How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast solution when your home starts looking drab and outdated. Within just a couple of hours, your home can be renewed to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment from home improvement stores, or you can call a Daly City pressure washing service. It might be expensive upfront, but you don’t have to deal with bringing back rented equipment or run the risk of damaging your home because of lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home as quickly as it can beautify it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and ruin shingles. Therefore, you really have to be careful about how often you power 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 encourage having your home pressure washed once a year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing technician that tells you that more frequent cleanings 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 right after a cleaning, you can power wash your home multiple times each year.
By just touching the wood or siding of your home, you should be able to tell if it needs 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 notice excess buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing sometimes can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough can leave your home looking lackluster 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 home between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is a lot safer than scrubbing the exterior of your home because you do not have to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging a garden hose. Pressure washing can be accomplished from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living organisms that eat away at home exterior surfaces and make their way into your home. They are not easy to get rid of, yet it is really easy for these things to create colonies on your exterior, especially on the north side of a home where it doesn’t get much sunlight or wind as the other sides of your home.
Plus, power washing removes more dirt and grime than manual hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following items can impact the appearance of a home. They are all factors that need to be considered before you decide to call a local pressure washer or attempt the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather events create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If you live in an area that is rainy, you may also have powerful wind and a lot of rain splashing mud onto the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold can be more of a problem in some areas than in others. Living in a rural area or next to an unpaved road will determine what type of environmental factors affect your home more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your home pressure washed, it may be a good idea to have damaged siding replaced so the high water pressure doesn’t do more damage. Pressure washing can also expedite a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The techniques used for pressure washing are specific 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 instead of power washing to protect the shingles. Also, the results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the optimal time to have your home pressure washed is as important as deciding how often the service should be completed. There are certain times during the year when power washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing might benefit you in more ways than appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste your money on power washing during a rainy season. You’ll end up with muddy stains and mildew at the end of the season regardless. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is the most beneficial at 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 while you are having different projects done on your home. Rock, brick or siding may not be sealed into place during a renovation or repair like it should typically be, which means you run the risk of damaging the area, prolonging the ongoing work and even trapping water underneath building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a great way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the simple solution for all your home’s exterior surfaces, including sidewalks, porches, driveways, patio furniture and wood and composite decks.
SUNNY DAYS
Pick a bright, 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 siding or brick.
If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, there may be requirements about how regularly you have your home power washed or whether you can do it on your own or if you are required to hire a professional. You may only be under HOA rules concerning how your home appears, but it’s really up to you to have it looking a certain way.
Pressure washing is one of the most common and most effective methods to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for a multitude of home surfaces and can remove months of dirt and stains.