What renting really looks like
Home Depot rents large tools in four hour slots at minimum. One published example: a 2,000 to 2,700 PSI gas pressure washer at $61 for four hours or $87 for a day. Prices vary by store and machine, so check yours.
That is the sticker. Then you pick it up, haul it home, connect your hose, buy a cleaner, work out the right nozzle and get it back before the slot runs out. On a Southwest Florida Saturday in the heat, that is most of your day.
When renting makes sense
Some jobs are fine for a rental. A small slab, a fence, a set of plastic chairs. Flat, tough surfaces with nothing fragile nearby. If that is all you need, rent it and save the money.
- A small concrete pad or walkway
- A wood or vinyl fence
- Outdoor furniture and trash cans
When it costs more than it saves
Most of what makes a Florida home look dirty is not on flat concrete. It is the black streaks on the roof, the green film on stucco and the gray haze on pool cage screens. Those surfaces call for low pressure, not a rental machine at full blast.
Eagle Roofing says to clean its concrete tile with water only and never above 1,200 PSI. The rental example above runs 2,000 to 2,700 PSI. Eagle also warns that walking on a roof is difficult and dangerous, and suggests a licensed, bonded and insured roofing contractor with tile experience.
Then there is the injury side. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated about 6,057 emergency room visits from pressure washers in 2014, the most recent count we found.
Renting vs hiring Mirage
| Rent and do it yourself | Hire Mirage Exteriors | |
|---|---|---|
| Your time | Pick up, set up, clean, return. Most of a day. | Text a few photos. That is it. |
| Roofs and tile | Rental units run well above the 1,200 PSI Eagle Roofing allows on concrete tile | Low pressure soft wash, never high pressure on a roof |
| Screens and cages | Full pressure up close on thin screen | Soft washed at low pressure |
| Stucco and paint | Force does the cleaning | Cleaning solution does the work, not force |
| Price | Rental plus cleaner plus your Saturday | Free written quote before any work |
| Proof | Whatever you remember | Before and after photos when we finish |
The fastest way to compare
Text a few photos of the house, roof or cage to 940-300-4947. We send back a written quote for exactly what we would clean. If renting is the better call for your job, we will tell you.
