The winter weather is quickly retreating, but there’s plenty of its mess left indoors and out in most homes. Throwing open the windows and doors to get down to a bit of deep cleaning is the norm this time of year, but there’s no reason your outdoor spaces can’t shine as brightly as those indoors.
Tick a handful of exterior seasonal cleaning tasks off your to-do list, and you’ll have your curb appeal soaring in no time. Here are the items Carolina Power Washing recommends for the biggest impact and best return on your cleaning investment.
Carolina Power Washing Checklist
- Get those Windows – If you’ve been scrubbing away at the inside windows but still aren’t getting the bright springtime sun effect you’re looking for, the outdoor panes could be to blame. Over time, especially over the dormant winter season, residues, debris, and the leftover signs of organic activity can leave your windows dull and grimy. No amount of indoor scrubbing will address the issue, and you may be amazed at the impact outdoor window cleaning can have.
- Check Your Deck – The first thing you’ll want to do when the weather allows is go back to enjoying your outdoor living spaces. This is a great time to give your decks, porches, and patios a good once-over, especially if they’re showing signs of microbial growth and discoloration. Stains can have a major impact on your decks and patios’ overall look and feel, and they’re not always easy to remove on your own.
- Watch the Walls – Exterior walls can be a dead giveaway your home had a rough winter. Stains and splash marks across the foundation and footings, brick discoloration and unsightly stains on vinyl siding can all bring your curb appeal crashing to the ground. The same can be said for the powdery film of oxidation that forms when vinyl siding is exposed to UV rays, but it’s vital you never reach for the pressure washer to remove this residue. Disturbing the oxidation layer with high-pressure cleaning methods does not remove the oxidation stains; it makes them much more prominent and unpleasant-looking. These marks can be all but impossible to remove, so Carolina Power Washing soft washing methods are always suggested for cleaning exterior walls.
- Get Your Mind in the Gutter – Unless they’re actively sagging under the weight of forgotten debris, there’s a chance you don’t think about your gutters very much. However, there are several reasons why your mind should be on your gutters, not least of which is their vital role in protecting your home from water damage. By diverting moisture away from the foundation of your home, erosion and other foundation-damaging issues are kept at bay. By sweeping water away from the roofline and fascia, gutters prevent roof damage, water incursion and leaks. Unfortunately, water isn’t all that falls into your gutters. Leaves, sticks, assorted organic items falling from trees and even the occasional rodent’s nest can gum up the works, leaving water pooling in your gutters. Not only does this increase the risk of water damage to your home, but it also provides the absolute perfect breeding ground for mosquitos. Keeping gutters and downspouts clear is an outdoor spring-cleaning must.
- Walkways and Shutters and Trim, Oh My – Sparkling exterior walls, gleaming patios and pristine gutters can have a big impact, but that impact can be dulled if you overlook the small stuff. Driveways and walkways are magnets for difficult-to-remove stains. Shutters can become caked with dirt, debris, and the general muck of the outdoors, blocking the shine of your glittering windows, indoors and out. Decorative trim gives your home the perfect finishing aesthetic touches, but it can quickly look old, unkempt, and neglected when it’s not cleaned regularly. This is another area a pressure washer can really demolish, along with the mortar between bricks, the seams in concrete driveways and walkways, the paint on your porch and the gutters on your roofline. Using the Carolina Power Washing soft washing methods is a safer way to clean your home’s aesthetic areas without damaging them.
Taking the pressure washer out of the equation, thanks to its ability to destroy or at least severely damage just about anything on your property, means outdoor cleaning can be a big job. It’s not spring cleaning if it takes three months of weekends to whip your property into shape, nor is it fun. Carolina Power Washing is the local expert in outdoor cleaning. From finding the perfect cleanser to remove a particularly stubborn concrete stain to carefully washing the streaks of mold and mildew off your roof without disturbing a shingle, they bring years of collective experience and expert knowledge to the proverbial table. Ready to take control over your curb appeal? Carolina Power Washing can help.
