How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick fix once your home starts to look drab and outdated. Within hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at most home improvement stores, or you can hire a Akron pressure washing service. It might be a little more costly upfront, but you won’t have to deal with returning equipment or the risk of damaging your home because of lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home just as fast as it can beautify it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and destroy shingles. Therefore, you have 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 weather factors around that location.
Most professionals will recommend having your home pressure washed each year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing service that tells you that more frequent cleanings are needed is probably trying to squeeze more money out of you. However, it’s your house, and if you love how it looks after a cleaning, you can power wash your home many times each year.
By just touching the exterior of your home, you should be able to tell if it’s time for a cleaning. The presence of dust, mud and grime can stain your home permanently if it isn’t washed off periodically, so you might have to deviate from a set schedule if you start to see too much buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing can be harmful, but not doing it enough will leave your home looking dirtier far more than it should. It’s important to note that building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These 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 exterior of your home because you do not have to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging a garden hose. Pressure washing can be accomplished from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are organic organisms that can eat away at home exterior surfaces and find their way into your home. They are not easy to remove, yet it is very easy for these organisms to grow into colonies on your house, particularly on the north side of a home where it doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as the other sides of your home.
And, power washing removes more dirt and grime than manual hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following factors can negatively impact the appearance. They are all factors that need to be considered before you hire a professional pressure washer or try to do the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If your home is in an area that is rainy, you might also have wind and a lot of rain splashing mud onto the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes more of a threat in some areas of Akron 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 might be a smart idea to have chipped siding replaced so the high pressure water doesn’t do any more damage. Pressure washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
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 company will use soft washing instead of power washing to protect the shingles. Additionally, the expected results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the right time to have your home pressure washed is almost as important as deciding how often the service has to be performed. There are certain times throughout the year when power washing would be a real waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service could help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste your money on professional power washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with muddy splatter and mildew at the end of the season regardless. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is the 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 different projects done on your home. Rock, brick or siding might not be sealed into place during a renovation or repair like it should typically be, which means you run the risk of damaging the area, disrupting the ongoing work and even trapping water underneath building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a smart way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the simple 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 perfect condition for the exterior surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s exterior.
If you have an HOA, there might be requirements about how often you have your home power washed or if you can do it yourself or if you have to hire a local service. You might only be under HOA rules concerning how your home appears, but it’s really up to you to keep it looking maintained.
Pressure washing is one of the simplest and most effective methods to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for several home surfaces and can eliminate months of built up dirt and stains.