What is Power Washing?
While it seems daunting, power washing is using highly pressurized water to clean surfaces such as your home or driveway. It can get stains off concrete that nothing else will, and also return your house’s paint to its former glory, or just get moss and algae cleaned away that would take days’ worth of work by hand in just a fraction of the time. As well as using a detergent to eliminate any harmful bacteria, keep it cleaner for longer, and helping prolong the life of the item that is being cleaned.
Is it Safe to Power Wash?
While cleaning things such as concrete is completely safe and won’t damage the material, certain questions should be asked when power washing something such as a house. There are a few materials that while safe, care has to be given. Some of these materials pop up when we hear questions such as “can you pressure wash a brick house?”, and while that answer is yes if done well.
Power washing is able to damage brick if the pressure is too high, and this risk only increases once the brick reaches about 80 years of age. While it is still possible to power wash brick at this age, care and specific tools are needed to help reduce the pressure while keeping the cleaning ability. If the pressure is not reduced, it can damage the grout, loosen bricks, and even crack them increasing the potential for water intrusion and general damage.
If you’re ever worried about the material you’re power washing, going to professionals such as Dapper Home Services can prevent thousands of dollars of potential damages.
How Often to power wash a house?
This is another common question that we hear people ask us “how often should I pressure wash my house?”. The general rule is at minimum your house should be power washed once a year to remove potentially harmful bacteria, mildew, and general build-up. But twice a year is highly preferable to help keep build up under control.
This is especially true with wood siding as it is more vulnerable to the dangers of the outdoors rather than something such as metal siding. We suggest that you wash your house at least twice a year, regardless of the type of material it is made of. This will help keep it looking its best and prevent you from having to repaint it as often.
Another question we hear a lot is should you power wash a house in spring or fall? We suggest for most houses once before and after the winter season. But if you are to choose one the best time to power wash a house is during late spring after the pollen has begun to calm down if you are limiting washes to once per year.
How long does it take to pressure wash a house?
We understand you may want to be present during the cleaning, and time can be a worry during your busy schedule, so we would like to make sure you know how to plan around the time it takes. Pressure washing can take different amounts of time depending on the house as they are all not built the same!
Here at Dapper, we take care in our work so certain different methods that may take longer or shorter depending on the materials must be taken into account. As well as our usage of detergent solution to remove any and all organic growth, which also takes some time due to needing to dwell for a few minutes to take full effect.
The time it takes from start to finish however is anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours for most homes. This time can vary however depending on things such as square footage, or materials that we have to take extra care of to prevent damage. That time is always worth it, you’ll be amazed at the difference one cleaning makes.
What are the benefits of power washing?
Over time, many things build up on a house, from algae, mold, and mildew, all of which can get under siding and lead to damage. Power washing not only gets rid of this build-up, but it can also help prevent potential health concerns that these organic materials can cause.
Many of these benefits extend themselves to roof cleaning as well. However, due to the unique process Dapper Home Services has, it prevents shingle damage from pressure washing by not going through a rinse process. Instead letting natures rain naturally rinse the roof so as not to knock off or damage any roof shingles as a traditional pressure washing rinse process can.
Not only is the cost of power washing cheaper, and quicker than the damage that the organic material can cause, but it can also help prepare your home for other maintenance or projects. If you’re about to repaint your house, we highly suggest you get your home power washed first as a clean house allows the paint to adhere better, and prevent cracking or chipping over time than if it is put ontop of dirt and grime.
On top of these benefits, power washing is also environmentally safe so it is a guilt free maintenance and cleaning solution.
A cleaner house means higher curb appeal, which increases home value on average of 7% according to Realtor Magazine. It’s easier to see the beauty of something that’s clean, rather than dirty, and if you want to sell your home fast, a power wash before it hits the market will make sure it’s an easy and quick process for you.
If any of this sounds like it’s something you need, come visit Dapper Home Services and get a custom estimate today! We’ll take care of your house like we were cleaning our own.
