Power washing, also known as pressure washing, is a way to clean your home’s exterior (or any exterior surface) using blasts of high-pressure sprays of water. It is an effective way to clean mud, dirt, mold, dust and loose paint from a surface. And don’t worry, power washing your home won’t have any impact on your home’s water pressure.

Power washing your home has a lot of surprising benefits, but you might be wondering, is it right for you? After all, blasting the exterior of your home with machines that can produce water pressure ranging from 750 to 30,000 psi might lead you to worry about inadvertently causing damage in the act of cleaning.  

So let’s take a moment to look at when you can (or should) consider power washing, and if it’s right for you!

When Should You Avoid Power Washing

Power washing can clean your home better than just about any method, while avoiding the use of harsh chemicals, but sometimes it might not be the best choice for your particular home.

While most professional power washers will know to avoid these areas, if you are planning on renting or purchasing power washing equipment yourself, be sure not to power wash the following types of surfaces or areas. 

Wood Siding

While it is possible to power wash a wooden surface, it can potentially warp the surface, especially if it is at a higher pressure than the wood can handle. There are still benefits to power washing wood siding, but you might consider utilizing a professional or expert when doing so.

Any Electrical Panels, or Electrical Appliances

This might make sense (don’t combine water and electricity!) but it’s important to note where your primary electrical panels and appliances are before starting a power washing project. This also includes air conditioners, light fixtures, and fuse boxes.

Windows

Power washing involves, well, washing with power. And while it might seem like a great shortcut in giving your home sparkling clean windows, that pressure can often exceed what the glass can handle. And the last thing you want to do when cleaning your home is broken glass. 

Why Should You Power Wash Your Home?

As long as it’s done responsibly, avoiding areas and materials that can be damaged, power washing is a fantastic way to clean your home. It includes some incredible benefits, including the following. 

Increase Your Curb Appeal

While you might not think about it regularly, your home’s curb appeal is essential to improving the value of your home. Essentially, the better your home looks from the outside, the more likely people will want to go inside. Not surprisingly, power washing will leave you with a clean, fresh looking home. 

And also not surprisingly, having a clean exterior of your home makes your home look better, which is the definition of curb appeal. And that alone can make power washing worth the cost or effort. 

Prevents Long-Term Damage Without Using Harsh Chemicals

Frequently cleaning the exterior of your home makes sure that you’ll avoid larger issues down the road, but the benefit of power washing versus employing other methods is that you are not dousing your home, and the soil surrounding it, with harsh chemicals or caustic cleaning agents. 

The benefit of power washing comes from its simplicity. It just blasts away debris and grime using high-pressured water, making it a safe, clean, and natural way to make your home shine. And a clean home is a long-lasting home. 

Pressure Washing Makes Your Home Safer

Your home’s exterior accumulates all kinds of bacterium, allergens, and general grime, and many external cleaning methods can’t rid your home of these undesirable contaminants. But pressure washing is able to rid these from your home, using high pressured water to reach areas conventional cleaning methods can miss. 

Ultimately, if you can pressure wash your home, you’re able to make sure your home is as clean as possible, using nothing more than water, and a pressure-creating washer, ridding your home of toxins, bacteria, pollens, and other unwanted elements without having to rely on harsh chemicals or soaps.  

How Often Should You Power Wash Your Home?

If you know you can power wash your home without causing potential issues, you definitely should do so regularly to maximize on those power washing benefits we’ve already discussed. But how often should you wash your home? And when is the best time?

Ultimately, you should aim to power wash your home about once a year, to make sure you can keep your home looking clean and fresh, while preventing damage and removing contaminants. 

It doesn’t matter what time of the day you decide to perform power washing, but for visibility reasons, you should try to have that work done during the daylight hours. 

Typically, the best time of the year for power washing is between March and November. But the good news? Conditions don't necessarily matter. Outside of strong cold conditions (think, under 45 degrees Fahrenheit) or strong hot conditions (think, over 90 degrees Fahrenheit), you will be able to power clean your home successfully. Even in overcast or rainy weather, power washing will be effective and useful.

Ultimately, power washing isn’t for everyone, but if you have the ability to power wash your home safely, you should strongly consider making it a regular part of your home maintenance routine. It can make a huge difference in not only the value of your home, but in its appearance, and your general well-being. And it’ll make your home sparkle for all to see!

Guest Contributor: Jeff Good