How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast fix when your home starts looking drab and dated. Within just a few hours, your home can be renewed to its beautiful appearance from nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent pressure washing equipment at home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Hollywood pressure washing service. It can be expensive upfront, but you won’t have to deal with returning rented 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 fast as it can renew it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and ruin shingles. Therefore, you really need 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 and environmental factors based on that location.
Most professionals will recommend having your home pressure washed every year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tries to tell you more frequent services are necessary is just trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love the way it looks right after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your home several 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 dust, mud and grime can stain your home permanently if it isn’t removed periodically, so you may have to deviate from a planned schedule if you start to see a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be harmful, but not doing it enough will leave your home looking lackluster far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that modern building materials, particularly 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 won’t have to climb up and down a ladder with a rag 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 eat away at exterior surfaces and eventually find their way into your home. They are not very easy to get rid of, yet it is extremely easy for these things to form colonies on your exterior, particularly on the north side where it usually doesn’t get as much direct sunlight or wind as the other sides of your home.
Plus, pressure washing eliminates more dirt and grime than manual hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following factors can impact the appearance of a home. They are all factors that need to be considered before you hire a nearby pressure washer or attempt the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If your home is in an area that is rainy, you may also have wind and rain splashing mud on the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes bigger problem in some areas of Hollywood 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 think it is time to have your home pressure washed, it may be a smart idea to have damaged siding replaced 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 unique to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or paint) and the area of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing technician will use soft washing instead of pressure washing to protect the shingles. Additionally, the expected results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the optimal time to have your home pressure washed is just as important as choosing how often the service should be completed. There are times throughout the year when pressure washing would be a real waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service might help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste money on pressure washing during a rainy season. 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 of year. 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 have your home pressure washed while you are having different projects done on your home. Rock, brick or siding may 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 under building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a helpful 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
Pick a bright, sunny day, but not one that is extremely hot. This is the optimal condition for the exterior surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s exterior.
If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, there may be rules about how often you have your home pressure washed or whether you can do it on your own or if you have to hire a local service. You may only be under HOA rules regarding how your home appears, but it’s ultimately up to you to keep it looking good.
Power washing is one of the quickest and most effective ways to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done the right way, it is safe for several surfaces and can get rid of years of built up dirt and stains.