How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick option if your home starts to look drab and outdated.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 Riverside pressure washing service. It could be expensive upfront, but you don’t need to deal with bringing back equipment or run the risk of harming your home because of lack of training or experience.
However, pressure washing can damage your home just as quickly as it can renew it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and destroy roof shingles. Therefore, you really have to be careful about 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 located and weather factors around that location.
Most professionals will recommend having your home pressure washed every year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tells you more frequent services are needed is probably trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love how it looks right after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your home several 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 periodically, so you could have to change from a planned schedule if you notice a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Power washing can be harmful, but not doing it enough can leave your home looking lackluster more than it should. It’s important to note that building materials, particularly vinyl siding, are very 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 need to climb a ladder with a rag and a bucket while pulling a garden hose. Power washing can be done from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living organisms that eat away at exterior surfaces and make their way into your home. They are not very easy to get rid of, yet it is very easy for these organisms to form colonies on your home, particularly on the north side where it usually 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 following items can impact the appearance. All are factors that need to be considered before you decide to call a local pressure washer or attempt the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If you live in an area that is rainy, you might also have wind and a lot of rain splashing mud on the exterior of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes more of a threat in some areas of Riverside than in others. Living in a more 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 could be a smart idea to have chipped siding replaced so the high pressure water doesn’t do more damage. Power washing can also expedite a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The processes 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 technician will use soft washing instead of pressure washing to protect the roof shingles. Additionally, the expected results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the optimal time to have your home pressure washed is as important as choosing how often the service needs to be completed. There are different times during the year when pressure washing would be a total waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service could benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste your money on pressure washing during a rainy time of year. You’ll just end up with muddy stains and mildew at the end of the season regardless. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is the 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 other work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding could not be fastened into place during a renovation or repair like it will typically be, which means you run the risk of ruining the area, prolonging the ongoing work and trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a helpful way to increase your home’s 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 bright, sunny day, but not one that is very hot. This is the best condition for the surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning products onto your home’s exterior.
If you have an home owner’s association, there could be requirements about how regularly you have your home pressure washed or if you can do it on your own or if you have to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA guidelines regarding how your home appears, but it’s really up to you to keep it looking maintained.
Power washing is one of the simplest and most effective methods to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for several surfaces and can eliminate months of dirt and stains.