The History Of Pressure Washing

Renting or buying pressure washers for your home or business is almost as easy nowadays as buying other household items. Pressure washers can be used by homeowners or professional cleaning companies to help remove debris and build-up from a residence. Pressure washing as a profession and the machines themselves have evolved over time. In this blog, we will look at a short history of pressure washing and how it has changed to what it is today.

Vue Window Cleaning offers power washing for homes and businesses to help improve your property. We help remove grime, dirt, mold, and mildew to help give your home new life. Pressure washing and soft washing are both services that our business offers. Read below for more on the history of pressure washing.

The Industrial Age

The challenges and problems of the industrial age brought out many creative inventions and solutions. It also gave rise to more pollution in the air, which lead to the new problem of cleaning burnt material, oil residue, and other build-up needing to be cleaned. 

Scrubbing all day long was not going to be a long-term solution, so during that time, Frank W. Ofeldt II used his engineering brain to solve the grease mess in his home. Ofeldt made moonshine in his garage and the stills made a greasy mess. He redesigned one of the stills to boil plain water and use the steam created to clean it. Using the steam at high pressure through a narrow tube worked to remove the grease. This was the beginning of the modern history of pressure washing.

While the ideas were good, they would obviously need some polishing before they could be used by multiple people. The Homestead Valve Company invested in this invention and helped to develop the hot pressure washer or steam washer. The public then received what is known as the Hypressure Jenny. 

Steam Jennies

These powerful little machines became popular at a rapid speed because they worked for manufacturing plants, carwashes, mechanics, and chemical plants. The pump technology had limits that needed to be adjusted to help the pressure. But what really kept the Steam Jennies from becoming a household tool was their price. As they continued to evolve, pressure washers would start to become more accessible to homeowners and include them in the development process.

The Steam Washer

The next inventor involved in the history of pressure washing was Alfred Karcher of Germany. His company, Karcher company had invented caterpillar tubes and hot air blowers. He took it upon himself to reinvent the steam washer and came up with the first “true” pressure washer in 1950.

In 1984, the company had a good grasp on the industry and created the first portable pressure washer, the HD 555 which weighed only 33 lbs. It reached households only after Alfred’s death in 1958. While he never got to see success firsthand, his legacy lives on and benefits homes to this day. 

Changes To The Pump

Some of the major changes that needed to take place before we got to the pressure washers we have today was the pump. The pump helped to move the steam or water through the hose or narrow tube in order to come out at high pressure. 

The first pump was the piston pump which started in the car wash. It helped to change the water from hot to cold and switch between clean water and water with detergents. The first generation of pressure washer pumps were electric-powered piston types. Their problem was that they needed major maintenance and low rpm which limited the pressure capacity. 

The next pump used in the history of pressure washing was the ceramic plunger pump with a crankcase. This has been credited with making pressure washing what it is today because it required less maintenance and increase performance goals. Rather than a belt, the pump could not be coupled to electric or gas motors. This increases the rpm to between 1100 to 1800 which increased the spray pressure. 

The cat pump with ceramic plungers was introduced in the U.S. and helped bring more pressure washing machines to the market in the USA. The higher pressure was key to making useful tools and moving into expanding markets. Cat pumps, general pumps, and Hypro were all the biggest suppliers to the OEM markets in the pressure washing industry. 

Benefits Of Home Pressure Washing

As the history of pressure washing evolved and changed, homes can now see numerous benefits because of inventions and changes in pump type. It can help improve the health of your home, limit deterioration, and more. Here are some other benefits of pressure washing.

• Prevents damage
• Saves you time and energy
• Primes surfaces for renovation
• Boosts curb appeal
• Removes mold and bacteria
• Increase home value
• Protect against injury
• Remove vandalism
• Reduce repairs

Power Washing With Vue Window Cleaning

When you are looking for a professional home cleaning company, look no further than Vue Window Cleaning. We serve multiple areas in Colorado and offer services that can elevate the look of your home. Pressure washing is not the only service that our customers trust us with, we also offer window cleaning, window screen repair, and holiday lighting for your home. 

Our company won’t waste your time, won’t waste your money, respects your property, and only sends the highest level employees to your home. If you are not satisfied with our work, we give you a 110% refund. Contact us to schedule a service for your home today!