How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick option after your home starts looking drab and outdated. Within just a couple of hours, your home can be returned to its beautiful appearance with nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent pressure washing equipment at many home improvement stores, or you can enlist the help of a Melbourne pressure washing service. It might be expensive upfront, but you won’t need to deal with returning rented equipment or the risk of harming your home due to lack of training or experience.
However, pressure washing can damage your home just as fast as it can renew it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and destroy shingles. Therefore, you really have to be careful about 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 on where your home is located and weather factors based on that location.
Most pros will encourage having your home pressure washed every year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing company that tries to tell you more frequent services are necessary is probably trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love the way it looks right after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your home many times a year.
By simply touching the wood or siding 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 may have to change from a planned schedule if you notice a lot of buildup between cleanings.
Pressure washing sometimes can be harmful, but not doing it enough will leave your home looking dirtier more than it should. It’s necessary to note that building materials, especially vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These types of materials protect your home between pressure washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is a lot safer than scrubbing the outside of your home because you won’t need to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging ahose. Pressure washing can be accomplished from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living organisms that eat away at exterior surfaces and make their way into your home. They are not easy to get rid of, yet it is really easy for them to grow into colonies on your home, particularly on the north side where it doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
And, pressure washing eliminates more dirt and grime than manual hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below items can impact the appearance of a home. They are all factors that have to be considered before you decide to call a professional pressure washer or think about doing the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather 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 onto the exterior of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold can be bigger problem in some areas than in others. Having a home in a rural area or next to an unpaved road will determine what types of environmental factors impact your home more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your home pressure washed, it may be a smart idea to have chipped siding replaced so the high pressure water doesn’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 area of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing technician will use soft washing opposed to pressure washing to protect the shingles. And, the results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the correct time to have your home pressure washed is almost as important as determining how often the service needs to be performed. There are certain times throughout the year when pressure washing would be a total waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service could benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste any money on pressure washing in a rainy time of year. You’ll just end up with muddy stains and mildew by the end of the season anyway. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is most impactful 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 work done on your home. Rock, brick or siding may not be sealed into place during a repair like it will normally be, so you run the risk of ruining the area, disrupting the ongoing work 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 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 perfect condition for the surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s surfaces.
If you have an home owner’s association, there may be rules about how regularly you have your home pressure washed or if you can do it on your own or if you are required to hire a professional. You may only be under HOA guidelines concerning how your home looks, but it’s usually up to you to keep it looking a certain way.
Pressure washing is one of the easiest and most effective methods to clean your entire home exterior. As long as it’s done correctly, it is safe for several surfaces and can eliminate months of built up dirt and stains.