If you’re like most homeowners, you probably don’t think about pressure washing your house until it’s necessary. And when that time comes, it can be tough to know exactly when is the best time to do it.
Depending on your interests, pressure washing can be one of your favorite or one of your least favorite home ownership tasks. No matter what, to properly maintain your home, you should pressure wash your home as part of your standard home maintenance.
The question we get asked the most often is “when is the best time to power wash house” and “how often should a homeowner be power washing their home?”
The answer is simple, homeowners should perform a good pressure wash at least once a year, or twice a year for best pressure washing results.
Depending on the climate you live in, the best time to pressure wash your home’s exterior is in the Spring and Summer months however you can still wash your home in at other times of the year.
The time of year isn’t the only thing to consider when choosing the time to do your annual or bi-annual pressure wash. We’ve put together a list of things every homeowner should think about before pressure washing their home.
The Time of Day
If you can, you want to pressure wash your house in direct, bright sunlight for the best visibility. If there is cloud cover or it is later in the day, shadows can disguise dirty spots, resulting in an uneven clean.
Direct, bright sunlight will help the detergents work more effectively and quicker as where cooler temperatures often require a longer dwelling time to achieve the same effectiveness.
You should not pressure wash at night for your safety. You might not be able to see twigs or other debris laying around, causing you to trip and fall.
Temperature
You want the temperature to be between 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit when you pressure wash. If it’s too cold, the detergents are not always as effective and require more detergent, more dwelling time, and more rinsing.
The Weather Conditions and Climate
You want to avoid pressure washing your house in freezing temperatures. The best time to power wash is on a sunny day with minimal cloud coverage.
You don’t want to pressure wash during major storms or lightning storms. You never know when debris may fall and injure you, or lightning could strike your pressure washer.
Your Home’s Siding
You should always consult your home’s manufacturer before pressure washing. Some types of siding are more delicate than others and require a lower pressure setting and gentler cleaners. That is why we soft wash our homes to ensure that we don’t cause damage to siding while cleaning.
Even if your home has brick or stone siding, you should take care when pressure washing siding as the wrong settings can damage or dislodge the material.
