How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast solution after your home starts looking drab and outdated.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 from most home improvement stores, or you can hire a Norfolk pressure washing service. It could be costly upfront, but you don’t need to deal with bringing back rented equipment or run the risk of damaging 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 is powerful enough to 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 heavily on where your home is located and weather factors around that location.
Most pros encourage having your home pressure washed once a year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing service that tells you more frequent cleanings are necessary is just trying to squeeze 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 several times each year.
By simply touching the exterior of your home, you should be able to tell if it needs a cleaning. The presence of dirt, mud and grime can stain the outside of your home permanently if it isn’t washed off from time to time, so you could have to deviate from a planned schedule if you notice a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough can leave your home looking lackluster far more than it should. It’s important to note that 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 a lot safer than scrubbing the outside of your home because you do not need to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging a garden hose. Power washing can be completed 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 very easy for them to form colonies on your home, particularly on the north side of a home where it doesn’t get much sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
And, power washing removes more dirt and grime than hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below factors can impact the appearance. They are all factors that need to be considered before you decide to call a local pressure washer or attempt the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather events can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If you live in an area that is rainy, you may also have powerful wind and a lot of rain splashing mud on the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes more of a problem in some areas of Norfolk than in others. Having a home in a more rural area or next to an unpaved road will determine what types 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 replaced so the high water pressure doesn’t do any more damage. Power washing can also expedite a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The techniques 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 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
Choosing the optimal time to have your home pressure washed is just as important as deciding how often the service should be completed. There are certain times during the year when power washing would be a total waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service could help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste money on professional power washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with mud stains and mildew by the end of the season anyway. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time of year. 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 have your home pressure washed while you are having other work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding could not be sealed into place during a repair like it should typically be, so you run the risk of ruining the area, prolonging the ongoing work and even trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the easiest answer 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 solutions onto your home’s surfaces.
If you are in an HOA, there could be rules about how regularly you have your home power washed or whether you can do it on your own or if you have to hire a professional. You may only be under HOA rules concerning how your home looks, but it’s really up to you to keep 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 right, it is safe for most home surfaces and can eliminate months of built up dirt and stains.