How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast solution after your home starts to look drab and outdated. Within just a couple of hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment from most home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Elizabeth pressure washing service. It might be costly upfront, but you won’t need to deal with bringing back 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 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 a lot on where your home is located and environmental factors based on that location.
Most professionals encourage having your home pressure washed each year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing technician that tells you more frequent cleanings are needed is probably trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love how it looks after a cleaning, you can power wash your home many times each year.
By just touching the wood or siding 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 removed periodically, so you might have to deviate from a set schedule if you start to see a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough can leave your home looking lackluster more than it should. It’s necessary to note that building materials, particularly vinyl siding, are very 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 much safer than scrubbing the outside of your home because you do not need to climb up and down a ladder with a rag and a bucket while pulling a garden hose. Power washing can be performed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living organisms that can eat away at exterior surfaces and find their way into your home. They are not very easy to remove, yet it is extremely easy for these organisms to form colonies on your home, particularly on the north side where it usually doesn’t get as much sunlight or wind as the other sides of your home.
And, power washing removes more dirt and grime than hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following items can negatively impact the appearance of a home. They are all factors that have to be considered before you decide to hire a professional pressure washer or think about doing the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather events can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If you live in a rainy area, you might also have 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 Elizabeth than in others. Having a home in a more rural area or near an unpaved road will determine what types of environmental factors impact your home more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your home pressure washed, it might be a good idea to have chipped siding replaced so the high pressure water won’t do any 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. Also, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the best time to have your home pressure washed is just as important as choosing how often the service has to be completed. There are times during the year when power washing would be a total waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing can benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste money on power washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with muddy stains and mildew by the end of the season regardless. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is the most beneficial 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 while you are having different projects done on your home. Rock, brick or siding might not be tightened into place during a renovation or repair like it would typically be, so you run the risk of ruining the area, disrupting the ongoing work and trapping water below 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 sunny day, but don’t choose one that is blazing hot. This is the best condition for the surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning products onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you live in a neighborhood with an home owner’s association, there might be guidelines about how regularly you have your home power washed or whether you can do it by yourself or if you are required to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA rules regarding how your home appears, but it’s ultimately up to you to have it looking good.
Power washing is one of the simplest 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 eliminate years of built up dirt and stains.