You may not know but I am local small business man who does what he can do to support our other "small business" in our area. We promote local and help do what we can to promote trade with the small business. From the farm's market to the local food truck vendors. When I read that some one is going to try to help level the playing field I'm going to promote it too. Google may be the one answering this call.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Taking Some Time Out For Family
Taking Time Out
We all here at Cleaned by Pete want to take time out to spend with our families this time of year. I'm not to well versed in the worlds religions but we wish to convey a happy Easter Season to all whom hold the "Christian" views and ideals. Then wish to our "Jewish" friends who celebrate and observe The Passover event this time a year, all the fulfilment this season brings.
I'm sorry if I am not well enough versed in some of the other religions but if you are in observant of any religious event during this season we wish you the best too.
No labels, no tags, no keywords no hidden links, just a wish to each of you viewing our blog a Happy Easter Season, It is time to enjoy families and one another. I know how time slips away first hand and how you don't think about each other till something irreversible happens. Take some time off and enjoy what you have, enjoy each other and celebrate this season as your believes direct you to.
From all of us here at Cleaned by Pete to you.
PS I will be working on our next blog entry, I believe I will blog about our media blasting equipment and attachments, then House Washing Wednesday, and maybe can work in something else until then, hug someone you love.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tag your it! ............ our Graffiti Removal Service
The weather here was good today and had time to run out and do a small job that had been pending. One of our clients wash hit by a new tag artist. He knows the sooner we can get it off the better it will remove. The only trouble is that this is the second day since it happened it's above freezing. If you have been following this blog we know that the cleaners don't work their best under 40 degrees. Here are some pictures of Cleaned by Pete removing the tags. Some cases we use the power wash sometime we don't have to, elbow grease and work the "old fashion" scrubbing and hand washing way will get it done with little to no mess.
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| Tag before starting Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag after removal Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag before starting Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag being removed Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag after removal Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag before starting Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag being removed Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag after removal Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag being removed Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
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| Tag after removal Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service Springfield MO. |
4 different tags now gone Call 417-459-7869 Cleaned by Pete Graffiti Removal Service serving Southwest MO and the greater Springfield MO areas. Pressure washing, power washing, graffiti removal, soft wash, BBQ cleaning, concrete cleaning, patio cleaning, house washing, steam cleaning, fence restoration, deck cleaning, cosmetic cleaning, and many more services offered.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
House Washing Wednesday the patio edition
House Washing Wednesday; the patio edition
With winter still holding the Soutwest Mo area in its grip of cold and snow. Power washing has been hit and miss to say the least. Cleaned by Pete has managed to get a few job in on the nice days which are few. We're posting some of the residential patios we have washed to give you an idea of the scope of what we do. Cleaned by Pete is much more than just pressure washing we are mobile cleaners working with our clients to meet their special needs.
From just a small patio at a gas station to a small concrete patio at your house or even an owner layed pavers, Cleaned by Pete will clean the furniture to the patio and what ever it takes to meet your needs.
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| Just a small patio at a gas station Cleaned by Pete can help. |
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| Cleaning a small concrete patio and the furniture for this customer who was putting the home up for sale Cleaned by Pete. |
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| Small owner layed pavers forming a patio area around their flower garden spot you can see we are working on clean the quite dirty pavers. Size shape or what your need is Cleaned by Pete will work with you on your cleaning needs. |
Moving on up we also clean larger patios too, we'll work with you for your outside cleaning needs.
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| Smaller patio with plants and bushes Cleaned by Pete cleaned this patio with our disturbing the flowers growing in the centre island having the right tools and equipment for all your cleaning needs. |
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| Even a this small landing area for quite reflection, Cleaned by Pete will clean your needs. |
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| Plain patio to major patios Cleaned by Pete has the equipment to clean your patio form the firepit to the table and chairs call and see what we can do for you. |
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| Cleaned by Pete, Patio Cleaning Service |
Cleaned by Pete does not stop here we can move it on up cleaning chairs, tables, furniture, retaining walls, steps and what ever the customer may want.
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| Cleaned by Pete's Patio Cleaning Service Ozark MO |
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| Cleaned by Pete's Patio Cleaning Service Springfield MO |
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| Cleaned by Pete's Patio Cleaning Service Springfield MO |
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| Cleaned by Pete's Patio Cleaning Service Halltown MO. |
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| Cleaned by Pete's Patio Cleaning Service in Ozark MO. |
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| Cleaned by Pete's Patio Cleaning Service Springfield MO |
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| Patio, furniture, table, all washed, fireplace vacuumed and cleaned of ash all ledges and walls washed down Cleaned by Pete can custom fit a cleaning to meet your needs. |
Taking your patio form this to clean Call Cleaned by Pete
at 417-459-7869 and ask about our Patio Cleaning Service.
