How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick option after your home starts looking drab and dated. Within just a few hours, your home can be restored to its beautiful appearance from nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at home improvement stores, or you can call a Smithtown pressure washing service. It might be a little more expensive upfront, but you won’t need to deal with bringing back equipment or the risk of harming your home due to lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as fast as it can beautify it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and destroy roof shingles. Therefore, you really have to be careful how often you power wash your home 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 a lot on where your home is located and weather factors based on that location.
Most professionals will encourage having your home pressure washed every year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tries to tell you more frequent services are needed is probably trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love how it looks right after a cleaning, you can power wash your home multiple times each year.
By just touching the exterior of your home, you will be able to tell if it’s time for a cleaning. The presence of dirt, mud and grime can stain your home permanently if it isn’t removed from time to time, so you could have to deviate from a planned schedule if you notice a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing often can be detrimental, but not doing it enough can leave your home looking dirtier far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that modern building materials, particularly vinyl siding, are very resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These materials help to protect your home between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is safer than scrubbing the outside of your home because you won’t need to climb up and down a ladder with a brush and a bucket while pulling a garden hose. Pressure washing can be performed from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organisms that eat away at home exterior surfaces and eventually make their way into your home. They are not very easy to remove, yet it is very easy for them to grow into colonies on your house, especially on the north side of a home where it usually doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
Plus, power washing gets rid of more dirt and grime than hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below items can impact the appearance of a home. All are factors that have to be considered before you call a nearby pressure washer or try to do the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather events create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If your home is in a rainy area, you may also have powerful wind and rain splashing mud on the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are more of a problem in some areas than in others. Living in a rural area or near an unpaved road will factor into what type of environmental factors affect your home more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your home pressure washed, it could be a smart idea to have damaged siding repaired so the high pressure water won’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The techniques used for pressure washing are unique to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or wood) and the area 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. Also, the expected results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the correct time to have your home pressure washed is almost as important as choosing how often the service has to be completed. There are certain times throughout the year when power washing would be a total waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing could benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste your money on professional power washing during a rainy time of year. You’ll just end up with muddy stains and mildew by the end of the season regardless. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time of year. 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 home pressure washed the same time you are having other work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding could not be tightened into place during a renovation or repair like it would normally be, so you run the risk of harming the area, prolonging the ongoing work and trapping water underneath building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a great way to increase your home’s 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
Pick a sunny day, but don’t choose one that is blazing hot. This is the perfect condition for the surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s surfaces.
If you are in an HOA, there could be guidelines about how regularly you have your home power washed or if you can do it on your own or if you have to hire a professional. You may only be under HOA guidelines regarding how your home appears, but it’s usually up to you to have it looking good.
Pressure washing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for a multitude of home surfaces and can get rid of years of dirt and stains.