved formulas that are gentle and free of harmful chemicals.
Choosing the Right Pressure for Washing Boat Docks
Pressure washers can eject water streams at both low and high speeds. For softwood docks like pine or cedar, nothing higher than 600 psi should be used. In some cases, using a soft wash technique might be a better option versus pressure washing. For harder woods like oak and walnut, psi levels up to 1200 can be employed.
Highly durable and resilient dock surfaces like cement docks can be pressure washed at greater levels between 2000 and 3000 psi for deep cleaning. Too little pressure can be ineffective, while too much can be damaging, which is why professional pressure washing is advised.
Make Cleaning Your Boat Dock a Priority
To keep a sparkling clean boat dock, all you need to do is contact a location near you to schedule an appointment for a consultation about our professional pressure and soft washing services. We offer an array of exterior cleaning services for both residential and commercial enterprises.
Schedule Your Dock Pressure Washing Appointment Today!