Garden Pump Sprayer:
One of Darren's tricks to becoming more profitable

If time really is money, then a garden pump sprayer deserves your attention. And once again I find myself going outside of my own industry for innovative ways to become more profitable!

I find it forever amusing as I witness the confused and perplexed expressions on both my customers faces, along with any nearby onlookers as I use some of the very uncommon tools as a detailing professional.

I have had many a customer inquire as to what I could possibly use one of these traditional manual pump sprayers for if I am there to detail there car.

I accept that most people associate these pump sprayers with weed and/or bug killers.

Chapin Pump Sprayer on Amazon

The Garden Pump Sprayer:
not all pump sprayers are created equal

Likely this would be the time where most people would go into some sales pitch as to why you need to spend more money, not less money.

If you click on that link above, you will have noticed how inexpensive (cheap) this specific garden pump sprayer really is. I could easily steer you towards getting a more expensive stainless steel pump sprayer and I am sure I could come up with a rather compelling argument with intent to separate you from more of your money.

But here I am offering up my chemical pump sprayer review on a very inexpensive sprayer; to which I can respond with a single word:

Experience!

When I first decided to try a garden variety pump sprayer for the dispensing of chemicals, it was all in the name of efficiency and utility. There are certain tasks of detailing that require the need to dispense large amounts of liquid chemicals that would tire your hand out if using a traditional hand-held sprayer. And based on the volume of the chemical needing to be sprayed, your hand could begin to really "feel the burn"!!

And I was tired of "feeling the burn"!

In the attempt to forever become more and more efficient, which in turn leads to profitability, I am forever looking for certain detailing hacks to accomplish this. The garden pump sprayer I have chosen here is based on experience, and what I always consider the winning balance. You might refer to this as the cost/benefit analysis in your own world.

So the question naturally becomes: "Why this particular garden pump sprayer Darren?"

No Sprayer Lasts Forever:

• I don't care what the manufacturer calls it; they will ALL eventually "break".
  
• And by "break", I am referring to either the trigger handle or the nozzle-tip going bad.
• And because they all eventually break; I don't like to over-spend. ( I offer tips to making your sprayer last longer towards the end of this page)
  

Chemical Resistant:

• Typically means that the moving parts, rubbers seals, etc. are resistant to breaking down from chemicals.
• While most of us follow the "more is better" philosophy in life and you could spend more on getting "more" in the form of a stainless steel pump sprayer, the reality is that many of the chemicals I use would negatively react to any type of metals. For this reason (along with the others I will list) I go with what many would consider a lesser quality, plastic sprayer pump. (you may have noticed that the majority of detailing products/chemicals are packaged in plastic containers. While plastic is cheaper than metal, it often has to do with chemical reactions. And just because a chemical reacts negatively to metal, does not automatically render it harmful. It simply means that it reacts to metals in a bad way. (this would be the part where I could deliberate long with the endless debate over acid based wheel cleaners versus non-acid based wheel cleaners)

Darren's Tips of Use:

As a professional or a driveway detailer, I personally think everyone would benefit from having one of these sprayers on hand. Once you see how convenient they are in dispensing large amounts of product/chemical versus a traditional hand held trigger sprayer it is hard to go back. These are the main detailing tasks I use this pump sprayer for:

Degreasers:

• Degreasing tire side-walls: cars, off-road vehicles, RV's, commercial equipment, etc.
• Engines of all kinds.
• Inside fender wells.
• Pre-spotting large areas that require a heavy duty cleaner like the super degreaser.
  
• RV roofs for heavy duty cleaning.
  

Wheel Cleaners:

• Wheels of all kinds.
• When using acid/non-acid based wheel cleaner to remove water-spots on large panels of a car, boat, RV, etc.
  

All-purpose Cleaners:

• When I need to clean/shampoo large areas of carpeting or other large areas of cleaning.

Chapin Pump Sprayer on Amazon

• Nozzle can be adjusted from spray to fine jet
• Extension wand allows you to insert tip into tighter areas for better product control

Darren’s Extra Tip: Maximizing Garden Pump Sprayers

Cleaning wheels is one of the dirtiest, most product-heavy tasks in detailing. Using a large garden pump sprayer not only saves your hands from fatigue but also drastically increases your efficiency.

To get the most out of this tool, you need to know two things: how to maintain it, and why size matters.

1. Crucial Sprayer Maintenance Hacks

• Grease the Trigger Spring: Unscrew the knob on the trigger handle to expose the metal return spring. Apply a liberal coat of heavy-duty grease. This stops chemical corrosion and prevents the trigger from seizing up over time.
• Protect the Nozzle: Periodically spray WD-40 directly onto the nozzle tip to keep the adjustable parts moving freely and prevent product buildup.

2. Large Garden Sprayers vs. Small Handhelds

• Small Handheld Pump Sprayers: Because they hold less total volume, there isn't enough empty headspace to compress a massive amount of air. You will find yourself constantly stopping to pump the container back up to maintain pressure due to the limited space in these smaller versions to hold the amount of product you will be using.
• Large Garden Sprayers: The larger capacity allows for more product and more compressed air. You fill it once with wheel product and then pump - rather than having to refill with product, all you will do is pump in additional air as you use more and more product.

Garden Pump Sprayer Summary

I am all about efficiency —as a person and as a business owner. Even though you may not be trying to turn a profit as a business owner, I would hope you consider your time valuable  enough to want to adopt efficient processes like this hack I use.

Sincerely,

Darren Priest