Think about it. No, I mean really think about it. The exterior of your home never gets a bath. Your boat, cars and motorcycles routinely are given a bath to clean them and preserve their paint. In addition people that really want to preserve the paint of their car will have it waxed at least once a year. And to emphasize that point, where does your car live? For many of us, our car lives inside the garage where it’s nice, warm and safe from the elements. My car even has a security blanket.
I know your home will not fit in the garage. That’s the very reason you should give your home a bath every year or every two years at the very least. Think about all the pollution and contaminants that are in the air that affect the surface of your home on the outside. If you add mildew to the equation – well, I think you get the picture.
You will see amazing things happen when you start to really take care of the exterior of your home by giving it a bath. First, you will notice your exterior painting job lasts longer and your home will look clean!! It’s like changing the oil in your car; it’s just maintenance.
So the next question is how do I wash my home? I would encourage you to find someone in your area that specializes in the field of power washing homes. They are trained about the right detergents for removing mildew and other pollutants that are safe for the environment, your vegetation and your pets. Most importantly, they should have the know-how to safely reach high areas of your home.
Even if you are a do-it-yourselfer, I would not recommend climbing on a ladder to wash your home. This can be very dangerous. With that being said, if you have decided to wash your own home you’re going to need to get a small to medium sized power washer. It is very important to always use low-pressure. Obviously, use only detergents intended for the power washer that do not harm your vegetation. Work in small sections. Spray off the detergent and grime starting from the top and working downward. Unless you have a heavy case of mold or mildew, 95% of the time scrubbing your home is not necessary with an affective power washer. You should never use direct pressure on windows or doors. If you have a one-story there’s absolutely no reason that you can’t wash your home at least once a year yourself even if you just get out the garden hose and use mild detergent and give it a good going over. You can do that in less than 45 minutes – bottom line, it’s just that simple.
One other point, if you’re going to paint the outside your home yourself, it is critically important that you have it cleaned thoroughly to remove the dirt and, even more importantly, the mildew. Then let it dry for at least one to two days before you apply any primer or paint to the exterior.
In closing, our homes represent a sizable investment to say the least. It just makes good commonsense to do routine maintenance on the exterior of your home which includes washing it. It’s getting late and I need to go get in my scrumptious bubble bath.
Robert Whipple is a Southern Painting franchise owner.
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