How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast fix once your house starts looking drab and outdated. Within just a couple of hours, your house can be restored to its beautiful appearance from nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at most home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Mission Viejo pressure washing service. It could be costly upfront, but you don’t have to deal with bringing back equipment or the risk of harming your house 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 how often you power wash your house 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 on where your house is located and weather factors around that location.
Most pros will encourage having your house pressure washed once a year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing technician that tells you that more frequent cleanings are needed is just 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 house several times a year.
By simply touching the wood or siding of your house, you will 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 removed from time to time, so you could have to deviate from a planned schedule if you start to see a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing sometimes can be detrimental, but not doing it enough will leave your house looking lackluster 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 materials protect your house between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is a lot safer than scrubbing the outside of your house because you won’t have to climb up and down a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging ahose. Pressure washing can be accomplished from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are 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 really easy for these organisms to form colonies on your exterior, especially on the north side where it doesn’t get much sunlight or wind as the other sides of your house.
Plus, power washing gets rid of more dirt and grime than manual hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following items can impact the appearance. They are all factors that have to be considered before you call a professional pressure washer or try to do the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather events can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If your home is in a rainy area, you might also have powerful wind and a lot of rain splashing mud on the exterior of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes more of a threat in some areas than in others. Living in a rural area or next to an unpaved road will determine what types of environmental factors impact your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you think it is time to have your house pressure washed, it could be a smart idea to have chipped siding repaired so the high pressure water won’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also worsen a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The methods 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 company will use soft washing instead of power washing to protect the shingles. Also, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the correct time to have your house pressure washed is almost as important as choosing how often the service should be performed. There are times throughout the year when power washing would be a total waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service might benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste money on power washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with mud splatter and mildew by the end of the season anyway. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is the most beneficial 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 different projects done on your house. Rock, brick or siding could not be sealed into place during a repair like it will typically be, so you run the risk of damaging the area, disrupting the ongoing work and even trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the easiest answer 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 best condition for the exterior surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning products onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you are in an HOA, there could be guidelines about how often you have your house power washed or if you can do it by yourself or if you are required to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA rules regarding how your house appears, but it’s really up to you to have it looking a certain way.
Pressure washing is one of the most common and most effective methods to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for most home surfaces and can eliminate years of dirt and stains.