The Do’s And Don’ts Of Home Exterior Cleaning

The idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a great sentiment, but as we all know, it’s often encouraged rather than adhered to. The fact of the matter is, emphasis on appearances is not going away, and your home’s exterior is one place where appearance should not be overlooked.

While there are all kinds of benefits to having an attractive-looking home exterior, including pride, self-satisfaction, and increased market value, it’s not as straight forward as, say, doing the dishes. There is ample room for error when doing this task, and equally, numerous cleaning techniques you might miss like getting the best garden trimmer to keep the lawn pruned. Here, we take a look at the do’s and don’ts of cleaning your home’s exterior.

Do’s of home exterior cleaning

According to a study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, people prefer to give good news before bad news. It’s called “priming emotion-protection” and is a way of easing people into learning negative information. In the interest of this, we will begin with the recommended methods for exterior home cleaning. (1)

• Do have a plan: Perhaps you’re a new homeowner or you don’t have experience cleaning your home’s exterior. If this is the case, it’s time to get experienced and even do a little bit of research to get you going. You will need to know what needs to be cleaned, how to properly clean it, and whether it’s a job that should be outsourced. If you find jobs that fit in the last category, there are the services offering pressure washing in Jacksonville FL who have all of your needs covered.
• Do be careful (especially with heights): Cleaning the exterior of your home is a job that may have you summitting some high and hard to reach locations of your house. Inevitably, this brings a ladder into the equation, although, as ladders are the second leading cause of workplace fatalities on US construction sites, extreme caution should be exercised. It’s a great idea to use a ladder stabilizer as most ladder accidents result from a ladder base slipping out. (2)

• Do Clean Your Driveway– Either clean it yourself using a pressure washer or let a professional company such as The Driveway Company complete your driveway cleaning in Lincoln, these types of companies have been doing this for a long time and have a plethora of tips and tricks to get the best out of your dirty drive, they also have insurances should something go wrong and also the best commercial pressure washers money can buy, these are a lot better than your average residential pressure washer.

• Do use a pressure washer (with caution): Pressure washers are an asset to the cleaning of your home’s exterior. This is the best way to clean your siding, but also the best way to damage your siding. Always start with your pressure setting on low, and ease your way into the right balance of pressure that will effectively clean, while preserving the structural integrity of your home’s walls.
• Do clean your gutters: Gutters are a critical feature of your home. They protect your home from damage to its foundations, protect your home’s siding, and preserve your landscaping. They can also be used to capture and reuse rain water for drinking or personal uses. (3)If they’re storing water, this is usually because they are full of leaves, sticks, and various other debris, which means they require cleaning. You can do this by following the previously mentioned safety tips when using a ladder to reach your gutters, and scoop out the gunk with a plastic scoop. Once clear, flush the gutters with your garden hose.

Don’ts of home exterior cleaning

Cleaning gutters filled with leaves and sticks.

For the safety of yourself and in the interests of maintaining the integrity of your home, follow these ideas when cleaning your home’s exterior.

• Don’t get on the roof: This is a non-negotiable, and for many reasons. Getting up on your roof is a great way to damage it, a problem that is very costly to fix. It’s also best to avoid the risk and life changing damage that would come from a fall.Further, don’t use a pressure washer on your roof. This will remove your shingles’ protective coating and diminish the lifespan of your roof. Use binoculars to inspect your roof from the ground, and hire a professional to clear away grime and dirt if it’s exceptionally bad.
• Don’t ignore the benefits of insurance: Ironically, cleaning things, a task many of us actively do to prolong something’s life, is one of the most common ways of causing damage. Even maintenance comes with risks, so it’s a good idea to keep an updated insurance policy.
• Don’t wash your windows first: If you wash your windows, and then continue on to the rest of your home, you are only going to spread that muck back over them. Once finished with the rest of your house, approach your windows with a solution of vinegar and then remove it with a cloth or newspaper. Additionally, use distilled water, as tap water is more likely to leave a streaky finish. (4)

In conclusion

Having a clean home exterior is something you can take pride in. It is also important to know how to do the job successfully. By planning ahead, taking care with your pressure washer (and heights), focusing on your gutters, keeping off the roof, and having insurance, you can maintain a clean exterior with minimal risk.