How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick option if your house starts looking drab and outdated. Within hours, your house can be renewed to its beautiful appearance by nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent power washing equipment from many home improvement stores, or you can hire a San Mateo pressure washing service. It could be costly upfront, but you won’t need to deal with bringing back equipment or the risk of harming your house due to lack of training or experience.
However, power washing can damage your home as fast as it can beautify it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and destroy shingles. Therefore, you need to be careful 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 heavily on where your house is located and weather factors based on that location.
Most pros recommend having your house pressure washed each year or, no longer than every 2 years.
Any pressure washing service that tries to tell you more frequent cleanings are needed is probably trying to squeeze a little more money out of you. However, it’s your home, and if you love how it looks after a cleaning, you can power wash your house many times a year.
By just touching the exterior of your house, you will be able to tell if it needs a cleaning. The presence of dirt, mud and grime can stain the outside of your house permanently if it isn’t washed off periodically, so you may have to deviate from a planned schedule if you notice excess buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be harmful, but not doing it enough can leave your house looking dirtier more than it should. It’s important to note that building materials, particularly vinyl siding, are very 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 exterior of your house because you do not need to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging a garden hose. Power washing can be completed from the ground in almost all residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living organisms that eat away at exterior surfaces and eventually make their way into your house. They are not very easy to remove, yet it is very easy for these organisms to grow into colonies on your home, particularly on the north side of a home where it usually doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as other sides of your house.
And, power washing eliminates more dirt and grime than hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the below items can negatively impact the appearance of a home. All are factors that need to be considered before you decide to call a professional pressure washer or attempt the job on your own.
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 powerful wind and a lot of rain splashing mud on the exterior of your house.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are sometimes more of a threat in some areas of San Mateo than in others. Living in a rural area or next to an unpaved road will determine what types of environmental factors impact your house more.
HOME CONDITION
If you do decide to have your house pressure washed, it may be a smart idea to have chipped siding replaced 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 specific to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or paint) and the section of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing service will use soft washing opposed to power washing to protect the shingles. And, the expected results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Determining the correct time to have your house pressure washed is as important as deciding how often the service needs to be completed. There are times during the year when power washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service can benefit you in more ways than appearance.
WEATHER
Don’t waste your money on professional power washing in a rainy time of year. You’ll end up with muddy splatter and mildew at the end of the season anyway. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is most beneficial 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 projects done on your house. Rock, brick or siding may not be sealed into place during a renovation or repair like it will typically be, so you run the risk of harming the area, disrupting the ongoing work and trapping water underneath building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a helpful way to increase your home’s 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 don’t choose one that is blazing hot. This is the best condition for the surfaces to dry fast without baking cleaning solutions onto your home’s siding or brick.
If you are in an home owner’s association, there may be guidelines about how regularly you have your house power washed or if you can do it by yourself or if you have to hire a local service. You may only be under HOA guidelines concerning how your house looks, but it’s ultimately up to you to keep it looking maintained.
Power washing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done right, it is safe for several surfaces and can eliminate years of built up dirt and stains.