12 Uses for Your Air Compressor at Home – Smart Ideas and Tricks
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Air compressors are a must-have item for practically every homeowner. If you DIY anything at all, an air compressor is a machine you need. These compressors are required to fill up tires and even run some tools. They’re necessary for many projects. If you don’t have a compressor on hand, we recommend getting one.
If you already own a compressor, you may be surprised by the large variety of uses air compressors have. You may even find a new and surprising way to make use of your air compressor! We’ll go over some of these uses here.
The 12 Uses for an Air Compressor at Home
1. Quick Drying
If you ever need to dry something off, an air compressor can easily blow away much of the water left behind by spills or cleaning jobs. If you’re drying something delicate, you will need to be careful. Be sure to attach the basic trigger attachment for safety purposes.
2. Quick Cleanup
Similarly, if you need to blow sawdust or even water out of an area, an air compressor can be helpful as well. You should wear basic safety gear when cleaning dust and metal shavings, including a mask and goggles. You do not want to inhale the dust.
3. Pushing Paint
When you utilize the proper tape, you can blow paint a design onto practically any surface. This takes a bit of skill and getting used to, so you should likely practice before you start painting your finished project.
4. Inflation
This is the primary purpose of an air compressor. You can inflate everything from tires to balloons to balls. This is relatively simple and straightforward. Just be sure not to over-inflate, which will cause damage to whatever you’re inflating.
5. Cleaning Electronics
With an essential trigger attachment, you can clean crumbs and other debris out of laptop keyboards and other similar equipment pieces. The compressed air is gentle enough for electronics while also being very effective at removing dust.
You can also use it to clean the dust off of computer screens.
6. Pneumatic Tools
Air compressors often power tools like nail guns. There are quite a few tools on the market that use air compressors. If you want to use one, you’ll have to utilize a suitable air compressor. You’ll need to invest in an air compressor that is powerful enough for whatever tool you’re using.
7. Weeding
Farmers have started using these air compressors for weeding. You can use all sorts of ground material, like walnut shells or fruit pits, to quickly strip weeds from the ground. The small particles kill weeds effectively when pushed at high speeds with an air compressor.
This technique is still under development, but there is plenty of information online regarding how to use an air compressor in this regard.
8. Pressure Washing
You can also use an air compressor for pressure washing. This simple technique involves spraying water at high speed at concrete or at the sides of buildings. It easily cleans off the grime and mildew that has settled on these outdoor surfaces.
This can be a lengthy process, but doing it yourself can save quite a bit of money.
9. Making Snow
While this is usually done at indoor skiing locations and similar entertainment areas, you can also use air compressors to make fake snow fly around at home. It can be used for similar small particles as well, like glitter. This is common at concerts, but it can also make the perfect grand entrance to a birthday party or something similar!
You probably won’t do this all that much, but air compressors are basically the only way to do this when you need to.
10. Dental Work
You probably aren’t going to be doing your own dental work at home. However, air compressors are a common machine at dental offices. Don’t be surprised if you see one on your next visit.
Some other medical professions also use air compressors. So, you may see them at a variety of different offices.
11. Sanding
Mechanics and woodworkers may need to sand their workpieces every now and then. Air compressors are great at blasting small particles to sand objects. They can be used whenever you need to sand just about anything. This does take a little bit of set up. However, air compressors are the best way to sand.
If you need to do any sort of sanding, we highly recommend purchasing an air compressor—especially if you’re sanding a big surface. Don’t forget the appropriate safety gear as well.
12. Cleaning Tight Spaces
We all have those small crevices in our homes that are difficult to reach. Dust can easily collect in these areas and is almost impossible to remove by yourself. Luckily, an air compressor can easily clear dust away from these small areas. Just point and shoot! The dust will be cleared from the area, cleaning it very effectively.
Smaller air compressors are recommended for these situations. They’re easier to carry around, which makes them more suitable for use inside your home.
- Related Read: How Does a Compressor Work?
And More!
There are tons of uses of air compressors beyond just the 12 uses we’ve mentioned above! You’ll likely find all sorts of uses for your air compressor. While these air compressors only do one thing—blow compressed air—you’ll likely find that they are useful for way more than you originally expected.
Any time you need to blow anything quickly, or power a pneumatic tool, an air compressor can do it!
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Featured Image Credit: terimakasih0, Pixabay
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