How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick option once your house starts to look drab and dated. 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 from most home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Columbus pressure washing service. It could be expensive upfront, but you won’t need to deal with returning equipment or run the risk of damaging your house due to lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as fast as it can renew it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and ruin roof shingles. Therefore, you need 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 a lot on where your house is located and weather factors based on that location.
Most professionals will encourage having your house pressure washed every year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tries to tell you more frequent cleanings are necessary is just trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love how it looks after a cleaning, you can power wash your house many times a year.
By just 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 periodically, so you may have to deviate from a set schedule if you notice excess buildup between cleanings.
Power washing sometimes can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough can leave your house looking lackluster far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that modern building materials, especially vinyl siding, are very resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These materials help to protect your house between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is a lot safer than scrubbing the exterior of your house because you won’t need to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while pulling a garden hose. Power washing can be performed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organisms that can eat away at exterior surfaces and make their way into your house. They are not very easy to get rid of, yet it is very easy for these things to form colonies on your exterior, particularly on the north side where it doesn’t get as much sunlight or wind as the other sides of your house.
And, power washing removes more dirt and grime than hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below items can negatively impact the appearance. They are all factors that have to be considered before you call a nearby pressure washer or try to do the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If your home is in an area that is rainy, you might also have wind and a lot of rain splashing mud onto the side of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are more of a threat in some areas than in others. Living in a more rural area or near an unpaved road will determine what types of environmental factors affect your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you think it is time to have your house pressure washed, it may be a smart idea to have damaged siding repaired so the high pressure water doesn’t do any more damage. Power 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 area of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing company will use soft washing opposed to power washing to protect the roof shingles. Additionally, the results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the optimal time to have your house pressure washed is just as important as choosing how often the service has to be completed. There are times throughout the year when power washing would be a total waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service could benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste any money on power washing in a rainy season. You’ll just 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 the most useful 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 work done on your house. Rock, brick or siding may not be tightened into place during a repair like it will normally be, which means you run the risk of damaging the area, prolonging the ongoing work and trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a cost-effective way to increase your home’s curb appeal. It’s the simple answer for all your home’s exterior 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 surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, there may be rules about how often you have your house power washed or if you can do it on your own or if you are required to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA rules regarding how your house appears, but it’s ultimately up to you to have it looking a certain way.
Power washing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for a multitude of surfaces and can get rid of years of dirt and stains.