How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick fix if your home starts to look drab and outdated. Within just a few hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at home improvement stores, or you can hire a Simi Valley pressure washing service. It can be a little more expensive upfront, but you don’t have to deal with bringing back rented equipment or the risk of damaging your home due to lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home as fast as it can beautify it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and ruin roof shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful about 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 a lot on where your home is and environmental factors based on that location.
Most professionals encourage having your home pressure washed every year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tries to tell you that more frequent cleanings 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 shortly after a cleaning, you can power wash your home many times each year.
By just touching the exterior of your home, you will 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 washed off periodically, so you could have to change from a set schedule if you notice too much buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be harmful, but not doing it often enough will leave your home looking dirtier far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that home building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These types of materials help to protect your home between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is much safer than scrubbing the exterior of your home because you do not have to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging a garden hose. Power washing can be accomplished from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organic organisms that can eat away at home exterior surfaces and eventually make their way into your home. They are not easy to remove, yet it is extremely easy for these things to form colonies on your home, particularly on the north side of a home where it usually doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
And, power washing eliminates more dirt and grime than manual hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below items can impact the appearance. All are factors that must be considered before you hire a local pressure washer or attempt the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If you live in a rainy area, you may also have powerful wind and rain splashing mud onto the exterior of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are bigger problem in some areas of Simi Valley than in others. Having a home 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 good idea to have chipped siding repaired so the high pressure water doesn’t do more damage. Power washing can also expedite a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The equipment used for pressure washing are specific to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or paint) 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 roof shingles. And, the results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the optimal time to have your home pressure washed is almost as important as choosing how often the service has to be completed. There are times during the year when power washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service can benefit you in more ways than appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste your money on power washing in 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. Pressure washing is most beneficial 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 while you are having different work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding could not be fastened into place during a 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 answer for all your home’s exterior 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 very hot. This is the best condition for the surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s surfaces.
If you are in an HOA, there could be rules about how often you have your home power washed or whether you can do it by yourself or if you have to hire a local service. You may only be under HOA rules regarding how your home looks, but it’s ultimately up to you to have it looking a certain way.
Power washing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for a multitude of home surfaces and can get rid of months of built up dirt and stains.