Most people clean the interior of their homes daily, or maybe even several times throughout the day. And if you have small children, it may feel like you never stop cleaning!
The reasons for this are simple. A clean house is safer for your family, more comfortable to live in and more appealing to the senses. It just makes us feel better to live in a clean, well-organized environment. Less clutter, less danger, less sickness, and disease.
A clean home is just more safe, more healthy, more restful, peaceful and relaxing.
But why would we want to clean the exterior of our homes?
Great question! –And we’ve got more than just one answer!
Appearance
The first reason many people choose to wash the exterior of their home is for appearance. It simply looks nice to have a clean, well-kept residence. And it also feels good too. We’ll call it having ‘Pride In Ownership.’ The visual appearance of your home’s exterior also plays a role in the perceived value of your home.
Cleaner, well-maintained neighborhoods have higher property values!
Additionally, your gutters and downspouts are usually one of the first places to fade and discolor, and there’s a reason for that: DIRT!
Metal gutters, eavestroughs, and downspouts carry a positive electrical charge. This causes negatively charged particles in the air, like dirt, carbon smog, and other airborne contaminants, to bond to your home. This process is called Electrostatic Bonding.
Once the electrostatic bond has taken hold, it’s virtually impossible to clean your gutters and eaves with water, or any of the many typical household cleaning solutions. You need a specific chemical reaction designed to break this electrostatic bond and release the dirt, grime, and carbon from your home.
If left untreated, this electrostatic bond quickly becomes permanent, impossible to truly clean, and most folks will just end up painting or replacing their eaves, gutters, and downspouts eventually.
Beyond nice appearances, did you realize that house washing is also protecting your family in other ways?
Disease-Carrying
Vermin
The eaves, soffits, and the many cracks, crevices, and tiny overhangs on the exterior of your home are perfect little hiding places for insects, spiders, mosquitos, beetles, bees, centipedes, stink bugs and all kinds of other creepy-crawlers. Once these tiny vermin set up shop, they mate, multiply, colonize build nests, and expand. Eventually, when the weather turns cold, they begin to seek shelter indoors, and they WILL find a way into your home.
Before you know it, your entire home is infested with these unwanted guests!
And it all started outdoors, on the exterior of your home in those tiny shaded areas that are untouched by rainwater.
Dirt – Moss – Mold – Mildew – Fungus – Stains
The same shaded and shielded areas that attract insects and vermin are also the perfect places for mold and mildew to grow.
Dust, dirt, leaves, pollen, insect droppings, carcasses and other organic debris collect in the cracks and crevices of your siding, eaves, and downspouts. This collection of organic material creates fertile ground for roots, shoots and other larger more invasive materials to take hold.
Before you know it, you have tiny eco-systems growing in, on and around your house.
If you or members of your family suffer from seasonal allergies, all this organic material growing on the surface of your home is wreaking havoc on your sinuses every year! All those mold and mildew spores are migrating into your home, contaminating the air you breathe and creating an unhealthy environment for your family.
A Clean Home is a Safe, and Healthy Home! Inside and Out!
How to Do It Yourself
- Always make sure your landscaping is well rinsed throughout the house washing process. Chemical solutions that work well for cleaning, may not be healthy for your plants and landscaping.
- Be sure to use soaps that are environmentally safe and ecologically responsible.
Some chemicals may linger long after the wash process is complete, serving as potential hazards to your grass, shrubs, flowers, and pets.
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Treat your pressure washing wand like it were a loaded weapon.
Always avoid pointing your pressure washing nozzle in the direction of people, pets, sensitive plants and fragile items.
- Always keep the pressure washing nozzle in motion, spraying at a steady speed and using long, even strokes.
- Never aim the pressure stream on one spot for too long, especially when using narrow, high-pressure spray nozzles.
- Always apply your cleaning solutions from the bottom of your cleaning area and work upwards.
- Never allow soap or cleaning solutions to dry on your home’s exterior surfaces.
Some cleaning solutions will stain or damage your home if left on too long.
- When rinsing, always begin at the top and work downward.
Gravity will help the clean water flush away dirt, debris, and detergent residue.
- If your home is considerably stained or dirty, use brush attachments or turbo nozzles to help remove stubborn dirt, grime, and stains.
- If you have a two-story home, consider investing in accessories such as spray tips and extensions that are designed to help you clean second stories.
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ALWAYS follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for using power equipment, ladders, soaps and cleaning solutions.
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Safety First!
Power washing the exterior of your home annually is a wise investment in your family’s health and financial well-being.
For professional results, give us a call! ~ 800-451-8684
We’ve been pressure washing houses for over 30 years!
You Have Image, We Keep It Clean!
Call us today!