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| Cleaned by Pete removing mildew, liken and mold growing on this patio. |
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| Clean side Dirty side |
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| Cleaned by Pete Cleaning a brick patio without blasting the plants growing right next to it. |
Cleaned by Pete can help you to get ready for "Spring entertaining" this year call us at 417-459-7869 and let's discuss your cleaning needs.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Change "not what's in your pocket" but change!
The older I get the more I notice I'm one of those "seasoned citizens" we use to shake our heads and shake the one finger salute at. Yes "seasoned" not old enough to be a senior citizen but too old for middle age we are seasoned, such as a fine wine, wood that is just right for heating in a fireplace or that beer that has the right kick but still smooth. Getting set in one's way is fine but becoming stagnant is something else. What was cutting edge to us is now old hat, getting older is creeping upon me and I am kicking and fighting not to let it passively move in.
When I first started in this business working for and with my brother in law, power washing was new and most people had not heard much about it. Sitting back and looking at it now.... it has grown into a major industry not just a nitch branch of the cleaning industry. Power washing is now so common that most house-holds have some form of a pressure washer in their shed or garage. Well be it most of these washers aren't in working order there still there. Seeing all this new technological information and engineering be advanced in this field it is hard to keep up with. Here at Cleaned by Pete we do stay up to date with new ideas as we have stated before. Change is something we have to embrace and welcome.
There are some that hold to the idea, the best way is the old way, the statuesque, and can not budge from this point of view. There is experience and then there is stagnation before anyone can say that we are calling the "old-timer" stagnate get real I am in that group. Networking and talk with the new "young guns" that have chosen this field of work have ideas too. Is it a change we need? They have new ideas and they were brought up around computers and modern tech-knowledge. We can learn form them as well as they can learn for from us the "old-timer". We have tried to merged the best of the old with the new at Cleaned by Pete. Realizing that more and more people are getting into this industry and even though we may have years of experience on them, we still need to adopt new ways of doing things. Here is an example; the "yellow type book page" called the other day wanting us to renew and upgrade our add in their book, with only a sight increase in cost, to run that old box listing. They had space for a much larger listing at more cost. Why I asked should I do the same thing and expect a different result. We track our advertising and the old yellow type pages book is not what they use to be. Why do you have room for larger adds is it lack of interest or less advertisers? No was their only answer. The change here is the "I" phones, tablets and mobile media, this is where everything is headed if not already arrived. Web sites, blogs, SEO, back linking, keywords are all terms we talk about each day and we don't need the old book to find it any more embracing change. I can not even find the "yellow type page book" around here I use the net, and I'm one of those well "seasoned citizen". As they might say the dog I have in this fight is old and long in tooth, retirement is not a distant shadow anymore it is quickly approaching I need to do what I can till I can reach the golden ring. What will change before I get there? A guess is a whole lot social security is not a guarantee anymore. This leads me back to change, having to cover all the bases just in case working full-time is the future. We can not just sit and watch as things happen.
Change is what happens weather we want it to or not, stand back watching it or embrace it, it's up to you. There the group in every industry that hold to the old ideas that it is just for the few and in that few there is a special elect they will try to control the flow of that industry they don't want change. There is this other group, new comers to the field that need knowledge the ones that haven't paid there dues yet. Keeping things statuesque in any industry and doing just what we always have, does not help our industry grow It may even strangle it, holding it back. I have been told; you do not charge enough, our rates are xyz for this and xyz for that if you don't charge what we do you are not one of us, so raise prices. Looking at things differently, charging what I have to charge to make a profit yet be reasonable to the customer. Changing the established price structure, different areas of the country require different charges for the same jobs, we are not a "big box store" where one price fits all. Each area has a different economy and each area should adjust their pricing accordingly. I'm sorry to say I can not get the same price doing the same job as someone in say Florida or California. Wish I could but I can't, sticking to your guns attitude doesn’t put money in a pocket change is here each person has to decide on their own what they have to do or charge, for their own reasons.
When we first started we had to charge more in order to pay off the cost of equipment, truck, trailer and insurance. Being one of the only companies doing pressure washing in the area pricing was higher. One of the first self-contained top or the line heated skid washers with all the options was over $14,000 with hoses, attachments and equipment the investment was at $16,000. Time has changed all this now, the United States is not in the same economy as back then there is less money out there, people are hanging on to there money tighter than before. We specialized in commercial cleaning of hoods, vents, duck-work and fans, today we specialize in residential cleaning mostly house washing. Talk about change! this was a big change. Pressure washing equipment is now much less expensive, newer techniques, methods and the soap and cleaners are much more effective. This change means we can get a better quality of work and in less time.
