How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast option if your house starts looking drab and outdated. Within 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 hire a Surprise pressure washing service. It might be costly upfront, but you won’t have to deal with bringing back rented equipment or the risk of harming your house because of lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as fast as it can beautify it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and destroy roof shingles. Therefore, you really need to be careful 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 on where your house is and weather factors based on that location.
Most professionals will recommend having your house pressure washed each year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing service that tries to tell you more frequent services are needed is just trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love the way it looks after a cleaning, you can power wash your house many times each year.
By simply touching the exterior of your house, you should be able to tell if it needs a cleaning. The presence of dirt, mud and grime can stain the outside of your house permanently if it isn’t removed from time to time, 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 enough can leave your house looking lackluster far more than it should. It’s important to note that home building materials, particularly 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 outside of your house because you don’t have to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging a garden hose. Power washing can be done from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organisms that can eat away at home exterior surfaces and find their way into your house. They are not very easy to remove, yet it is very easy for them to form colonies on your home, particularly on the north side of a home where it doesn’t get as much direct sunlight or wind as the other sides of your house.
Plus, power washing gets rid of more dirt and grime than hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below factors can impact the appearance of a home. They are all factors that have to be considered before you decide to hire a professional pressure washer or try to do the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If you live in a rainy area, you might also have wind and rain splashing mud onto the exterior of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are bigger threat in some areas of Surprise than in others. Having a home in a rural area or near an unpaved road will factor into what types of environmental factors impact 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 repaired so the high pressure water doesn’t do any more damage. Power washing can also expedite a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The equipment used for pressure washing are specific to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or paint) and the area of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing service will use soft washing instead of power washing to protect the roof shingles. Also, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the optimal time to have your house pressure washed is as important as choosing how often the service should be performed. There are times throughout 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
Don’t waste any money on professional power washing during a rainy time of year. You’ll just end up with muddy stains and mildew at the end of the season anyway. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time of year. Pressure washing is the most impactful 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 sealed into place during a repair like it should typically be, so you run the risk of damaging the area, disrupting the other project and even trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a great 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
Choose a sunny day, but not one that is extremely hot. This is the perfect condition for the exterior surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning products onto your home’s exterior.
If you live in a neighborhood with an home owner’s association, there may be rules about how often you have your house power washed or whether you can do it on your own or if you are required to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA guidelines concerning how your house looks, but it’s ultimately up to you to keep it looking a certain way.
Power washing is one of the most common and most effective ways to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for several home surfaces and can get rid of months of dirt and stains.