How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick fix after your home starts to look drab and outdated. Within just a couple of hours, your home can be renewed to its beautiful appearance from nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent pressure washing equipment from most home improvement stores, or you can hire a Vista pressure washing service. It will be costly upfront, but you don’t need 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 clean it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and ruin roof shingles. Therefore, you have to be careful how often you pressure 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 professionals encourage having your home pressure washed each year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing pro that tells you more frequent services are necessary is probably trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love how it looks after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your home several times a 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 dust, 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 too much buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing often can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough can leave your home looking lackluster more than it should. It’s important to note that home building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These materials protect your home between pressure washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is safer than scrubbing the exterior of your home because you do not need to climb a ladder with a brush 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 find their way into your home. They are not easy to remove, yet it is really easy for these things to grow into colonies on your home, particularly on the north side where it doesn’t get as much sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
And, pressure washing gets rid of 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. All are factors that must be considered before you call a nearby pressure washer or try to do the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If you live in an area that is rainy, you may also have wind and rain splashing mud onto the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are bigger threat in some areas than in others. Living in a rural area or next to 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 could be a good idea to have chipped siding repaired so the high water pressure won’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also expedite a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The techniques used for pressure washing are unique to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or paint) and the section of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing technician will use soft washing instead of pressure washing to protect the roof shingles. And, the expected results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the optimal time to have your home pressure washed is as important as deciding how often the service has to be completed. There are times during the year when pressure 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
Don’t waste money on pressure washing in a rainy season. You’ll just end up with mud splatter and mildew by the end of the season regardless. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time of year. Pressure washing is most beneficial at 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 other projects done on your home. Rock, brick or siding could not be sealed into place during a repair like it will typically be, so you run the risk of harming the area, prolonging the other project and even trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your home’s curb appeal. It’s the simple solution for all your home’s exterior surfaces, including sidewalks, porches, driveways, patio furniture and wood and composite decks.
SUNNY DAYS
Pick a bright, sunny day, but don’t choose one that is blazing hot. This is the perfect condition for the surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you are in an HOA, there could be guidelines about how often you have your home pressure washed or whether you can do it by yourself or if you are required to hire a local company. You may only be under HOA rules concerning how your home appears, but it’s usually up to you to have it looking a certain way.
Pressure washing is one of the quickest and most effective ways to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for a multitude of surfaces and can eliminate months of dirt and stains.