How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast option after your home starts to look drab and outdated. Within hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent pressure washing equipment from home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Springfield pressure washing service. It could be a little more expensive upfront, but you won’t need to deal with bringing back equipment or run the risk of damaging your home because of lack of training or experience.
However, pressure washing can damage your home as fast as it can renew it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and ruin roof shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful about how often you pressure wash your home 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 a lot on where your home is located and weather factors based on that location.
Most professionals recommend 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 needed is probably trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love how it looks after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your home several times a year.
By just touching the exterior of your home, you will be able to tell if it needs a cleaning. The presence of dust, mud and grime can stain the outside of your home permanently if it isn’t washed off periodically, so you may have to change from a set schedule if you start to see too much buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing sometimes can be detrimental, but not doing it enough can leave your home looking dirtier more than it should. It’s necessary to note that building materials, especially vinyl siding, are very resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These types of materials help to protect your home between pressure 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 need to climb up and down a ladder with a rag and a bucket while pulling ahose. Pressure washing can be performed from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organisms that eat away at home exterior surfaces and eventually make their way into your home. They are not very easy to remove, yet it is very easy for these things to create colonies on your home, especially on the north side of a home where it doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as the other sides of your home.
And, pressure washing eliminates more dirt and grime than manual hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below factors can negatively impact the appearance of a home. All are factors that must be considered before you call a professional pressure washer or attempt the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If your home is in a rainy area, you might also have powerful wind and a lot of rain splashing mud on the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold can be more of a threat in some areas of Springfield than in others. Having a home in a more rural area or next to an unpaved road will factor into what types of environmental factors impact your home more.
HOME CONDITION
If you think it is time to have your home pressure washed, it may be a good idea to have chipped siding repaired so the high water pressure doesn’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also expedite a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The methods used for pressure washing are specific 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 pressure washing to protect the roof shingles. And, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the best time to have your home pressure washed is as important as deciding how often the service should be completed. There are times during 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 appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste your money on pressure washing during a rainy time of year. You’ll end up with muddy splatter and mildew at the end of the season regardless. 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 home pressure washed the same time you are having different work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding may not be sealed into place during a repair like it should normally be, so you run the risk of harming the area, prolonging the ongoing work and trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the simple answer 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 don’t choose one that is very hot. This is the best condition for the surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you are in an HOA, there may be rules about how regularly you have your home pressure washed or whether you can do it yourself or if you have to hire a local company. You might only be under HOA guidelines concerning how your home appears, but it’s ultimately up to you to keep it looking good.
Pressure washing is one of the fastest 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 years of built up dirt and stains.