How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick solution if your house starts looking drab and dated. Within just a couple of hours, your house can be renewed to its beautiful appearance from nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment at most home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Boston pressure washing service. It will be a little more costly upfront, but you don’t have to deal with returning equipment or 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 need to be careful about how often you power wash your house 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 house is located and weather factors around that location.
Most pros will encourage having your house pressure washed once a year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tries to tell you more frequent cleanings are necessary is just 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 each year.
By touching the wood or siding of your house, you should be able to tell if it’s time for a cleaning. The presence of dust, mud and grime can stain your house permanently if it isn’t washed off periodically, so you could have to change from a planned schedule if you start to see excess buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing can be detrimental, but not doing it enough can leave your house looking lackluster far more than it should. It’s necessary to note that building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These materials help to protect your house between power washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is safer than scrubbing the outside of your house because you don’t have to climb up and down 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 organic organisms that can eat away at exterior surfaces and eventually make their way into your house. They are not easy to remove, yet it is extremely easy for them to grow into colonies on your house, especially on the north side of a home where it doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as the other sides of your house.
And, power washing removes more dirt and grime than manual hand scrubbing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following factors can negatively impact the appearance of a home. They are all factors that have to be considered before you decide to hire a nearby pressure washer or think about doing the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If you live in a rainy area, you may also have wind and rain splashing mud on the side of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are bigger threat in some areas of Boston than in others. Living in a more rural area or near an unpaved road will determine what type of environmental factors impact your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your house pressure washed, it could be a good idea to have damaged siding repaired so the high water pressure doesn’t do more damage. Pressure washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The methods used for pressure washing are specific 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. Also, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the correct time to have your house pressure washed is as important as deciding how often the service should be completed. There are times throughout the year when power washing would be a real waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing can benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste your money on power washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with muddy splatter and mildew by the end of the season regardless. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time of year. Pressure washing is the most impactful near the end of a season, whether it’s spring, summer, fall or winter.
BEFORE/AFTER HOME PROJECTS
Don’t plan to have your house pressure washed while you are having different work done on your house. Rock, brick or siding could not be sealed into place during a renovation or repair like it should typically be, which means you run the risk of ruining the area, disrupting the ongoing work and even trapping water under building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a cost-effective way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the simple answer for all your home’s outside 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 best condition for the surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s exterior.
If you are in an HOA, there could be guidelines about how regularly you have your house power washed or if you can do it yourself or if you have to hire a local service. You may only be under HOA rules regarding how your house looks, but it’s usually up to you to have it looking good.
Pressure washing is one of the easiest and most effective methods to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for most surfaces and can eliminate months of dirt and stains.