How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick option if your house starts to look drab and dated. Within just a couple of 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 hire a Dayton pressure washing service. It can be costly upfront, but you don’t have to deal with returning rented equipment or run the risk of damaging your house because of lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home as quickly as it can clean it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and destroy shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful about 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 and weather factors based on that location.
Most pros will encourage having your house pressure washed each year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing technician that tells you that more frequent cleanings are necessary is just trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love the way it looks right after a cleaning, you can power wash your house several 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 your house permanently if it isn’t washed off from time to time, so you could have to change from a planned schedule if you notice excess buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing can be harmful, but not doing it often enough can leave your house looking dirtier more than it should. It’s necessary to note that modern building materials, especially vinyl siding, are 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 up and down a ladder with a rag and a bucket while dragging ahose. Pressure washing can be done from the ground in almost all 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 remove, yet it is very easy for these things to grow into colonies on your exterior, especially on the north side where it usually doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as other sides of your house.
And, power washing gets rid of more dirt and grime than hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following items can negatively impact the appearance of a home. All are factors that need to be considered before you decide to hire a professional pressure washer or attempt the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If your home is in an area that is rainy, you might also have wind and rain splashing mud on the side of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes bigger threat in some areas of Dayton than in others. Having a home in a more rural area or near an unpaved road will determine what type of environmental factors affect your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your house pressure washed, it could be a good idea to have chipped siding replaced so the high water pressure won’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also expedite a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The techniques used for pressure washing are unique to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or wood) and the area of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing service will use soft washing opposed to power washing to protect the shingles. And, the results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the correct time to have your house pressure washed is as important as choosing how often the service needs to be performed. There are different times throughout the year when power washing would be a total waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service might benefit you in more ways than appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste any money on professional power washing during a rainy season. You’ll end up with muddy stains and mildew by the end of the season regardless. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time of year. Pressure washing is most useful 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 different projects done on your house. Rock, brick or siding could not be sealed into place during a renovation or repair like it should normally be, which means you run the risk of harming the area, prolonging the ongoing work and even trapping water under building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart 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 don’t choose one that is blazing hot. This is the perfect condition for the surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning products onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you have an home owner’s association, there could be rules about how regularly you have your house power washed or if you can do it by yourself or if you are required to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA guidelines regarding how your house looks, but it’s really up to you to have it looking maintained.
Pressure washing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for most home surfaces and can remove years of built up dirt and stains.