Taking care of your house and property involves a lot of different things, and one that you might be thinking about is getting rid of weeds. But who actually likes the process of weeding? Especially when you’re trying to get rid of weeds growing up between the pieces of your sidewalk or garage. That’s when you might start to wonder if you can use a pressure washer to get rid of weeds.
Can You Use a Pressure Washer?
The hard way to remove these weeks is with a weed whacker or by hand. But that definitely is the hard way and can be a great deal of time and effort. You have to go over every one of the cracks in your driveway or sidewalk and pull out weeds that are often growing from under the concrete. That makes them difficult to get out. But is that really the only way to do it?
The short answer is no. You don’t need to pull all those weeds out by hand and you can absolutely use your pressure washer to help get rid of weeds wherever they might be growing. The great thing is, the power washer won’t just help get rid of the weeds themselves, but will also help you to get rid of the dirt and other debris that creates the perfect nesting spot for those weeds.
What You Need to Do
The best thing to do is pull out your pressure washer and make sure you’re using a good amount of pressure on the cracks and crevices in the concrete. This can work with asphalt and other solid materials as well, but if you can aim the jet of water forcefully toward the weeds it’s going to do the best job.
Make sure that you are coming in along the cracks, which will allow you to pry out the weeds and the dirt and debris more easily. If you come at them from the side or above, for example, the pressure of the water may not actually pull them out but could push them down. This could kill off the weeds but still leaves them stuck in your driveway.
Check the Surrounding Area
Make sure you’re using something that isn’t too strong for whatever you’re prying the weeds out of. You want a PSI that’s strong enough to get the weeds but not so strong that it’s going to chip your concrete or asphalt. Remember, there’s a week spot where the weeds are, that’s why there are cracks in the first place.
Also, make sure that you span the water over the area, rather than directing it too forcefully or too long in the same spot. You don’t want to damage your driveway or sidewalk while you’re clearing out the weeds. That’s only going to cause you more trouble in the long run.
If you’re interested in getting rid of weeds the most important thing is to make sure you start small and build your way to anything else you might need to get the job done.
Walt moonlights as a handyman after getting off his busy job as a commodities trader. He enjoys writing about all things related to DIY, home improvement, etc.