What should we charge a customer for this job? It's a growing question in the power washing field, what is fair?. As with any business man you don"t want to leave money on the table but you can not over charge your customers either. What we could charge but should is a better question? If we quote too much the customer will not hire us, not enough we stand to loose money. I still say this almost every time I stay at a hotel "I just want to rent the room not own it", you go in to a store that is expanding and say "I didn't know I had to pay for the whole renovation at once" eat a steak at a restaurant and remark "wow I only wanted to pay for a steak not the whole cow" . Now be honest have you not said or thought the same thing? You always pay the cost and then move on. The pressure washing customer is the same reaching the happy medium sometimes is hard because each house washing is different. Prices have to vary because of size, lay out, how dirty it is, what type of siding all plays into our prices. Those I'll do any house for $99.00 dollars just does not stand up. Will yet get a clean house? Will it be clean? What is a $99.00 house washing? I don't know Cleaned by Pete does not do that. With less expensive equipment out there these days, this enables more and more people to enter the business on the cheap. They do not have a great commitment to the industry make a buck and leave when they want, selling the used washer on the craigslist. Back when most of us "old timers" started is was a commitment financially you needed to stick to it and make it work. The "old-timers" also developed a lot of new cleaning methods since they never existed before. If you as a customer or a power washing contractor does only one thing, look for or promote, insurance and experience. If they're reading an instruction manual while setting up in your yard, you may have made a mistake.
One thing to remember about change is, there are something we will not change! We will not change in quality of our services. We will not change and do something else when power washing is more work than it looked. We will not change the way we treat our customers homes and businesses. We have invested to much to get where we are today to change now, we are a local power washing contractor. Giving you our best price on doing your washing and cleaning needs. Please remember a true local power washing contractor has overhead, we are a local business man or woman, having to paying for licences, taxes, insurance, gas, oil, soaps, cleaners, ware and tear on equipment and trucks while trying to make some money. You will always get the best job we can do on each and every time. No cutting corners, no using cheap soap, no scrimping, no just getting by, our customers pay for a service and we will do everything to meet your expatiation if not surpass them, pricing it all at an affordable cost. If you want a local power washer with years of experiences and knowledge with the best and proven equipment Cleaned by Pete is your only choice we have been there, done that and will be here tomorrow or next time you need something as a house washing, graffiti removal, concrete cleaning, patio cleaning, BBQ cleaning, power washing, cosmetic cleaning, storefront washed, gum removal remember what we do and pick the best.
When we first started we had to charge more in order to pay off the cost of equipment, truck, trailer and insurance. Being one of the only companies doing pressure washing in the area pricing was higher. One of the first self-contained top or the line heated skid washers with all the options was over $14,000 with hoses, attachments and equipment the investment was at $16,000. Time has changed all this now, the United States is not in the same economy as back then there is less money out there, people are hanging on to there money tighter than before. We specialized in commercial cleaning of hoods, vents, duck-work and fans, today we specialize in residential cleaning mostly house washing. Talk about change! this was a big change. Pressure washing equipment is now much less expensive, newer techniques, methods and the soap and cleaners are much more effective. This change means we can get a better quality of work and in less time.
What should we charge a customer for this job? It's a growing question in the power washing field, what is fair?. As with any business man you don"t want to leave money on the table but you can not over charge your customers either. What we could charge but should is a better question? If we quote too much the customer will not hire us, not enough we stand to loose money. I still say this almost every time I stay at a hotel "I just want to rent the room not own it", you go in to a store that is expanding and say "I didn't know I had to pay for the whole renovation at once" eat a steak at a restaurant and remark "wow I only wanted to pay for a steak not the whole cow" . Now be honest have you not said or thought the same thing? You always pay the cost and then move on. The pressure washing customer is the same reaching the happy medium sometimes is hard because each house washing is different. Prices have to vary because of size, lay out, how dirty it is, what type of siding all plays into our prices. Those I'll do any house for $99.00 dollars just does not stand up. Will yet get a clean house? Will it be clean? What is a $99.00 house washing? I don't know Cleaned by Pete does not do that. With less expensive equipment out there these days, this enables more and more people to enter the business on the cheap. They do not have a great commitment to the industry make a buck and leave when they want, selling the used washer on the craigslist. Back when most of us "old timers" started is was a commitment financially you needed to stick to it and make it work. The "old-timers" also developed a lot of new cleaning methods since they never existed before. If you as a customer or a power washing contractor does only one thing, look for or promote, insurance and experience. If they're reading an instruction manual while setting up in your yard, you may have made a mistake.
