How Often Should You Pressure Wash Your Home?
Pressure washing is a fast option after your home starts to look drab and outdated. Within hours, your home can be renewed to its beautiful appearance by nothing more than high pressure water.
You can rent pressure washing equipment at most home improvement stores, or you can hire a Charleston pressure washing service. It can be expensive upfront, but you won’t have to deal with bringing back rented equipment or run 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 clean it. The pressurized water is powerful enough to break windows, damage siding and ruin roof shingles. Therefore, you really need to be careful how often you pressure wash your home and who you hire to 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 home is located and environmental factors based on that location.
Most professionals encourage having your home pressure washed each year or, at least every 2 years.
Any pressure washing service that tells you that more frequent cleanings are necessary is just trying to squeeze a little 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 multiple times a year.
By just touching the wood or siding of your home, you should be able to tell if it’s time for a cleaning. The presence of dirt, mud and grime can stain the outside of your home permanently if it isn’t removed periodically, so you might have to deviate from a set schedule if you notice too much buildup between cleanings.
Power washing often can be harmful, but not doing it often enough will leave your home looking dirtier far more than it should. It’s important to note that modern building materials, particularly vinyl siding, are resistant to stains, mold and mildew. These materials help to protect your home between pressure washings.
Why Pressure Washing is the Preferred Method
Pressure washing is safer than scrubbing the outside of your home because you don’t have to climb a ladder with a brush and a bucket while dragging ahose. Power washing can be completed from the ground in most residential situations.
Mold and mildew are living organisms that can eat away at home exterior surfaces and make their way into your home. They are not easy to get rid of, yet it is very easy for these organisms to form colonies on your house, especially on the north side of a home where it usually doesn’t get much direct sunlight or wind as other sides of your home.
And, pressure washing removes 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. They are all factors that need to be considered before you hire a professional pressure washer or try to do the job yourself.
CLIMATE
Factors like humidity and extreme weather events can create a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. If your home is in a rainy area, you might also have wind and rain splashing mud on the side of your home.
ENVIRONMENT
Pollen, pollution and mold are bigger threat in some areas of Charleston than in others. Having a home in a rural area or next to an unpaved road will factor into what type 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 repaired so the high pressure water won’t do any more damage. Power washing can also worsen a peeling paint issue.
EXTERIOR FINISH
The processes 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 instead of pressure washing to protect the roof shingles. Additionally, the expected results can vary widely based on technique.
When to Pressure Wash Your Home
Choosing the best time to have your home pressure washed is almost as important as determining how often the service should be performed. There are times during the year when pressure washing would be an ultimate waste of time and money. Other times, however, a professional pressure washing service could benefit you in more ways than just appearance.
WEATHER
Do not waste your money on professional pressure washing in a rainy season. You’ll just end up with mud stains and mildew at the end of the season anyway. Winter, as an example, isn’t the best time of year. Pressure washing is most useful near 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 other projects done on your home. Rock, brick or siding might not be fastened into place during a repair like it should normally be, which means 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 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 extremely hot. This is the perfect condition for the surfaces to dry quickly without baking cleaning chemicals onto your home’s surfaces.
If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, there might be rules about how regularly you have your home pressure washed or whether you can do it yourself or if you are required to hire a professional. You might only be under HOA guidelines concerning how your home appears, but it’s usually up to you to keep it looking a certain way.
Power 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 most home surfaces and can eliminate months of built up dirt and stains.