Having your house power washed takes all the work out of cleaning it by hand with brushes and cleaners while standing on a ladder and it can be done quickly and efficiently by experienced companies.
When Should I Have My House Power Washed?
This question doesn’t have a one size fits all answer to it. Most homes should be power washed a minimum of once a year. Power Washing your siding will actually extend the life of it so it won’t need repairs and you won’t need to replace it as often. It also makes your home look as good as new when it’s tidy and clean on the exterior.
What Other Factors Affect a Power Washing Schedule?
Several other factors will dictate how often you should power wash your home. Below are just a few, power washing your home can be used in any number of situations.
Power Wash Schedules Depend On Your Home’s Location
One of the largest factors in how often to power wash your home is the location where your home is. If you live in a subdivision that is fairly new and has a lot of construction in it, your home will likely get dirty quicker due to the dust from gravel and dirt trucks traveling on the roads in front of your home. Also, if you live in a rural area on a dirt or rock road, your home will attract debris and dirt every time someone drives on the road in front of your home. These situations will warrant cleaning your home’s exterior more often and you can merely just look at it and see that it is dingy and needs a good, thorough power washing.
Similarly, if you have several trees near your home, they may leak sap or drip rainwater from the leaves and limbs in a rainy season and leave you with green spots on your siding and your roof. You want to remove these items so they don’t embed into your building materials and harm them causing you to need new roofing in areas or new siding.
Power Wash Mildew and Mold Off Of The Exterior
Mildew and mold may be growing on your house, especially if you live in a climate that is warm and humid. If you live in a climate such as this, you will want to clean your home’s exterior more often than once a year. Mildew and mold is not only unsightly, but they contain spores that can travel with additional rain or wind and many people are very allergic to these spores. Allowing mold and mildew to remain on your siding, will allow it to continuously grow and become a much larger problem. You should check your home in the hottest months of the summer and if you see mold and mildew forming, then this should be the time for you to schedule an appointment for power washing.
Power Wash Before You Repaint Your Home
If the paint on your home is peeling or just old, you may consider repainting it to freshen it up or you may just decide you want a change of color on it. In either case, your house needs to be thoroughly cleaned of all dirt, grime, debris, and mold or mildew before it gets a new coat of paint. New paint won’t stick well when it’s placed over any type of dirt and then your new paint job will not look as good as it should. If you have green spots from tree sap, mold or mildew, these items can also eat right through your new exterior paint, so painting over them doesn’t solve the problem it will only mask it for a short while. Power washing is the most effective and efficient way to clean your home prior to painting.
Power Wash to Help With Storm Cleanup
After a big storm, your home may look pretty rough, as storms with high winds and tornadoes capture dirt and debris in the wind and they can deposit it on your house. You should also remove any storm debris from your gutters or roof as soon as possible afterward to keep them from rotting and causing problems. Power washing can do a deep cleaning that you may not be able to achieve with a bucket of soapy water and a hose.
Power Wash Before Putting Your Home Up For Sale
Your home is most likely the largest investment you will ever make in your lifetime. If you decide you are moving, downsizing or upsizing, you may want to repaint your home’s exterior. It is a well-known fact that homes with fresh paint will sell much quicker and may also sell for a higher price point because they appear fresh and like new. Even if you aren’t in need of paint, power washing will freshen your exterior up so it looks like new again.
Can All Types of Siding Be Power Washed?
Virtually all types of siding on your home whether it is vinyl, aluminum, steel, wood, stucco, brick or cement fiberboard can be power washed by a professional. The experienced technicians know exactly how many pounds per square inch (PSI) that your type of siding can withstand and not cause any damage to it. It is not recommended to power wash fiberboard unless you have someone use a soft washing pressure washing system. A technician can use specialized low-pressure nozzles to remove all stains, dirt, mold, and mildew from your home with this system so it won’t damage any of your more delicate surfaces including fiberboard, paint, and stucco. Too much pressure can cause huge damages to your home and improper use of a power washer can spray water on soffits or flashing that will actually remove it or lift it and allow water to enter into your attic, which in turn can cause serious conditions of black mold in your home.
Power washing is a really effective way to do not only general maintenance and cleaning but also the deeper cleaning that many homes will need from time to time. You can see that the timing will vary for every situation and you are the best judge of when to have your home power washed.
