Washing prints of your house is one of the most effective ways to clean, light and renew the exterior. The powerful water can solve years of dirt, dirt, mildew and more without the use of hard chemicals. But they should not override the pressure cleaners because they could damage the outside of the house.
To explain how often you should suppress your house, experts share your top tips for household items. Also learn how things such as climate, building material and wear can affect the frequency of your cleaning plan.
Orlando Penner is an expert in building production as well as owner and operator at South Country Sheds.
Angie Hicks is the co -founder of Angi.
How often to wash your house under pressure
On average, most homeowners should wash their houses under pressure once a year. Some homeowners can benefit from more frequent cleaning, while others may be able to skip cleaning from time to time.
“For houses in damp regions in which mold, mildew and algae thrive, I would recommend pressure laundering for the maximum benefit every six to twelve months,” says Orlando Penner from South Country Sheds. “In drier climate zones, I only use pressure washing once a year or even once every two years.”
The best season to wash your house under pressure
The best time of the year to wash your house under pressure is in spring. In most climates, spring presents warm enough weather to wash the pressure with the additional advantage that autumn and winter waste were accumulated on and around the outer of your house.
“This is a great time because you have the opportunity to wash mildew, mold and dirt that have accumulated in the winter months,” says Angie Hicks, co -founder of Angi.
Hicks adds that, although you can also wash your home under pressure during the autumn, you will probably be covered shortly after cleaning of leaves and other autumn strikes, which leads to a waste of water, gas and time.
Some surfaces can benefit from a follow -up treatment to kill mold and mildew, which contributes to preventing growth after washing.
Avoid pressure laundering in cold weather
You may think you can put on your Waders and a poncho, pull the pressure cleaning out of the winter storage and knock out spring cleaning at an early stage, but the pressure washing at warm temperatures not just about your level of comfort. In reality, you should think twice before wash your home in winter.
Materials that can stop in warm temperatures up to the high -pressure water can become more fragile in extreme cold, but Penner warns of even more likely damage if water and freezer temperatures are combined.
“Make sure not to wash your home if it freezes outside because it causes structural damage if you even have the smallest cracks,” he warns. “Water tends to expand in freezing temperatures. So if it gets into your cracks and is expanded when you freeze, you will worry even bigger cracks and more.”
How to wash different building materials under pressure
As expected, different building materials react differently to the pressure washing. Materials such as concrete, metal and brick stone generally consider good pressure to wash up, but softer, more sensitive materials can be easily damaged.
If you are not sure how the outer of your house corresponds to the pressure washing, Penner suggests that you are wrong with caution. Even if you have been washed under pressure in the past, you should always inspect your home thoroughly before washing the pressure to ensure that the building materials are in good enough condition to wash pressure again.
“Use low pressure for safe bets and evaluate the efficiency to make the next decision,” he advises. “If the brick, for example, erodes, I would avoid high pressure to prevent further erosion. For materials such as composite and vinyl, use medium to low pressure. For wood and roof materials, they always use low pressure to avoid damage.”
Penner recommends to refer this cheat leaf when it finds how much pressure should be used for different materials:
| material | Psi |
|---|---|
| Concrete (driveway, sidewalk, foundation) | 3,000 to 4,000 |
| Bricks (outer walls, terraces, retaining walls) | 2,500 to 3,000 |
| Metal cladding (aluminum, steel) | 2,000 to 2,500 |
| Vinyl parking track | 1,500 to 2,500 |
| Composite decking | 1,500 to 2,500 |
| Wood decks & fences | 500 to 1,200 |
| Wooden cladding | 0 to 500 |
House materials that you should never wash under pressure
Hicks warns that certain types of building materials should not be washed at all with the pressure, including the following:
- Surfaces painted with lead paint
- Surfaces with electrical fittings
- Windows and glass that can break
- Roof shingles
- Roof channels that may be susceptible to damage
- Awnings and similar coverings that could be easily damaged
Many materials that cannot be washed with pressure can still be washed with water as long as the pressure is low enough. In order to take into account the lack of pressure, the use of a cleaning agent or a brush may be necessary for scrubbing to thoroughly remove stubborn dirt.
Thank you for your feedback!