One thing to remember about change is, there are something we will not change! We will not change in quality of our services. We will not change and do something else when power washing is more work than it looked. We will not change the way we treat our customers homes and businesses. We have invested to much to get where we are today to change now, we are a local power washing contractor. Giving you our best price on doing your washing and cleaning needs. Please remember a true local power washing contractor has overhead, we are a local business man or woman, having to paying for licences, taxes, insurance, gas, oil, soaps, cleaners, ware and tear on equipment and trucks while trying to make some money. You will always get the best job we can do on each and every time. No cutting corners, no using cheap soap, no scrimping, no just getting by, our customers pay for a service and we will do everything to meet your expatiation if not surpass them, pricing it all at an affordable cost. If you want a local power washer with years of experiences and knowledge with the best and proven equipment Cleaned by Pete is your only choice we have been there, done that and will be here tomorrow or next time you need something as a house washing, graffiti removal, concrete cleaning, patio cleaning, BBQ cleaning, power washing, cosmetic cleaning, storefront washed, gum removal remember what we do and pick the best.
So with change you can love it, leave it, embrace it or become stagnate we have chosen changes to help us enter the future. Join us moving forward, by calling us for all your safe cleaning and washing needs in Southwest MO and the greater Springfield MO area.
Cleaned by Pete 417-459-7869
Cleaned by Pete 417-459-7869
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Small Gas Pressure Washers: why we use them
Small Gas Pressure Washers: why we use them
Blog entries earlier we discussed why we we use certain types of gas powered power washers. We used them for different reasons from how much they heat the water, how much pressure they provide, and how many gallons of water they use. Electric washers were used for portability, inside use, and they are quite. In this last blog on gas washers we will discuss why we have these "smaller" gas powered units and why the large ones don't fill in all the needs that we have encounter or will encounter.
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| Cleaned by Pete's propane heated pump used for smaller jobs and as a back-up. |
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| Cleaned by Pete has this small footprint pump to do jobs that don't require high heat or great pressure, its does not take a lot of room and is carried along as a back-up pump in-case something happens to the larger units while on the job. |
Having the right washer not only saves us time but saves our customers and clients money. The unit above has a smaller footprint and is lighter to move around. When you are a "mobile contractor washer" you need to be flexible and mobile means able to reach places to clean that are sometimes not too accessible. I'm trying to say this company washer is better than that companies, these are the washers we have, we uses, and have built. The red one pictured above has propane heated burner and reaches a temperature of 150 degrees, with a 6 horse power gas engine and drives a 2700 psi pump all in one package. This is a good unit for small jobs we really like it for washing cars and the bus fleet we wash. Easy to add hot water when needed for cleaning. One plus we found is we have on demand hot water without running the engine or running it through the pump. You don't always have access to allow the larger pumps and their footprints when cleaning. So we have this unit for smaller jobs that require heat and can be done with less pressure. The pump is not of a commercial quality but when and if it goes out we will replace it with one but till then we have an option to use this pump. We also take this unit along if we travel some distances for a back-up in-case our larger washers may fail.
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| Cleaned by Pete built this unit for cold water washing having lots of pressure (4000 psi) and good flow (4 gallons per minute). It is very easy to push around mainly used in our media blasting and concrete cleaning services along with our propane heated "Gumbuster" attachment. |
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| Two gas driven and one electric pressure washers on a job site. Cleaned by Pete |
This is a cold water unit that Cleaned by Pete built out of commercial applications and has commercial rated components. A 4000 psi @ 4 gpm AR nickle plated pump driven by a 16 hp gas engine, on a custom built frame with pneumatic tires. We built this for the media blasting service but also use it in concrete and sidewalk cleaning to run the 20 inch surface cleaner and the propane heated "Gumbuster" attachment (written about in an earlier entry). The big plus of this unit is the size and it has the smallest footprint of all the wheeled mobile units but still is one of our most powerful washers. We built it to the specs we needed for certain jobs most units of this size will have just two wheels and a leg on their bases sometimes a bit unstable with the type or topographer we have here in Southwest MO. I hope you are starting to see why we need and have so many different styles and types of pressure washers.
