When you picture cleaning your house, you probably think from the inside out. You’re used to cleaning every tile, carpet, and screen inside your home. But what about when you need to clean the outside? Could you imagine how you would do it?
You might be picturing polishing every brick with a sponge, towel, or toothbrush, but that’s not how it’s done! Pressure washing is one of the most common ways to clean the outside of your house. Read on to learn more about the basics of pressure washing and why you would want to wash the outside of your house in the first place.
What is Pressure Washing?
Pressure washing involves using water at very high pressures to clean surfaces. A pressure washer fires a high-pressure water spray at a given area, making it ideal for cleaning large exterior surfaces— for example, the sides of large office buildings. If commercial businesses are using it, will it work for your house?
Can You Clean a House with Pressure Washing?
The idea of using industrial levels of pressurized water (1,500–4,000+ PSI) on your walls sounds intimidating, and for good reason. You shouldn’t clean your house with a pressure washer at high pressure levels.
But thousands of Canadians get their homes washed every year, so how is it done? Rather than pressure washing—industry professionals use what’s called “soft washing”. This is a process where you limit the PSI of your machine (or a different setup entirely) to 1,500 PSI, and apply a chemical solution to the house, which actually does the cleaning. Soft washing is becoming increasingly popular as a safe, effective way to clean the exterior of your house.
The trick in safely cleaning the exterior of a home is knowing safe limits of how much pressure to use where. Cleaning a brick wall requires a different amount of pressure from cleaning windows, but not how you’d expect. Brick actually require less pressure than glass!
DIY or Not?
Unlike other household tasks, it is not recommended that you just go out and buy a pressure washer and immediately try cleaning your house. Professional pressure washers know the tricks of the trade that you may not, such as how to avoid damaging your home. Mention any details of your home to your pressure washing service before agreeing to anything.
Why Clean Your House?
Since most people never think about cleaning the outside of their homes, what would make them consider it? There are several excellent reasons to clean your house through proper soft washing. Here are just a few ways that washing your house is a very necessary thing to do:
Prevent Damage
One of the best reasons to wash your house is to prevent future damage. Many home problems start small and get bigger the longer they’re ignored. Soft washing removes moss, mould, dirt, and more from your house, preventing them from causing bigger issues down the line, such as water ingress that can cause serious water damage.
Painting
One of the biggest problems with repainting something like a house is that the old paint bubbles up beneath the new coat. Having old paint on your house means that your new coat will not lay flat. Depending on the material of your house’s siding, pressure washing is one way to remove it; here are a few others from The Spruce.
Real Estate
Your house needs to look its best before you think about selling it. According to Honor Credit Union, a clean home with a weed-free driveway can raise your property’s value by up to 7%. A pressure washing session will not only make your house look great, but get some junk off of your window, roof, and gutters.
Clean Other Parts of the House
Most exterior cleaning companies offer pressure washing services for other parts of your house’s exterior aside from your siding. Why not get the gutters cleaned along with the bricks? Or if you have never considered cleaning your driveway, now is the perfect time to get it done at the same time. Pressure washing and/or soft washing can clean almost any outside surface, so it can’t hurt to inquire about anything else you want cleaned.
Save Time and/or Money
When you imagined cleaning the outside of your house, you probably pictured yourself scrubbing brick after brick with a sponge. Pressure washing is much more efficient than that! A job that would probably take you a day or two becomes a matter of 1–3 hours if you hire a professional exterior cleaner.
Pressure washing could also save you money down the line. When you eliminate mould and contaminants, you save yourself thousands of dollars in repairs! And if you opt for services like roof or gutter cleaning, you may save money on energy bills since a roof covered in moss or algae will reflect light differently, and in turn, absorb different amounts of sunlight.
Aesthetics
Finally, your house will look beautiful after a bath! Few things are more satisfying than seeing all the dirt drip off of your home. Watch as your house starts to look like new, bit by bit, as the power wash strips it of grime and gunk.
Sometimes, you don’t need a motive other than a beautiful home to get your house cleaned. If you want your house to keep looking that good, you should schedule regular cleaning once every 1-3 years, depending on how quickly your home gets dirty.
Conclusion
Many people don’t think about cleaning the outsides of their houses—they’re usually focused on the mess inside! Soft washing is one of the safest, most effective ways to make your house look great from the street and prepare it for painting or sale. Even if you aren’t looking for major renovations, keeping your house clean will help you avoid expensive repairs in the long run.
Having a company professionally soft wash your home is one of the cheapest, most effective ways to clean the windows, bricks, siding, and even the roof! Contact us today and we will help your house look its best.
FAQ
Is it OK to pressure wash my house?
Pressure washing your house sounds scary—and for good reason! Pressure washing your house is not OK, especially if you’re inexperienced. The siding of your house can’t withstand the same pressure levels that your driveway can, so you must know what is safe for the different surfaces of your house. That’s why many people opt for a professional to come wash their house.
What is the best solution for washing exterior houses?
The best solution for washing the exterior of your house is sodium hypochlorite (essentially bleach), combined with some form of “surfactant”, which helps the solution stay on the house for a longer time, allowing it to fully clean the siding.
Can pressure washing be used on windows?
Pressure washing can be used to clean windows, however, you need to be very careful with the power setting. The maximum pressure recommended for windows is around 1300–1500 PSI.
