As a homeowner, you never want to put off regular exterior house cleaning services, and especially professional window washing and roof cleaning! You also don’t want to try to tackle this work on your own.
Power washing a home’s exterior walls, chimney stack, foundation, windows, and roof, as well as your property’s driveway and walkways, will improve the appearance of these surfaces and keep your house in good repair. Your home will be protected from moisture damage and even pest infestation.
Note, however, that exterior house cleaning is not a do-it-yourself job, and many homeowners have regretted renting a power washer and tackling their home’s exterior on their own. Consider a few reasons why exterior cleaning services should be scheduled regularly, and why it’s recommended that you leave this work to the pros.
Benefits of Regular Exterior House Cleaning Services
Your home’s roof may be one of the last areas of your property you consider cleaning on a regular basis, 
but note a few reasons why it’s good to have a roof power washed at least every year:
- Cleaning away soot and other debris from the roof can expose areas of worn or broken shingles or soft spots that might need structural repair. Worn or damaged flashing can also be noted and repaired, to protect the home from water leaks.
- Twigs, seeds, and other smaller debris often get lodged under the edge of shingles, causing those tiles to become loose and then get blown away in a storm. Dislodged tiles can also allow water to seep through the roofing paper, leading to water leaks inside the home.
- Algae can grow and spread underneath roofing tiles, also causing them to become dislodged.
- Bird droppings and residue from acid rain are both very caustic. If left unwashed, this debris can cause roofing shingles and tiles to get brittle and then crack or split.
Regular roof cleaning is also vital in Michigan and other areas that are prone to heavy snowfall. Snow can hold pollution, acid rain residue, and other contaminants against a roof all winter long! Professional roof cleaning every spring will wash away all that debris, so your home’s roof is then protected from damage.
Window Washing Protects Exterior Glass
Having your home’s exterior windows washed will help improve the view out those windows while also making the interior of your home lighter and brighter. Added sunlight can make your house warmer in winter and feed your indoor houseplants, making them healthy and vibrant!
Professional window washing also helps protect window glass, keeping it strong. Acid rain residue, pollution, dust, dirt, and other debris weaken window glass so that it becomes soft or more brittle over the years. In turn, exterior glass can be more prone to cracks and chips that let in air from the outside and will be more likely to rattle in high winds.
Benefits of Cleaning Brick and Concrete
A brick exterior and brick chimney stack, as well as the areas of exposed concrete that make up your home’s foundation, may seem very strong and sturdy. However, these materials get soft as they’re exposed to algae, mildew, mud, and other sources of moisture. Snow-clearing salt is also very corrosive to these surfaces and can cause them to chip, crack, or spall.
Regular exterior house cleaning services of a brick home exterior and the brick chimney stack of your home, as well as exposed areas of concrete, will remove all that dirt and debris. These surfaces and materials will then be less likely to crack, so your home will be protected from interior water leaks. The home’s chimney stack will also be stable and secure, with less risk of crumbling.
Michigan Driveways Need Power Washing!
The salt and other chemicals you use during the winter to clear your home’s driveway and walkways aren’t always brushed away with that melting snow. Those chemicals often remain on the surface of your property’s concrete and asphalt, and then cause cracking, peeling, pitting, and other such damage. Motor oil is also harmful and corrosive, especially to asphalt.
Regular exterior cleaning services of your home’s driveway, walkways, patio stones and pavers, and other surfaces will thoroughly wash away those harmful chemicals, as well as any residue carried in by the snow during winter. You might find that you need to patch your property’s concrete or asphalt far less often when you have these surfaces power washed at least once per year.
Why Wash a Home’s Exterior?
Power washing a home’s exterior will immediately improve its overall appearance and curb appeal. The color of your home’s brick or siding will seem fresher and truer, and even brighter! Note a few other reasons a homeowner should consider regular exterior house cleaning services, no matter its materials, age, or condition:
- Washing aluminum or vinyl siding can reveal cracks and areas of corrosion or other damage that may be letting in moisture while also letting out your home’s heating and air conditioning! Patching up those damaged areas can potentially lower your home’s utility bills and also reduce the risk of interior water leaks and resultant mold growth.
- The moisture held by dirt, mud, and other such debris can soften a home’s brick exterior or chimney stack, and also make its way into cracks and chips in aluminum siding. Power washing a home’s exterior will remove that residue and allow the house to dry thoroughly, also protecting the interior from potential water leaks and mold growth.
- Power washing a home’s exterior removes termite tunnels, insect nests, and cobwebs. Eliminating these nests and means of infestation can reduce the risk of pests getting inside the house and causing structural damage, or simply being a nuisance to your family and pets!
- Power washing can also reveal cracks and chips in the lower part of the home that might be used as an entryway by mice and other rodents. Patching up these holes can also mean less risk of pest infestation.
When Should You Wash a Home’s Exterior?
It’s often recommended that you schedule exterior house cleaning services every spring, once there is no more risk of snowfall in your area. Springtime washing will clean away corrosive residue brought in by winter snow, as well as salt and other materials used to clear driveways.
For maximum protection of your house, it’s also good to schedule exterior house cleaning right before winter arrives. Fall cleaning will remove residue on the home brought in by summer showers, and will also clear away grass clippings and lawn care chemicals that may have splattered onto the house during summer yard care. As said, this cleaning also gives you a chance to patch up any visible holes along the home’s exterior, keeping your home’s interior toasty warm during wintertime!
Damage Caused by DIY Power Washing
Note some damage that many homeowners cause when they manage power washing on their own, along with some common mistakes they often make during this work, and why it’s good to leave this work to professional local house cleaning services:
- Improper roof washing can loosen shingles and lightweight flashing. Spraying a roof when the home’s gutters are clogged can also splatter dirt and mud from those gutters onto the home’s exterior walls!
- Power washing a home’s windows with too much pressure can shatter the glass, and it’s also not unusual for homeowners to tear through screens or cause paint on sills to chip and peel. Window and patio door screens are especially fragile along their edges, and not much pressure is needed to cause them to rip.
- Using high pressure around the connectors holding gutters and downspouts in place can cause these pieces to come out of place, so that water then splashes over the backs of those gutters and pools around the home’s foundation.
- When power washing driveways and walkways, the residue should be rinsed to the street. Washing these surfaces toward the lawn will just spread all those chemicals and other debris over the grass, potentially damaging its growth and causing patchy brown spots.
- A homeowner inexperienced with the use of a power washer can easily dislodge lightweight patio pavers and river rocks, as well as old shutters and other such features on a home’s exterior. It’s also easy to chip or peel paint off a home’s exterior or exterior features when using a power washer!
A professional power washing company will also know the right detergents or solvents to use for different surfaces of a property if they need to use detergents at all! The wrong cleanser, or using a solvent on a surface that only requires a good rinse, can cause materials to become dry or even discolored so that those surfaces look worse after they’ve been washed.
An experienced technician can also ensure that your home’s lawn doesn’t become a muddy mess during exterior house cleaning services, and will ensure all cleansers are rinsed away from the property and into the street. Professionals will also avoid damaging your home’s shrubbery, flowerbeds, and other landscaping features while performing their work, so your property is clean, looks its best, and is in good repair!