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| The small unit with the blue gas tank in front of the media-blasting unit and the yellow Cam-spray unit is our smallest gas driven pump at 2500 psi. Cleaned by Pete |
This little gas driven pump was built because it features a very small foot print and is light. It offers the ease of movement but powerful enough to wash what was needed which was a vent system and fan. Since it was an oven not a fryer or grill it we could use warm water from the sink to run thru the pump. We had a regular scheduled cleaning job on the roof of a mall complex for one of the stores inside. When they refinished and refurbished the exterior of the mall we could no longer bring a high-pressure hose over the edge for cleaning. The mall mangers now did not want any thing brought up or lowered over the edge of the building not even at the docks. No easy access to electrical plug-ins on the roof electric washers were out of the question. Having to carrying or raising all equipment up the access ladder to the roof hatch inside the mall. Things had to be small, compact and light. We would run a water supply hose up the exhaust shaft, this small unit was the only thing we could use. It was built it with a small 6 hp gas engine driving a 2500 psi pump on it. It also has a small base not pictured to keep it stable. The pump is what we call a wobble pump to drive its three compression pistons. We don't use this pump much since the company we were cleaning for moved, and we do not clean hoods any more but is is handy to still have. You'll never know when there is that one special job we could use on again, it has paid for itself, so like they say it does not eat anything so it does not cost anything to keep it around. It's still a better quality unit than anything you can by today at the "big box store" in its class size. It is the same thing for the electric unit with the C shaped metal handle over it, both holdovers from the hood cleaning days. Having the right tools to do the right job is what we always say.
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| This is the only picture I could find of out "trash pump" I could have run outside and grabbed a quick photo of it but is is snowing here in the Ozarks. This is a group picture of our latest dry steam cleaner purchased for a back up and the trash-pump, fire-hose, cam connectors and a nozzle. |
You might be saying how in the world do you consider that orange Multiquip "trash pump" a power washer. It moves water, which is put under pressure due to the vain type of construction in its pump, it has a hose, we can nozzle that hose and thus control its flow, all the aspects of a power washer so basically it is a power washer as we us it. This unit has a 7 horse gas Robin motor equipped with a 2" inlet and 2" outlet pump. Why do we use it? It moves large volumes of water with a good stream of water pressure. Not a small pencil stream under extreme pressure, like our traditional pressure washers. You need your drive-way rinsed off or part of the parking lot rinsed off, red clay, sand, dirt or some mud tracks these are hard to move with a pressure washer and time consuming to do with a pressure washer. You move it form here to there and the water fan may not be the best thing or powerful enough to remove it. This bad boy hooked to one of our big water tank totes and using the 2" fire hose, with the old nickle plated fire nozzle, rinses with a greater volume of water. It will move that sand or red clay off the surface. Plus we can refill tanks with water supplied from farm ponds or streams if needed by reversing the hoses. Another plus is with a trash pump we can pump out flooded basements. Pump out fish ponds or garden ponds for the residential customer for cleaning always looking for any service we can offer to a customer. We got the idea of using a trash pump for cleaning and rinsing larger areas after seeing a portable "brush or bush" fire fighting rig.
Also from an other business that was here in town which was using a set up like this to seed and fertilize yards and business after new construction. He was seeding and fertilizing with it, this would in-bed the seed and fertilizer in the soil because of the water pressure, and water it in one step. While we were cleaning that day, boom the idea we could use the same style of system for cleaning this mud off the walks and the concrete slab too. While we don't use this pump a lot, it is a very useful tool to have in ones arsenal of equipment too. We also have 100 foot of 2 inch fire hose, 50 feet of low pressure flat pump out lead and around 50 feet of "hard line" all with "cam" locks for pumping or drawing water.
Just because these small gas units are not what we call our bread and butter machines they have there place and we can use them to do what the competition can not, or has never thought about doing in the field of exterior cosmetic cleaning. Doing thing with water pressure that others have not thought about is another thing we take great pride in. Cleaning out a fish pond or fountain in a garden have you ever thought about it? We have. We also have a plan and own the equipment to do it too.
This raps up "Pressure Washers: why we use them" you can see that we use them for different reasons from heat to size. Each washer has a good point as well as bad points but we have and use each for its unique cleaning capabilities it possesses. Cleaned by Pete has built, rebuilt or modified them to match up with our cleaning needs and styles of cleaning. Our needs may not be your needs. Picking one pressure washer for all your cleaning may not be easy but you can find something close. You can use a large pressure washer to do small jobs you can always turn it down or use nozzles to lower pressure. Doing large jobs with a too small washer can be a challenge, we are in the power washing business and time is money this is why we have several washers. Cleaned by Pete has different services, these different power washers make our job easier and that results in your job being done quicker with the best outcome. Having the right tools and equipment to do your job, this is also what we take pride in. Call and see what we can do for you.
