How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick option once your house starts looking drab and outdated. Within just a couple of hours, your house can be restored to its beautiful appearance by nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment from many home improvement stores, or you can call a Fullerton pressure washing service. It might be a little more expensive upfront, but you won’t have to deal with bringing back equipment or run the risk of harming your house because of lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home as quickly as it can renew it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and ruin roof shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful about how often you power wash your house and who you let do it.
Is it Time to Pressure Wash Your Home?
The question of how often to pressure wash your home is one that depends heavily on where your house is located and environmental factors based on that location.
Most pros will recommend having your house pressure washed each year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tells you that more frequent cleanings are needed is just trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love the way it looks after a cleaning, you can power wash your house several times a year.
By simply touching the wood or siding of your house, you should be able to tell if it needs a cleaning. The presence of dust, mud and grime can stain the outside of your house permanently if it isn’t washed off from time to time, so you might have to change from a planned schedule if you start to see excess buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing often can be harmful, but not doing it often enough can leave your house looking dirtier far more than it should. It’s important to note that home building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These types of materials protect your house between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is safer than scrubbing the outside of your house because you won’t have to climb a ladder with a rag and a bucket while pulling ahose. Pressure washing can be completed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organic organisms that can eat away at home exterior surfaces and eventually make their way into your house. They are not easy to remove, yet it is very easy for them to grow into colonies on your exterior, particularly on the north side of a home where it doesn’t get as much direct sunlight or wind as other sides of your house.
Plus, power washing gets rid of more dirt and grime than hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following items can impact the appearance. All are factors that need to be considered before you decide to hire a nearby pressure washer or attempt the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather events can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If your home is in an area that is rainy, you might also have wind and a lot of rain splashing mud onto the exterior of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes more of a problem in some areas than in others. Living in a more rural area or next to an unpaved road will factor into what type of environmental factors impact your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your house pressure washed, it might be a good idea to have chipped siding repaired so the high water pressure won’t do more damage. Pressure washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The equipment used for pressure washing are specific to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or wood) and the section of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing technician will use soft washing instead of power washing to protect the roof shingles. Additionally, the results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the best time to have your house pressure washed is almost as important as deciding how often the service has to be performed. There are times during the year when power washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service could help you in more ways than appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste money on professional power washing in a rainy time of year. You’ll end up with mud splatter and mildew by the end of the season regardless. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is most impactful at the end of a season, whether it’s spring, summer, fall or winter.
BEFORE/AFTER HOME PROJECTS
Don’t have your house pressure washed while you are having other work done on your house. Rock, brick or siding might not be sealed into place during a repair like it would normally be, so you run the risk of ruining the area, prolonging the other project and even trapping water underneath building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a helpful way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the simple solution for all your home’s outside surfaces, including sidewalks, porches, driveways, patio furniture and wood and composite decks.
SUNNY DAYS
Choose a sunny day, but not one that is very hot. This is the best condition for the exterior surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you are in an home owner’s association, there might be guidelines about how regularly you have your house power washed or if you can do it on your own or if you are required to hire a local service. You might only be under HOA guidelines regarding how your house appears, but it’s really up to you to keep it looking good.
Pressure washing is one of the most common and most effective methods to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for several home surfaces and can get rid of years of dirt and stains.