How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast fix after your house starts looking drab and dated. Within just a few hours, your house can be restored to its beautiful appearance by 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 Sammamish pressure washing service. It can be costly upfront, but you won’t need to deal with returning equipment or run the risk of damaging your house because of lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as fast as it can clean it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and destroy roof shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful about 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 heavily on where your house is located and environmental factors around that location.
Most pros encourage having your house pressure washed every year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing service that tries to tell you that more frequent services are needed is probably trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love the way it looks after a cleaning, you can power wash your house multiple times each year.
By just touching the exterior 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 washed off periodically, so you may have to deviate from a planned schedule if you start to see a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Power washing sometimes can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough can leave your house looking dirtier more than it should. It’s necessary to note that modern building materials, particularly vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These types of materials help to protect your house between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is safer than scrubbing the exterior of your house because you do not need to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging ahose. Power washing can be completed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organisms that eat away at exterior surfaces and make their way into your house. They are not easy to get rid of, yet it is really easy for them to form colonies on your home, especially on the north side where it usually doesn’t get as much direct sunlight or wind as the other sides of your house.
And, power washing eliminates more dirt and grime than manual hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below items can negatively impact the appearance of a home. They are all factors that must be considered before you decide to hire a local pressure washer or try to do the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If you live in an area that is rainy, you may also have powerful wind and rain splashing mud on the side of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold can be bigger problem in some areas than in others. Having a home in a rural area or near an unpaved road will factor into what types of environmental factors affect your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your house pressure washed, it may be a good idea to have damaged siding replaced so the high pressure water won’t do any more damage. Power washing can also expedite a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The processes 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. And, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the optimal time to have your house pressure washed is almost as important as deciding how often the service has to be completed. There are certain times during the year when power washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service can benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste any money on professional power washing in a rainy time of year. You’ll just end up with muddy stains and mildew by the end of the season regardless. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time of year. Pressure washing is the most useful near the end of a season, whether it’s spring, summer, fall or winter.
BEFORE/AFTER HOME PROJECTS
Don’t plan to have your house pressure washed the same time you are having other work done on your house. Rock, brick or siding may not be fastened into place during a renovation or repair like it would typically be, so you run the risk of harming the area, disrupting the ongoing work and trapping water below 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 exterior surfaces, including sidewalks, porches, driveways, patio furniture and wood and composite decks.
SUNNY DAYS
Choose a bright, sunny day, but not 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 are in an home owner’s association, there may be rules about how often you have your house power washed or whether you can do it by yourself or if you are required to hire a professional. You may only be under HOA rules concerning how your house appears, but it’s ultimately up to you to keep it looking maintained.
Power washing is one of the simplest and most effective methods to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done the right way, it is safe for a multitude of surfaces and can remove years of built up dirt and stains.