417-459-7869
Please visit our web sites and facebook page for more information on Cleaned by Pete links listed on the side of this page. If you would like any more information on gas pressure washers leave us a comment and we'll see if we can help. Thank you for viewing our blog stay tuned for more on power washing form Cleaned by Pete
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Fire pumps and reels: 1000L UV protected tank,
6.5hp Pump,
36m hose reel,
50mm tow hitch
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Just because these small gas units are not what we call our bread and butter machines they have there place and we can use them to do what the competition can not, or has never thought about doing in the field of exterior cosmetic cleaning. Doing thing with water pressure that others have not thought about is another thing we take great pride in. Cleaning out a fish pond or fountain in a garden have you ever thought about it? We have. We also have a plan and own the equipment to do it too.
This raps up "Pressure Washers: why we use them" you can see that we use them for different reasons from heat to size. Each washer has a good point as well as bad points but we have and use each for its unique cleaning capabilities it possesses. Cleaned by Pete has built, rebuilt or modified them to match up with our cleaning needs and styles of cleaning. Our needs may not be your needs. Picking one pressure washer for all your cleaning may not be easy but you can find something close. You can use a large pressure washer to do small jobs you can always turn it down or use nozzles to lower pressure. Doing large jobs with a too small washer can be a challenge, we are in the power washing business and time is money this is why we have several washers. Cleaned by Pete has different services, these different power washers make our job easier and that results in your job being done quicker with the best outcome. Having the right tools and equipment to do your job, this is also what we take pride in. Call and see what we can do for you.
417-459-7869
Please visit our web sites and facebook page for more information on Cleaned by Pete links listed on the side of this page. If you would like any more information on gas pressure washers leave us a comment and we'll see if we can help. Thank you for viewing our blog stay tuned for more on power washing form Cleaned by Pete
Friday, March 15, 2013
Letting off Steam .... Cleaning?
Dry steam cleaning is another type of cleaning it has power and pressure so I thought it would fit in here. This is a blog about power washing and in broad terms by definition it is a power washer.
Cleaned by Pete has and does "dry steam cleaning". Before I go to far about "live dry steam cleaning" that we do or make you read this article and then say "That is not what I thought I was going to read about"; cleaning carpets with steam it is not, upholstery cleaning with steam it is not, "wet" steam cleaning using a pressure washer supplying hot water it is not. Cleaned by Pete has pressure washers with the capabilities to do "wet steam" and does "wet steaming", but this entry is not about that. I may draw some comparisons between "wet steam" and "dry steam".
What the blog entry is about, is "dry steam".
Cleaned by Pete has and does "dry steam cleaning". Before I go to far about "live dry steam cleaning" that we do or make you read this article and then say "That is not what I thought I was going to read about"; cleaning carpets with steam it is not, upholstery cleaning with steam it is not, "wet" steam cleaning using a pressure washer supplying hot water it is not. Cleaned by Pete has pressure washers with the capabilities to do "wet steam" and does "wet steaming", but this entry is not about that. I may draw some comparisons between "wet steam" and "dry steam".
What the blog entry is about, is "dry steam".
dry steam
n
(Physics / General Physics) steam that does not contain droplets of water
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
Dry steam sometimes called low-pressure steam is what you see when you heat water in a tea-kettle and see the vapor that starts to whistle out the little hole letting you know it is hot. Super heated water. There is no water in the stream just water in a gas stage steam. The escaping steam is under pressure 80 to 200 psi depending on how tight the lid and seal are. Only difference is our pressure is created by super heating the water in a metal coil. The feeding or incoming water pressure affects the point at which water boils or vaporizes into
steam. At sea
level water boils at 212°F. the norm, or mean boiling point of
water. At pressures higher than the pressure of the
atmosphere sea level, water boils or vaporizes at temperatures higher
than 212°F. We have to have the water hot enough to turn into its gas or steam. Now your asking you have hot steam how does it clean something? The expanding water as it passes through the coil is getting hotter and hotter and a special nozzle slows down the flow even more. This puts the steam or vapor under additional pressurization since it cannot
remain a liquid. The dry steam now exits the nozzle. The water that that has been super heated to at least
212°F or great, is being totally vaporized and is increasing in volume still. It now exits the nozzle and hits the air, this is called "flashing
to steam." Depending on the system, from 5 to 15 percent of the volume is
vaporizes, this is now our pressure for cleaning expanded water into steam increasing by volume.
