How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick fix once your home starts looking drab and outdated. Within hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance by nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent pressure washing equipment from many home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Fayetteville pressure washing service. It might be a little more costly upfront, but you won’t have to deal with bringing back rented equipment or the risk of harming your home due to lack of training or experience.
However, pressure washing can damage your home just as fast as it can clean it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and ruin shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful 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 and weather factors based on that location.
Most pros recommend having your home pressure washed every year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing pro that tries to tell you that more frequent services are needed is just trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love how it looks shortly after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your home many times each year.
By touching the exterior of your home, you will be able to tell if it’s time for a cleaning. The presence of dirt, mud and grime can stain your home permanently if it isn’t washed off from time to time, so you could have to change from a set schedule if you start to see excess buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing often can be harmful, but not doing it often enough will leave your home looking dirtier far more than it should. It’s important to note that home building materials, especially vinyl siding, are very resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These materials protect your home between pressure washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is a lot safer than scrubbing the outside of your home because you do not have to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while pulling a garden hose. Pressure washing can be performed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organic organisms that eat away at exterior surfaces and find their way into your home. They are not very easy to remove, yet it is really easy for these things to grow into colonies on your house, especially 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 hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following factors can impact the appearance. They are all factors that need to be considered before you call a local pressure washer or attempt the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If you live in a rainy area, you may also have wind and rain splashing mud on the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold can be more of a problem in some areas of Fayeteville than in others. Having a home in a rural area or near an unpaved road will determine what types 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 won’t do more damage. Pressure 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 opposed to pressure washing to protect the shingles. Additionally, the results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the best time to have your home pressure washed is just as important as choosing how often the service has to be performed. There are certain times throughout the year when pressure washing would be a real waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service can benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste your money on professional pressure washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with mud stains and mildew by the end of the season regardless. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time of year. Pressure washing is the most beneficial near the end of a season, whether it’s spring, summer, fall or winter.
BEFORE/AFTER HOME PROJECTS
Don’t have your home pressure washed while you are having other projects done on your home. 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 damaging the area, disrupting the ongoing work and even trapping water under building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a cost-effective 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 bright, sunny day, but not one that is blazing hot. This is the best condition for the exterior surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s surfaces.
If you are in an home owner’s association, there could be requirements about how often you have your home pressure washed or if you can do it by yourself or if you are required to hire a professional. You may only be under HOA guidelines regarding how your home looks, but it’s usually up to you to have it looking maintained.
Pressure washing is one of the fastest and most effective ways to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for a multitude of surfaces and can remove years of dirt and stains.