Safety First 

Safety is also the most important thing to know before pressure washing anything. Whether you are on a job site or on your own residence, personal safety when power washing should be taken seriously. See below some tips to pressure washing your heavy equipment safely.

• Full-length Coveralls: These should be worn to cover the entire torso, arms and legs. Insulated protection is also important if you are using hot water. 
• Protective Footwear: When power washing and dealing with water and other dirt/grim, you tend to deal with some slippery areas. You should wear boots with anti-skid soles and toe protection. 
• Face and Eye Protection: Protect your eyes and face from flying dirt or debris. You also want to be careful for any chemical burns (if using a degreasing agent) or any punctures to the face. At a MINIMUM you should wear some sort of goggles, but full face shields would be even better. 
• Gloves: Pressure washing heavy equipment is a hands on task, meaning you will be getting your hands wet and full of mud/dirt, so wearing gloves is a great idea. You can wear anything from leather, rubber or latex gloves. 

Tips to Washing Your Heavy Equipment 

• All washing products should be good to go and the heavy equipment you are washing should be either in a wash rack with a closed loop system or in a space where no potential damage can happen from flying debris and where you can contain and easily clean up the debris. 
• Make sure ALL safety equipment is on and being worn. 
• Large chunks of clay, rocks or other dried material should be pried loose from the undercarriage (using a steel bar and spade). This is safer than trying to get it off with the pressure washing machine. Dispose of these chunks right away so they don’t become a tripping hazard or turn into liquid which makes it more difficult to remove later on. 
• Spray the entire machine with the pressure washer to remove any large debris that you couldn’t get off by hand. Using warm or hot water is often easier. 
• Remove any grease chunks by hand or with a cloth. 
• Apply the detergent. Be careful when spraying around the engine (especially the radiator). 
• Let detergent sit for 15 minutes to 30 minutes. 
• Use the pressure washer. Spray from top to bottom. 
• Detail any tighter places by hand.
• Clean rubber tires, hoses and glass surfaces by hand. 
• Vacuum and hand wipe the inside.
• Once everything is cleaned, allow it to air dry. 
• Make sure to clean up all the mud and debris around the machine. 

 

To find out why it’s important to pressure wash your heavy equipment, visit our post ” Benefits to Pressure Washing Heavy Equipment.”

If you currently live in Utah and are needing pressure washing and mobile detailing services for your heavy equipment, contact our sister company, AJET Services (801-330-0398 or contact@ajetservices.com).