How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast fix when your house starts looking drab and outdated. Within just a few hours, your house can be restored to its beautiful appearance from nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at many home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Centennial pressure washing service. It will be expensive upfront, but you won’t have to deal with returning rented equipment or run 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 renew it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and ruin roof 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 environmental factors based on that location.
Most professionals recommend having your house pressure washed each year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tells you more frequent services are needed is just trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love how it looks after a cleaning, you can power wash your house several times a year.
By just touching the wood or siding of your house, you should be able to tell if it’s time for a cleaning. The presence of dust, mud and grime can stain your house permanently if it isn’t removed from time to time, so you may have to change from a set schedule if you start to see a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing sometimes can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough will leave your house looking dirtier more than it should. It’s important to note that home building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These types of materials protect your house between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is safer than scrubbing the outside of your house because you won’t have to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging a garden hose. Pressure washing can be completed from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living 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 create colonies on your house, especially on the north side where it usually 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 hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following factors can impact the appearance. All are factors that have to be considered before you decide to hire a nearby pressure washer or try to do the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If your home is in a rainy area, you may also have wind and rain splashing mud onto the exterior of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes bigger problem in some areas of Centennial than in others. Having a home in a rural area or near an unpaved road will determine what type 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 good idea to have damaged siding replaced so the high water pressure won’t do more damage. Pressure washing can also expedite a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The methods used for pressure washing are unique to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or paint) and the section of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing service will use soft washing opposed to power washing to protect the roof shingles. And, the results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the correct time to have your house pressure washed is almost as important as choosing how often the service should be performed. There are certain times throughout the year when power washing would be a real waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service might benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste any money on power washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with muddy stains and mildew by the end of the season anyway. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time of year. Pressure washing is the most impactful 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 the same time you are having other work done on your house. Rock, brick or siding may not be sealed into place during a renovation or repair like it would normally be, which means you run the risk of ruining the area, disrupting the other project and even trapping water underneath building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your home’s 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 bright, sunny day, but not one that is blazing hot. This is the optimal condition for the surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s surfaces.
If you are in an home owner’s association, there may be requirements about how often you have your house power washed or if you can do it on your own or if you have to hire a professional. You may only be under HOA rules concerning how your house appears, but it’s usually up to you to have it looking good.
Pressure washing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for most home surfaces and can get rid of months of dirt and stains.