How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast option once your home starts looking drab and outdated. Within just a few hours, your home can be renewed to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent pressure washing equipment from many home improvement stores, or you can call a Pasadena pressure washing service. It can be a little more expensive upfront, but you don’t have to deal with returning equipment or the risk of harming your home because of lack of training or experience.
However, pressure 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 shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful how often you pressure wash your home 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 home is and environmental factors based on that location.
Most pros will encourage having your home pressure washed each year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing technician that tries to tell you that more frequent cleanings are necessary is just trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love the way it looks right after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your home multiple times each year.
By just touching the exterior of your home, you should be able to tell if it’s time for a cleaning. The presence of dirt, mud and grime can stain the outside of your home permanently if it isn’t removed from time to time, so you may have to deviate from a set schedule if you start to see a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough will leave your home looking lackluster far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These types of materials protect your home between pressure washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is much safer than scrubbing the exterior of your home because you do not have to climb up and down a ladder with a rag and a bucket while pulling ahose. Pressure washing can be done from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living organisms that can eat away at exterior surfaces and eventually make their way into your home. They are not easy to get rid of, yet it is very easy for these organisms to grow into colonies on your house, especially on the north side where it usually doesn’t get much sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
And, pressure washing removes more dirt and grime than manual hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below items can impact the appearance of a home. All are factors that must be considered before you decide to call a nearby 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. If your home is in a rainy area, you might also have powerful wind and rain splashing mud onto the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold can be bigger problem in some areas than in others. Having a home in a rural area or next to an unpaved road will determine what types of environmental factors affect your home more.
HOME CONDITION
If you think it is time to have your home pressure washed, it may be a smart idea to have damaged siding repaired so the high water pressure won’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also expedite 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 section of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing company will use soft washing instead of pressure washing to protect the shingles. And, the results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the correct time to have your home pressure washed is just as important as deciding how often the service needs to be performed. There are times throughout the year when pressure washing would be a real waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service can help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste your money on pressure washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with mud splatter and mildew by the end of the season anyway. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is 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 home pressure washed the same time you are having different work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding may not be fastened into place during a repair like it should normally be, which means you run the risk of damaging the area, prolonging the other project and trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a helpful way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the easiest solution for all your home’s exterior surfaces, including sidewalks, porches, driveways, patio furniture and wood and composite decks.
SUNNY DAYS
Choose a sunny day, but not one that is blazing hot. This is the perfect condition for the surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning products onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you have an home owner’s association, there may be requirements about how often you have your home pressure washed or whether you can do it yourself or if you have to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA rules regarding how your home looks, but it’s really up to you to have it looking good.
Pressure washing is one of the simplest and most effective methods to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for most surfaces and can eliminate months of dirt and stains.