How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast solution once your home starts looking drab and outdated. Within just a few hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at most home improvement stores, or you can call a Carrollton pressure washing service. It might be expensive upfront, but you don’t have 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 quickly as it can clean it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and ruin shingles. Therefore, you need to be careful about how often you power wash your home and who you hire to 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 home is and weather factors around that location.
Most pros will recommend having your home pressure washed every year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing pro that tells you more frequent cleanings are needed is just trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love the way it looks right after a cleaning, you can power wash your home many times a year.
By simply touching the wood or siding of your home, you will be able to tell if it needs a cleaning. The presence of dirt, mud and grime can stain your home permanently if it isn’t washed off from time to time, so you may have to deviate from a set schedule if you notice a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing sometimes can be harmful, but not doing it often enough can leave your home looking dirtier 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 types of materials help to protect your home between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is much safer than scrubbing the outside of your home because you do not have to climb a ladder with a rag and a bucket while pulling ahose. Pressure washing can be done from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organisms that eat away at home exterior surfaces and eventually find their way into your home. They are not very easy to remove, yet it is very easy for them to create colonies on your house, especially on the north side where it 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 manual hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below factors can impact the appearance. All are factors that must be considered before you decide to hire a local 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. If you live in an area that is rainy, you may also have powerful wind and a lot of rain splashing mud onto the exterior of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are more of a threat in some areas than in others. Having a home in a more rural area or next to an unpaved road will factor into what type of environmental factors impact your home more.
HOME CONDITION
If you think it is time to have your home pressure washed, it may be a smart idea to have damaged siding repaired so the high water pressure won’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The processes used for pressure washing are specific to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or paint) and the area of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing company will use soft washing instead of power washing to protect the shingles. And, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the right time to have your home pressure washed is just as important as determining how often the service should be completed. There are different times throughout the year when power washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service can help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste any money on power washing during a rainy time of year. You’ll just end up with muddy splatter and mildew at the end of the season anyway. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is most beneficial near 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 different work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding may not be sealed into place during a repair like it would normally be, which means you run the risk of ruining the area, disrupting the other project and even trapping water under building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your home’s curb appeal. It’s the easiest solution for all your home’s outside surfaces, including sidewalks, porches, driveways, patio furniture and wood and composite decks.
SUNNY DAYS
Pick a bright, sunny day, but don’t choose one that is blazing hot. This is the optimal condition for the exterior surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, there may be rules about how regularly you have your home power washed or whether you can do it yourself or if you have to hire a local company. You may only be under HOA rules regarding how your home appears, but it’s ultimately up to you to have it looking maintained.
Pressure washing is one of the quickest and most effective ways to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for most home surfaces and can remove years of built up dirt and stains.