Why should I even bother to pressure wash my home if it looks clean?
Is it possible to damage your home if pressure washing it too often?
In this article, I’ll explain the benefits of pressure washing your house,
When is the best time to do it & how often you should do it to keep it nice and tidy.
How Often Should You Pressure Or Power Wash Your Home?
The golden rule of Pressure washing your house is a minimum of at least once every year, however, depending on the location you live in, you may need to wash more often. For example, you live near the beach and the oceans so there is always going to be a high amount of saline water constantly attacking your home. This leads to faster wear and tear on metals and wood, resulting in rust or mold.
If you live in an area where you do experience all four seasons in the same year, it is best to watch your home as the seasons change. If your scenario is the opposite and you live in a stable climate like most of California, then you will probably be fine with the bare minimum.
Whenever you decide to pressure wash your home, a good rule of thumb is to do it on a day where there is a lot of sun so that the water can evaporate faster. Remember that what I preach is a one size fits all approach and that might not be the case for you. The best way to tell if your home needs a wash soon is visually looking at it and seeing any dirt or discoloration, maybe even running your fingers through the exterior and if your fingers look dusty or black, then you know it is due for a wash.
In my situation, I live right outside the urban area of a huge city. My climate is usually foggy all year round and I’m surrounded by water on three sides. There is no snow but we do get rain and wind often so my house is usually clean. All the houses are connected and there is no front lawn so my house never really gets dirty except for the leaves that fall from trees. My exterior is also concrete so I can skip out washing once a year in this case and wash every few. There is no set rule when it comes to washing but there are guidelines that you can answer to help determine how often you should wash your house.
Neglecting to power wash your home can lead to external and internal damages that could possibly drain your wallet by a lot. Mould can weaken the structure of wood and weaken the infrastructure of your home. It can also seep into the interior and cause your home to no longer be habitable. Washing your home too often can also damage your home if you are not doing it properly. Your home can withstand the pressure of your washer but at full strength, it has the power to seep through the walls, ending up with soggy carpets and a breeding ground for mold. The pressure washer is also capable of destroying window screens and seals along with ripping the paint off your walls, forcing you to repaint again. This is very dangerous if your house still has lead paint as ingesting lead is toxic.
When should you pressure wash your home?
As I mentioned earlier, there are many factors that determine whether you wash your home so I’ll mention a couple of scenarios/questions you should ask yourself:
Where your home is located
Do you live near the beaches? Or maybe you live in the blazing hot desert? Perhaps even high up in the mountains surrounded by nature? Location is a huge factor when it comes to house cleaning. Like the beach and urban area analogy referenced at the beginning of this article, the climate is the most important reason why you should clean your house. If you live in the desert, you’re surrounded by dirt and dust 24/7.
If your house sits along a dirt road, you already know that every car that drives by will spray dirt towards your house over time, meaning you’re gonna want to clean more often than others. If your house is surrounded by trees, then you would watch for sap buildup that falls on your home. Dealing with sap early on is a good thing as the sticky residue is a catalyst for pollen to stick onto your home, and pollen causes allergies so you know what coming next.
Recent weather changes
Were you hit by a big rainstorm? Got caught up by a huge sandstorm? Maybe got smacked with strong gusty winds? Believe it or not, you’d be surprised at the damages mother nature can cause to your home. Powerful winds carry dirt and debris onto your home, causing it to look aesthetically unpleasing. If you live in a hot and humid climate, rain showers allow for mould and mildew to grow along the outside of your home. If you live in an area that rarely has rain, that first shower will make your house turn black as the water exposes all that dirt and grime that have piled up on your home over time.
What type of siding you have on your home
There are a few materials that surround your home. The options are wood, metal/vinyl, bricks, and stucco. With wood being the weakest one out of all the four, it will require more washes to sustain durability. On the other hand, stucco being heavily resistant to natural weathering, will not need as much pressure washing compared to the other materials. Brick and metal are fair game as moss can grow on bricks and metal can rust if in contact with saltwater.
Your future plans for the home
If you are planning something big for your home, like putting it up for sale, then obviously washing your home is a must. I know you definitely don’t want other people to look at your house and think “Oh my god, this house is poorly maintained” which can deter you from securing buyers
Budget
This part is for people who want to take a less DIY approach and have a professional wash their house for them. Determining your budget is important as prices can range from $150-$650 for a professional wash. If you can’t afford to have one done every few months then just stick with when you think you absolutely need that wash.
Visual Inspection
This part speaks for itself. All you have to do is take a close look at the walls and see if they look clean or not. You can take the extra step and touch to see if your hands turn black. If you feel that it is not up to par with how you want your house to look, then by all means full send and wash your house.
Related: Can You Pressure Wash a Composite Deck?
What time of year is best to pressure wash your home?
I highly recommend sometime around spring or summer as the temperatures are warm enough and there is enough sunlight to dry faster. There is no hard rule to this so you must decide if you need a wash at different times of the year, similar to a yearly checkup at the doctors. Obviously you want to wash the house during a period of when it is only sunshine for a few days, otherwise, your work will quickly go to waste.
Spring
This is the ideal time to wash your house as there is a smaller chance or harsh weather like snowstorms or thunderstorms wearing down the exterior of your home. The weather is very temperate. The mild temperatures will ensure that there is not too much humidity inside the home while you pressure wash it. Spring time in other places could mean loads of rain nonstop and if that is the case then I would avoid washing during this time and wait until fall as summer is also not feasible as the leftover moisture from the previous season carries over making it harder for you to clean well. If you live in a place like California where the climate is warm and balanced, then once a year every spring would suffice.
Fall
Fall is not a bad alternative to spring but there is a higher chance where it will rain more often as you approach winter. Humidity levels begin to drop as you near winter which is a good thing as it will lower the chances of runny water seeping into the interior of your home and forming mildew. The autumn winds can also benefit your home as air drying encourages faster evaporation of water. Washing your home towards the end when you are preparing for the winter season where temperatures will get to freezing.
Cold weather & winter
Highly not recommended to ever wash your house in the winter season as all that snow and ice will quickly ruin your hard work. If you live in an area where the temperature goes below freezing point, the water you spray out will quickly freeze and cause more damage to the home. Just wait out till warmer weather. There is also no point in winter as that is the time where all the tough grime builds up so essentially if you wash it on a winter day, the grime still build up starting the next day and you will have to wash it down again once spring hits. On the rare occasion where it’s always that cold all year round, try to wash your home when the weather will be calm for a few days.
What is the difference between pressure washing and power washing?
The only difference between power washing and pressure washing is that power washing uses heated water while pressure washing utilizes normal temperature water and high-pressure equipment instead. Both forms of washing have pressure to strengthen the water spray in order to remove dirt but power washing has a slight advantage over pressure washing because of the heated water.
Also if you are using your Petrol pressure washer only a few times a year, than make sure to use Fuel Stabilizer For Pressure Washer
Just like how you would wash dishes in hot water to remove food and grease stains on your dishes, the analogy works the same for washing dirt off your home. You can think of power washing as heavy-duty cleaning, it is intended for tough stains that cannot come off with a pressure washer or if the house is covered in a material that the heated water can handle like concrete. For example, if your house has mold stains, then a power washer would be needed because the heat is needed to kill off mold which can cause your home to be inhabitable if left untreated for too long. Power washers do cost more than pressure washers so it is up to you to gauge how dirty your house gets and whether you need that extra boost wash.
