How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a quick solution if your home starts to look drab and outdated. Within just a couple of hours, your home can be restored 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 Toledo pressure washing service. It could be a little more costly upfront, but you won’t need to deal with returning equipment or the risk of harming your home due to lack of training or experience.
However, pressure washing can damage your home just as quickly as it can renew it. The pressurized water can break windows, damage siding and destroy roof shingles. Therefore, you need 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 a lot on where your home is located and environmental factors around that location.
Most pros will encourage having your home pressure washed each year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing pro that tries to tell you more frequent services 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 after a cleaning, you can pressure wash your home many times each year.
By touching the wood or siding of your home, 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 home permanently if it isn’t washed off from time to time, so you may have to deviate from a set schedule if you notice too much buildup between cleanings.
Power washing sometimes can be detrimental, but not doing it often enough will leave your home 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 types of materials protect your home between pressure washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is much safer than scrubbing the exterior of your home because you won’t need to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while pulling a garden hose. Power washing can be accomplished 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 home. They are not very easy to get rid of, yet it is really easy for these organisms to form colonies on your house, especially on the north side where it usually doesn’t get as much sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
And, pressure washing gets rid of more dirt and grime than hand washing.
Factors that Affect Your Home’s Exterior
All of the following factors can negatively impact the appearance of a home. All are factors that need to be considered before you decide to call a local pressure washer or attempt the job on your own.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and weather events can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew. If your home is in a rainy area, you might also have wind and a lot of rain splashing mud on the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are more of a threat in some areas of Toledo than in others. Living in a more rural area or next to an unpaved road will factor into what types of environmental factors impact your home more.
HOME CONDITION
If you think it is time to have your home pressure washed, it may be a good idea to have damaged siding replaced so the high pressure water doesn’t do any more damage. Power washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The equipment used for pressure washing are specific to your home’s exterior (brick, siding or wood) and the area of the home. For example, for roof cleaning, a pressure washing company will use soft washing opposed to pressure washing to protect the roof shingles. And, the results can vary widely.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the correct time to have your home pressure washed is as important as deciding how often the service needs to be performed. There are times throughout the year when pressure washing would be a total waste of time and money. Different times, however, a professional pressure washing service can help you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste your money on pressure washing during a rainy season. You’ll just end up with mud stains and mildew at the end of the season regardless. Winter, for example, isn’t the best time. Pressure washing is most useful at the end of a season, whether it’s spring, summer, fall or winter.
BEFORE/AFTER HOME PROJECTS
Don’t plan to 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 should typically be, so you run the risk of damaging the area, disrupting the other project and even trapping water below building materials.
BEFORE SELLING
Pressure washing is a great way to increase your curb appeal. It’s the simple solution 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 surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning products onto your home’s exterior.
If you live in a neighborhood with an home owner’s association, there may be guidelines about how regularly you have your home pressure washed or whether you can do it on your own or if you have to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA rules regarding how your home appears, but it’s really up to you to have it looking good.
Power washing is one of the most common and most effective ways to clean your entire home. As long as it’s done the right way, it is safe for most surfaces and can remove years of dirt and stains.