Regular exterior house washing is necessary to maintain the curb appeal of your property and preserve its original appearance. But while doing this, several homemakers often commit silly mistakes that can result in significant damage to their exterior surface.
To make sure you don’t commit these mistakes, we have mentioned some of the most common mistakes that you need to avoid when doing exterior cleaning. These will help you ensure deep cleaning without any damage.
6 Exterior Cleaning Mistakes That You Must Avoid
1. Cleaning On A Windy Day
Most homemakers don’t take notice of this point, but cleaning the exterior of your home on a windy day is of no use. The most common reason is that wind can blow dirt and debris back onto your home surface, no matter how thoroughly you clean it. It can also dry the applied solutions even before you get to clean them, leaving residue and increasing your cleaning efforts.
2. Forgetting To Dust First
When dust remains uncleaned, the high pressure of a pressure washer can drive the dirt and debris further deep into the cracks and gaps of the exterior surfaces. Moreover, it can also become mixed with the cleaning solutions and may leave streaks and residue behind.
That is why it is essential to clear the dust from the surface before applying a suitable solution. So, before you grab up your pressure washer and some cleaning solutions, make sure you clean up the dust.
3. Skipping Safety Measures
Compared to interior cleaning work, exterior house washing is not an easy task. The water pressure can be sharp and cut through the skin while the strong cleaning chemicals can pose irritation on contact.
Before beginning, make sure you wear safety glasses and gloves to protect yourself from that. Also, when using a ladder, do confirm whether it is secured or not and that you have a spotter to help you.
4. Not Testing The Solutions
Not all exterior surfaces are the same. Different cleaning solutions have different effects on different surfaces. For example, a solution that is safe while pressure washing bricks may not be safe to use on wood.
For this reason, it is essential to choose the right cleaning solution for your exterior surface and test it on an inconspicuous area first, such as a corner or a siding to know its effectiveness.
5. Applying Too Much Pressure
There is a common misconception among several homeowners that applying too much pressure while cleaning the exterior of their home is an effective way to remove deep-embedded dirt and grime from their surfaces. Well, this point can be understood. But too much pressure can form cracks and penetrate water into the crevices.
As a result, this can lead to leaks. In addition to this, high-pressure can strip paint and other coatings from the surfaces and may splinter wood siding and other delicate surfaces. To avoid this, you can start with a low-pressure setting and gradually increase it where it is needed.
Read also- Experts tips: The dos and don’ts of pressure washing.
6. Forgetting To Use A Squeegee
Many homemakers often forget to use squeegee while cleaning the exterior of their home, especially windows. Instead, they use some abrasive tools and end up creating scratch marks on the wall.
A squeegee is the best tool to remove water from windows and other surfaces. Most importantly, it doesn’t leave streaks or water spots because the squeegee blade evenly distributes the water across the surface and removes it quickly and efficiently.
Cleaning the exterior of your home between regular intervals is essential. It helps you maintain the original appearance of your home and increase its value. By avoiding these common mistakes, as mentioned in this blog, you can clean the exterior of your home most effectively without any concerns.