Do you remember your Science teacher crushing a metal can then putting in a small amount of water? He then takes a pair of pliers and holds it over the flame of the Bunsen burner once it starts to warm the wrinkles pop out and the can starts to swell. Water turning into steam and displacing more volume.
This steam vapor, with a properly designed steam cleaning nozzle, is also propelling it. The steam is exiting the nozzle, hitting the air and starts to cool forming water droplets, small tiny water droplets are propelled in the vapor or stream to the object that is in need of cleaning. These super hot water droplets hit the object and break or explode while the expanding steam helps cleaning it also. This type of cleaning will use 80% less water and is great for grease, oil or inside applications since there is little to no runoff and easy to aim and control. The object being cleaned is usually wiped with an absorbent towel at this point collecting anything still remaining or is liquified by the heat. Cleaned by Pete has three low pressure steam units all the same brand all made sometime in the 1960's with no moving parts they don't ware out. If you ask why three the same? One uses powered or cake soap in the steam's stream. Number two use liquid soap in the steam's stream and number three is a back-up. All the units are heated with propane which is a more "friendly gas" to the environment less "green house" effects. Making our "dry steam cleaning" the most environmentally friendly clean we do.
Do you remember your Science teacher crushing a metal can then putting in a small amount of water? He then takes a pair of pliers and holds it over the flame of the Bunsen burner once it starts to warm the wrinkles pop out and the can starts to swell. Water turning into steam and displacing more volume.
This steam vapor, with a properly designed steam cleaning nozzle, is also propelling it. The steam is exiting the nozzle, hitting the air and starts to cool forming water droplets, small tiny water droplets are propelled in the vapor or stream to the object that is in need of cleaning. These super hot water droplets hit the object and break or explode while the expanding steam helps cleaning it also. This type of cleaning will use 80% less water and is great for grease, oil or inside applications since there is little to no runoff and easy to aim and control. The object being cleaned is usually wiped with an absorbent towel at this point collecting anything still remaining or is liquified by the heat. Cleaned by Pete has three low pressure steam units all the same brand all made sometime in the 1960's with no moving parts they don't ware out. If you ask why three the same? One uses powered or cake soap in the steam's stream. Number two use liquid soap in the steam's stream and number three is a back-up. All the units are heated with propane which is a more "friendly gas" to the environment less "green house" effects. Making our "dry steam cleaning" the most environmentally friendly clean we do.
While this form of cleaning was "fazing out" during the 1960's here in the United States it was growing in Europe and Australia where it has had good growth and development even up till today. They have steam cleaning car washes and portable units for hospitals and restaurants even portable gum cleaning units. You might ask well if it is so good why did it die off here then? A new type of cleaning was being developed here in the States. It was making great strides and developments by crossing a "steam jenny" with a higher pressure pump. The "pressure washer" as we know it was being born.
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| Cleaned by Pete just went out to the breakers and found an old dirty, grease caked, grimy motor case to steam clean. This is it it has not been pretreated or soaked in cleaner or degreaser, |
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| Cleaned by Pete is using only live low pressure steam with powered soap mixing in the stream of the steam. The water pressure entering the steam pot is around 30 pounds or less a small stream of water enters, this is what comes out. |
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| You can see what is going on here when the steam is cleared out a little, Cleaned by Pete dry low pressure steam cleaning. |
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| Motor after dry steam cleaning. Cleaned by Pete |
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| As pictured above after dry steam cleaning, Cleaned by Pete |
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| Steam pot set up out side while we clean and disinfect a terracotta floor that was once a "hot tub area". Cleaned by Pete |
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| Grout lines cleaned tile cleaned with in minutes any hot water left is evaporated, Cleaned by Pete dry live steam cleaning |
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| Old greasy hydraulic hose-reel from the railroad we're going to use for a high-pressure hose line. |
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| After low pressure steam cleaning or "dry steam cleaning", Cleaned by Pete. |
A pressure washer simply pushes hot water
out of a restrictive nozzle under greater pressure. The narrow passage, the nozzle,
increases the water's pressure, the more pressure (psi) and volume (gpm) is what impacts cleaning power. In pressure washing the water is heated but the volume and pressure put forth is such that it all can not be all turned to a gas so you have a greater amount or water leaving the nozzle thus "wet steam". Wet steam or some steam with alot of hot water, pressure is doing most of the cleaning. Wet steam is heated water under pressure of at least 1000 psi or greater, the pressure is supplied mechanically by a pump not by expanding water. There is greater water run off with the pressure washer, plus over spray and relocating the grease from here to there.
