How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast option when your home starts looking drab and outdated. Within just a few hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance from nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment from home improvement stores, or you can hire a Bloomington pressure washing service. It can be expensive upfront, but you won’t need to deal with bringing back equipment or run the risk of damaging your home because of lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as quickly as it can renew it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and ruin roof shingles. Therefore, you really need to be careful about how often you power 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 environmental factors around that location.
Most pros will encourage having your home pressure washed each year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tries to tell you 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 right after a cleaning, you can power wash your home several times a year.
By simply touching the wood or siding 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 may have to change from a set schedule if you notice excess buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing sometimes 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 building materials, particularly vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These materials protect your home between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is much safer than scrubbing the outside of your home because you don’t need to climb a ladder with a rag and a bucket while dragging a garden hose. Pressure washing can be completed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organisms that eat away at exterior surfaces and eventually make their way into your home. They are not easy to get rid of, yet it is extremely easy for them to grow into colonies on your exterior, especially on the north side where it usually doesn’t get as much direct sunlight or wind as the other sides of your home.
Plus, power washing gets rid of more dirt and grime than hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below factors can negatively impact the appearance of a home. All are factors that need to be considered before you call a nearby pressure washer or try to do the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and 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 bigger problem in some areas of Bloomington 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 think it is time to have your home pressure washed, it may be a smart idea to have chipped siding repaired so the high water pressure doesn’t do more damage. Pressure washing can also worsen a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The processes used for pressure washing are specific to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or wood) and the area of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing company will use soft washing opposed to power washing to protect the roof shingles. And, the expected results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the best time to have your home pressure washed is almost as important as determining how often the service should be performed. There are times during the year when power washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing can benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste any money on power washing in a rainy time of year. You’ll just end up with mud splatter 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 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 the same time you are having different work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding may not be fastened into place during a repair like it should typically be, so you run the risk of damaging the area, disrupting the other project and trapping water underneath building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a great way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the simple answer 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 don’t choose one that is extremely hot. This is the best condition for the surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s exterior.
If you are in an home owner’s association, there may be guidelines about how often you have your home power washed or whether you can do it yourself or if you have to hire a local company. You might only be under HOA rules concerning how your home appears, but it’s ultimately up to you to keep it looking good.
Pressure washing is one of the easiest and most effective methods to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for several surfaces and can remove months of built up dirt and stains.