When it comes to home cleaning, we tend to overlook the exterior and focus more on the inside. However, ensuring the cleanliness of your home’s exterior is equally important as its interior.
Pressure washing is one of the best ways to give your house a facelift and get rid of dirt buildup easily. It takes away all the hard work out of manually scrubbing your surfaces. Also, you’ll be able to remove stubborn stains and filth quickly and more efficiently.
But what can and can’t you pressure wash and how often do you need to do it? Keep on reading to find out.
What Is Pressure Washing?
Pressure washing is an efficient and quick means of cleaning just about everything, from vinyl siding to concrete. It utilizes a high-powered stream of water to strip away grime, dust, and dirt from surfaces. It’s easy to do and in most cases, there’s even no need to take your ladder out to pressure wash.
But because of how powerful a pressure washer can be, it can also do plenty of damage to your house pretty quickly. So to prevent any problems, it is vital to ensure that you know how to do the job the right way.
For instance, you should never pressure wash your house if it’s painted with lead paint. You also need to repair areas with damages like deteriorated wood. Keep in mind that you only have to pressure wash as often as your home needs it.
Here are the different types of dirt that pressure washing can remove:
- Dirt
- Grime
- Loose paint
- Mud
- Mildew
- Dust
- Moss
- Mold
- Chewing gum
- Tree sap
- Exhaust fumes
What Can I Pressure Wash?
Your home’s exterior is exposed to all sorts of elements constantly. That’s why it is common to encounter problems such as dust, debris, mildew, and mold. Aside from these, it will also get filthy from chemical residue, oil stains, pollution, smoke, and even bird droppings.
Because of these issues, your home will begin to look unsightly over time. If you neglect your dirty house, you may face some likely serious consequences. For instance, if you live near the beach, the ocean’s salty deposits can worsen dirt’s natural buildup. It can cause steel roofs, garage doors, and other steel structures to rust when left for longer periods. So to help prevent staining, rusting, and costly repairs in the future, it is crucial to schedule pressure washing as part of your home’s maintenance.
There’s more to pressure washing the exterior of your house than its sidings. You can pressure wash many areas, including:
- Roof
- Patio
- Wooden fence
- Pool area
- Railings
- Driveway
- Walkway
- Outdoor furniture
- Garage floors
- Concrete
- Asphalt
- Paving stones
When Is The Best Time To Pressure Wash My House?
You may think of pressure washing your home as part of its general upkeep. That means it is a household chore that you should perform on a regular schedule. Generally, it is advisable to pressure wash once every year. Nevertheless, there are certain factors you need to consider that may require you to wash your house or specific areas more often. It’s also necessary to know the step-by-step how-to of pressure washing. This will ensure that you don’t damage your surfaces or accidentally injure yourself or others around.
Here are some considerations to help you determine how often your home should be pressure washed:
The environment and climate of where you live
Is the area you live in has a humid and wet climate or prone to dust storms? Are there plenty of trees in your backyard? These factors may require you to pressure wash more often than usual. Humidity, local flora, and temperature can contribute to how dirty a house exterior will get. Keep in mind that mildew and algae thrive in shady and moist environments.
The health and wellness of your family
If you let your house become filthy, it may likely encourage the growth of algae, mold, and other harmful contaminants. You’re putting your health at risk when you breathe in the spores of these particles. Thus, preventive and regular maintenance means that you’re not allowing these contaminants to grow in the exterior of your home. This, in return, ensures the safety of the entire family.
Planning a renovation project
Do you have any plans of refinishing or painting some areas of your house’s exterior? If so, consider pressure washing these beforehand. Not only will it clean the surface, but it will prepare it as well. Additionally, it will help the new paint adhere better and last longer.
Personal preference
This is where it all boils down to. If you think that the appearance of your house is no longer up to par, consider washing it more often. Wanting to sustain the curb appeal and beauty of your home is absolutely a legitimate reason to regularly pressure wash it.
In most cases, experts advise pressure washing your house every spring before you begin with any other maintenance projects. Doing so will make your home look great throughout the years. On top of that, the environment around your home will be healthy as well.
Don’t forget to check out these pressure washing tips, especially if this is your first time using a pressure washer. Learning how to properly operate and use one can make the process of cleaning your home’s exterior quicker and painless.