For information about dry steam cleaning visit www.cleanedbypete.com website by just clicking the link and find the page on vapor and steam cleaning.
added this section as an update 3/18/2013
BBQ and Out-side Kitchen Area Steam Cleaning
Cleaned by Pete's residential cleaning service
If you think you need our "residential kitchen, BBQ, or entertaining area cleaning" give us a call for a free prompt estimate or to answer any questions you many have. Call 417-459-7869
There is also one more benefit from dry steam cleaning that is since the dry steam is hotter, at least 214 degrees it kills germs, or disinfects. During the Swine Flu year we ran this add. Looks a bit dated now but helped get the word out. They are still using dry steam to kill bed bugs in mattress and hotel rooms it is a much different unit but still works on the same principal. Just think of this, that BBQ we cleaned above has to be quite disinfected with all the steam so if anything remains, it too is disinfected ready to cook on.
For information about dry steam cleaning visit www.cleanedbypete.com website by just clicking the link and find the page on vapor and steam cleaning.
added this section as an update 3/18/2013
BBQ and Out-side Kitchen Area Steam Cleaning
Cleaned by Pete's residential cleaning service
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| Stripping down the BBQ for cleaning this one is about 3 years old and this is its first cleaning. Cleaned by Pete |
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| Baked on and chard on Cleaned by Pete will remove the burners and clean under and remove all the grease, grime, and get the BBQ looking close to new. What you see is not from charcoal. What you see is crumbs, drippings and animal fats that are carbonating at some point they can ignite. This one is really baked on and will take more than one cleaning |
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| Looks more like a "smoke house" than a grill we will not be able to get 100% on the first cleaning session and will need to put this on a regular cleaning, Cleaned by Pete. |
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| Grills, flame separators and burners will all be cleaned too, Cleaned by Pete. |
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| Dry steam cleaning, starting we are steaming the out-side first to help warm up the cleaner that has been applied, Cleaned by Pete. |
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| Cleaned by Pete, applying our learned cleaning techniques from years of hood, duck and exhaust fan cleaning to cleaning the BBQ and the kitchen area. |
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| Cleaned by Pete uses dry steam to clean these out-side residential kitchen and BBQ areas. Most of these BBQs are "built-in" units and set in finished cabinetry, so water run off is not what you want. Dry steam works the best for us with little to no run off and no water pressure forcing its way into places we don't want it to go. |
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| After the steam clears, we can start to see that we are making great progress, this is the 2nd pass, you can see quite a big difference that Cleaned by Pete has now made. |
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| Three years of cooking and three years of grime are mostly gone now, Cleaned by Pete will be able to remove more with the next service cleaning. |
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| This shows the water stream before heating. This small stream water will be turned into steam as pictured above, and that steam is quickly evaporated after doing the cleaning leaving little water runoff. Cleaned by Pete is saving water and has no runoff environmental friendly dry steam cleaning. |
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| Cleaned by Pete's dry low pressure steam cleaning. Most of these BBQ systems use electrical starters, regulators, heat probes water does not play with electricity, and even careful pressure washing will force water where it should not go and have too much runoff. High steam temperatures cut and melt grease and animal fats aid in cleaning of kitchens. For these reasons dry steam fits this cleaning the best. |
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| Drying time is as fast as the steam can evaporate, Cleaned by Pete, will now buff off the water spots and any residue then do a final wipe down. |
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| Cleaned by Pete also steam cleaned the other items on the patio or kitchen area. |
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| Looking good after the final wipe-down is finished, Cleaned by Pete residential cleaning of outside kitchen and BBQ areas. |
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| Finished up all the steam cleaning of all the stainless items, counter tops, work areas, BBQ, sink, steamed any spills off the floor and cabinetry. Cleaned by Pete, will return tomorrow and power wash the patio, furniture, landing and then clean out and vacuum the ash and burnt wood from the fireplaces, readying it for entertaining and cooking this spring. |
There is also one more benefit from dry steam cleaning that is since the dry steam is hotter, at least 214 degrees it kills germs, or disinfects. During the Swine Flu year we ran this add. Looks a bit dated now but helped get the word out. They are still using dry steam to kill bed bugs in mattress and hotel rooms it is a much different unit but still works on the same principal. Just think of this, that BBQ we cleaned above has to be quite disinfected with all the steam so if anything remains, it too is disinfected ready to cook on.
Cleaned by Pete: doing more than just
"power washing" call us for your cleaning and washing needs.
417-459-7869
"power washing" call us for your cleaning and washing needs.
417-459-7869
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