How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast option once your house starts to look drab and outdated. Within hours, your house can be restored to its beautiful appearance by nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent pressure washing equipment from many home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Lexington pressure washing service. It could be costly upfront, but you don’t need to deal with returning rented equipment or the risk of damaging your house because of lack of training or experience.
However, pressure washing can damage your home as quickly as it can beautify it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and destroy roof shingles. Therefore, you really need to be careful how often you pressure 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 heavily on where your house is located and weather factors based on that location.
Most pros recommend having your house pressure washed each year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing service 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 the way it looks after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your house several times a 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 removed from time to time, so you could have to change from a planned schedule if you start to see excess buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be harmful, but not doing it often enough can leave your house looking lackluster far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that home building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These materials protect your house between pressure washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is safer than scrubbing the outside of your house because you won’t need to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging ahose. Power washing can be performed from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organic organisms that can eat away at home exterior surfaces and make their way into your house. They are not easy to remove, yet it is really easy for these organisms to grow into colonies on your exterior, especially on the north side where it doesn’t get as much sunlight or wind as other sides of your house.
And, pressure washing gets rid of more dirt and grime than hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below factors can negatively impact the appearance. All are factors that need 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 a rainy area, you might also have powerful wind and a lot of rain splashing mud onto the side of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are more of a problem in some areas than in others. Having a home in a more rural area or near an unpaved road will determine what type of environmental factors impact your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your house pressure washed, it could be a good idea to have chipped 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 methods 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 technician will use soft washing instead of pressure washing to protect the roof shingles. Additionally, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the right time to have your house pressure washed is as important as determining how often the service should be performed. There are times during the year when pressure washing would be a real waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing could help you in more ways than appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste your money on pressure washing during a rainy season. You’ll end up with mud splatter and mildew at the end of the season anyway. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is 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 could not be tightened into place during a renovation or repair like it should typically be, so you run the risk of harming the area, prolonging the other project and trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your 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
Choose a sunny day, but not one that is extremely hot. This is the best condition for the exterior surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s exterior.
If you have an home owner’s association, there could be rules about how often you have your house pressure 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 looks, but it’s ultimately up to you to keep it looking maintained.
Power washing is one of the fastest and most effective methods to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for most home surfaces and can remove months of built up dirt and stains.