Summary:
Why Franklin County Homes Need Professional House Washing
Ohio’s high humidity creates the perfect environment for mold, fungus, and algae growth, with Columbus’s hot, humid summers making these problems even worse. With this type of weather, algae, mildew, and mold grow at rapid speeds on just about every surface outside your property including siding, driveways, walkways, and porches.
In northeast Ohio, it’s common to see unsightly green or black mold and mildew growing on house siding, with darker organic material on soffits and gutters while ugly green appears on north-facing sides. This isn’t just a cosmetic issue. Mold and mildew can cause damage to your siding, roof, and outdoor surfaces.
The Hidden Dangers of Neglecting Your Home's Exterior
What starts as minor discoloration quickly becomes a serious problem. Mold can expand below house siding panels, leading to early replacement if left untreated, and can enter the underlying plywood, becoming a severe health risk. The mold can weaken your home’s structure as it feeds on organic materials like wood used in your siding construction, leading to costly repairs if the issue isn’t resolved quickly.
This organic growth forms over time in areas with little to no sunlight and higher moisture content, and it’s important to have your house washed as this material can degrade your siding, lower curb appeal, and spread quickly to other areas. The financial impact goes beyond just cleaning costs. Don’t delay this task too long, otherwise the dirt buildup could actually cause damage to your siding.
Mold can cause a number of health issues, with continuous exposure being particularly harmful to the respiratory system. For families with allergies or asthma, people who have a mold allergy or asthma may have stronger reactions to mold, with coughing or worsening asthma symptoms resulting from breathing in mold spores.
The good news? Professional house washing addresses all these issues before they become expensive problems.
How Often Franklin County Homes Should Be Washed
Vinyl siding manufacturers recommend power washing your house at least once per year, and most homeowners can power wash their houses once per year. However, Franklin County’s specific conditions often require more attention.
Local experts recommend not going more than 2 years without washing your house, with homes having lots of tree cover, sitting near lakes, or having fencing and other objects that block sunlight needing washing every year as mold is more likely to return faster.
For most Ohioans, spring and fall offer the best conditions for pressure washing, with moderate temperatures being ideal for effective cleaning. Living near nature presents unique challenges for homeowners trying to maintain their exterior, with nearby trees shedding leaves and pollen that stick to surfaces and create unsightly stains, while high winds blow debris into hard-to-reach areas.
If you’re in a rural area or on busy roads, you might need more frequent cleaning. Areas located on dirt roads may need more frequent pressure washing, as do areas with high traffic volume, and areas that receive a lot of rain can expect to see more residual dirt after storms.
Professional Soft Washing vs DIY Pressure Washing
Here’s where most homeowners make a crucial mistake. When homeowners search for “pressure or power washing,” what they’re really looking for is actually “soft wash” services, because if you want your home’s roof and siding cleaned, the process is actually soft washing, not pressure washing.
The difference isn’t just technical jargon. It’s about protecting your investment while getting superior results.
Why Soft Washing Beats High-Pressure Methods
Soft washing uses low pressure combined with specialized cleaning solutions to gently remove dirt, grime, and mildew from siding surfaces, making it safe for all types of siding including vinyl, wood, and stucco, while eliminating the risk of damage that high-pressure washing can cause.
Pressure washing can be too aggressive for siding, leading to issues like stripped paint, dented surfaces, or water seeping behind the siding panels, potentially causing moisture problems and streaks or patches of discoloration on painted surfaces.
The cleaning power comes from the solutions, not brute force. The cleaning solutions used in soft washing are designed to kill mold, mildew, and algae at the source, preventing regrowth and keeping your siding looking clean for longer periods. This process does an especially impressive job of killing bacteria, fungus, algae, mold, and mildew that love to attack your vinyl and wooden siding.
Soft washing provides the ultimate safest clean, aimed to ease your mind, taking care of your home like it’s our own, never leaning ladders against gutters to prevent damage, avoiding broken window seals or screen damage from high pressure, and taking extra precautions to protect landscaping.
The Risks of DIY House Washing
House washing might sound simple, but DIY also stands for “Don’t Injure Yourself,” and hiring an amateur instead of a professional can lead to costly mistakes and possible damage to your Columbus property, with DIY results almost certainly being well below expectations without proper tools, training and technique, and inexperienced pressure washers simply not having the experience to recognize potential damage they can cause.
Simply renting a pressure washer and going to town on your house is not always a good idea, as incorrect pressure washing can actually damage surfaces. Be careful when you tackle pressure washing yourself – a single mishap could lead to more than just a clean house, with risks of injuries like cuts and bruises or worse, plus your home’s exterior is vulnerable to damage from incorrect pressure washing that can damage siding, windows, and roof, potentially resulting in costly repairs.
Professional services eliminate these risks entirely. Professionals use cutting-edge techniques that allow cleaning of residential properties up to three stories tall, with state-of-the-art equipment combined with eco-friendly products specially formulated to get the job done with industry national standards.
The investment in professional service pays for itself when you consider potential repair costs from DIY mistakes. If you don’t already have equipment, DIY costs could add up to $140 to $1,450 or more, and if you make a mistake, you could spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on siding repairs, but a pro will know how to get your home looking fresh and clean without causing damage.
Maximizing Your Investment with Professional House Washing
House washing is one of the quickest and easiest ways to increase the curb appeal and boost the property value of your Ohio home. You can save money and increase your curb appeal by washing the exterior of your home. Power washing your siding will actually extend the life of it so it won’t need repairs and you won’t need to replace it as often, making your home look as good as new when it’s tidy and clean on the exterior.
When you’re ready to protect your Franklin County home with professional house washing, choose a company that understands local conditions and uses the right techniques for Ohio’s challenging climate. We at Shingle Restoration Services combine expertise in both roof and exterior cleaning, ensuring your entire property gets the comprehensive care it deserves.
