How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast option after your home starts to look drab and dated. Within hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance by nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Fishers pressure washing service. It might be expensive upfront, but you don’t have to deal with returning rented equipment or the risk of harming your home due to lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as quickly as it can beautify it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and destroy roof shingles. Therefore, you really need to be careful how often you power 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 on where your home is and environmental factors based on that location.
Most pros will encourage having your home pressure washed every year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing technician that tells you that more frequent services are needed is probably trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love how it looks right after a cleaning, you can power wash your home several times each year.
By just touching the exterior of your home, you should be able to tell if it’s time for a cleaning. The presence of dust, mud and grime can stain the outside of your home permanently if it isn’t removed from time to time, so you could have to deviate from a set schedule if you notice too much buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing often can be harmful, but not doing it often enough can leave your home looking lackluster more than it should. It’s important 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 outside of your home because you do not have to climb up and down a ladder with a rag and a bucket while pulling ahose. Pressure washing can be accomplished from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organic organisms that can eat away at exterior surfaces and eventually find their way into your home. They are not easy to remove, yet it is very easy for these organisms to form colonies on your exterior, particularly on the north side of a home where it doesn’t get much sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
Plus, power washing eliminates more dirt and grime than manual hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below items can impact the appearance. They are all factors that have 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 can 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 bigger problem in some areas of Fishers 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 think it is time to have your home pressure washed, it could be a smart idea to have damaged siding replaced so the high pressure water doesn’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The processes used for pressure washing are unique to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or wood) 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 roof shingles. And, the results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the correct time to have your home pressure washed is just as important as determining how often the service has to be performed. There are times throughout the year when power washing would be a real waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing could help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste any money on power washing in a rainy season. You’ll just end up with muddy splatter and mildew by the end of the season anyway. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time. 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 home pressure washed the same time you are having different projects done on your home. Rock, brick or siding could not be fastened into place during a repair like it will typically be, which means you run the risk of harming the area, prolonging the other project and trapping water underneath building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a cost-effective way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the easiest solution 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 not one that is extremely hot. This is the best condition for the surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s exterior.
If you are in an home owner’s association, there could be requirements about how often you have your home power washed or whether you can do it yourself or if you are required to hire a local service. You may only be under HOA guidelines concerning how your home appears, but it’s ultimately up to you to have it looking a certain way.
Pressure washing is one of the quickest and most effective methods to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for most surfaces and can eliminate months of built up dirt and stains.