How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick solution after your house starts looking drab and outdated. Within hours, your house can be restored to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at many home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Kirkland pressure washing service. It could be expensive upfront, but you won’t need to deal with bringing back rented equipment or run the risk of damaging your house due to lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as quickly as it can renew it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and destroy shingles. Therefore, you really have to be careful how often you power wash your house 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 house is located and environmental factors based on that location.
Most professionals encourage having your house pressure washed each year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing technician that tries to tell you more frequent cleanings are necessary is probably trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love the way it looks shortly after a cleaning, you can power wash your house several times a year.
By just touching the wood or siding of your house, 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 house permanently if it isn’t washed off from time to time, so you could have to deviate from a set schedule if you start to see too much buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be harmful, but not doing it often enough can leave your house looking dirtier far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that building materials, especially vinyl siding, are very resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These types of materials protect your house between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is a lot safer than scrubbing the exterior of your house because you won’t need to climb up and down a ladder with a brush and a bucket while pulling a garden hose. Power washing can be performed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organic organisms that can eat away at exterior surfaces and eventually find their way into your house. They are not very easy to remove, yet it is really easy for these things to grow into colonies on your exterior, particularly on the north side of a home where it usually doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as the other sides of your house.
Plus, power washing eliminates more dirt and grime than hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below factors can impact the appearance. All are factors that need to be considered before you hire a nearby pressure washer or think about doing the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If you live in an area that is rainy, you may also have powerful wind and rain splashing mud onto the exterior of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are bigger threat in some areas of Kirkland than in others. Living in a rural area or next to an unpaved road will determine what type of environmental factors affect your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you think it is time to have your house pressure washed, it could be a smart idea to have chipped siding repaired so the high water pressure doesn’t do any more damage. Power washing can also worsen a peeling paint problem.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The methods used for pressure washing are unique to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or wood) and the section of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing service will use soft washing instead of power washing to protect the shingles. Additionally, the results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the optimal time to have your house pressure washed is almost as important as determining how often the service should be completed. There are times during the year when power washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing might help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste your money on professional power washing during a rainy time of year. You’ll just end up with mud splatter and mildew by the end of the season anyway. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. 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 house pressure washed the same time you are having different work done on your house. Rock, brick or siding could not be tightened into place during a renovation or repair like it will normally be, which means you run the risk of harming the area, disrupting the ongoing work and trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your home’s curb appeal. It’s the easiest answer 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 not one that is very hot. This is the optimal condition for the exterior surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you live in a neighborhood with an home owner’s association, there could be guidelines about how regularly you have your house power washed or whether you can do it on your own or if you are required to hire a professional. You may only be under HOA rules regarding how your house appears, but it’s really up to you to have it looking good.
Power washing is one of the simplest and most effective methods to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for several surfaces and can get rid of years of dirt and stains.