How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick solution once your house starts to look drab and outdated. Within just a few hours, your house can be returned to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment from many home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Metairie pressure washing service. It will be a little more expensive upfront, but you don’t need to deal with returning equipment or the risk of damaging your house due to lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as fast as it can clean it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and ruin roof shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful about 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 a lot on where your house is and weather factors around that location.
Most pros encourage having your house pressure washed every year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing pro that tells you that more frequent services are needed is probably trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love how it looks right after a cleaning, you can power wash your house multiple times a year.
By just touching the wood or siding of your house, you will 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 washed off from time to time, so you may have to deviate from a set schedule if you start to see too much buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be harmful, but not doing it often enough can leave your house looking dirtier far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that home building materials, particularly 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 a lot safer than scrubbing the outside of your house because you won’t need to climb up and down a ladder with a brush and a bucket while pulling a garden hose. Power washing can be performed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living organisms that eat away at home exterior surfaces and eventually find their way into your house. They are not easy to get rid of, yet it is extremely easy for these organisms to grow into colonies on your exterior, especially on the north side where it usually doesn’t get as much direct sunlight or wind as other sides of your house.
And, power washing eliminates more dirt and grime than manual hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below factors can negatively impact the appearance. All are factors that have to be considered before you hire a nearby pressure washer or attempt the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If your home is in an area that is rainy, you might also have wind and rain splashing mud onto the side of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are bigger threat in some areas than in others. Living 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 smart idea to have chipped siding replaced so the high pressure water doesn’t do more damage. Power washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The techniques 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 opposed to power washing to protect the roof shingles. And, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the correct time to have your house pressure washed is as important as choosing how often the service needs to be performed. There are certain times throughout the year when power washing would be a real waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing might help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste 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, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is 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 while you are having different projects done on your house. Rock, brick or siding may not be tightened into place during a repair like it will typically be, so you run the risk of harming the area, prolonging the ongoing work and trapping water under building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a helpful 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
Pick a sunny day, but don’t choose one that is extremely hot. This is the best condition for the exterior surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s exterior.
If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, there may be guidelines about how regularly you have your house power washed or if you can do it on your own or if you have to hire a local company. You might only be under HOA rules concerning how your house looks, but it’s ultimately up to you to have it looking a certain way.
Power washing is one of the fastest and most effective methods to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for several home surfaces and can eliminate months of built up dirt and stains.