Editor’s Note—March 2022

by Michael Hamline, Editor / Published March 2022

     Spring is in the air. Forget about Punxsutawney Phil and his predictions. It’s time to fire up those lawn mowers, weed eaters, edgers, BBQ grills, and pressure washers. In fact with the nice weather (in some locales), it’s time to pressure wash the deck so you can sit on it and enjoy a relaxing morning while you sip your cup of joe. Wait, not so fast! Take time to clean and care for your deck correctly by turning to page 6 and reading “Don’t Forget the Soap When Cleaning and Staining Decks.” Do not make a mistake by using the wrong tools or more pressure than is needed. Instead, understand the substrate you are cleaning, and remember to add the soap.

     Perhaps as you are preparing to clean your deck using the appropriate pressure, you start up your pressure washer and realize there’s a loss of pressure. What do you do now? I’d recommend you turn to page 12 and read “Troubleshooting Loss of Pressure.” There are multiple pressure washer components that need to be checked and questions to ask. Diane Calabrese poses the following questions: Just how did the pressure loss occur? Suddenly?  A steady change over time? One avenue not to pursue is to take the easy route with the quick fix instead of identifying the specific issue that’s leading to the loss of pressure. Read the entire article to capture several helpful steps for troubleshooting this problem.

     On page 16, we learn how Giant Industries celebrates their 50th anniversary! Terri Perrin writes about industrial towels that were made for the car wash industry, but Ray Simon believed they were too small. So Perrin reports, “…Ray felt that a bigger towel would sell better…he and some investors built a machine to make larger towels…They branded their new product as ‘Giant Towels.’” Soon after this Ray formed a partnership with a German pump manufacturer for pumps and accessories that could be used in the pressure wash and car wash markets, and Ray changed his company name to Giant Industries. The company is now run by Ed Simon, one of Ray’s sons, and he shares about the important legacy his father left him. Ed says, “Looking to the future, we will continue to listen to our customers’ needs and how they want to partner with us.”

     Cleaner Times hopes you have a productive spring-cleaning season.

Michael Hamline
michael@adpub.com
(800) 525-7038