This is how often you should have the exterior of your house cleaned to maintain your property value and avoid costly siding repairs

Do you ever think about how often you should have the exterior of your house cleaned? It's an essential outdoor maintenance task that can go neglected, but should be completed once or twice a year, and more frequently if you're in certain areas.

While it's easy to let slip off your radar, professional cleaners urge that cleaning the outside of your home frequently enough is important for maintaining the integrity of the materials and avoiding costly repairs.

Here, they share their cleaning tips on just how often you should be ticking off this task, and why.

How often should you have the exterior of your house cleaned?

For this essential outdoor cleaning task, Carolina Kazimierski, president and co-owner of Sophia's Cleaning Service, advises, 'I would recommend once or twice a year when it comes to exterior house cleaning. This isn't something that needs to be done often, just because your home's exterior is built to be durable, and also because this can be quite the chore!'

But, as Karina Toner, cleaning expert and operations manager at Spekless, explains, if your home is situated in an area with particularly heavy pollen, pollution, sea air, or trees nearby, consider cleaning the exterior of your house more regularly, approximately every six to nine months.

'Exterior cleaning removes dirt, mildew, algae, and pollutants that can degrade siding and paint, leading to costly repairs,' she explains. 'It also upgrades curb appeal in a weekend, and maintains property value.'

Why it’s best to leave it to the professionals

While there are plenty of outdoor cleaning tasks and overlooked outdoor cleaning jobs you can tackle yourself, this one is best handled by a professional, say our cleaning experts.

'Professionals know how to safely and effectively pressure wash or soft wash your home without damaging paint, siding, or landscaping,' explains Karina. 'They also use commercial-grade equipment and eco-friendly solutions that work better and faster than store-bought options – saving you time, effort, and potential repair costs.'

This might seem counterintuitive if you're looking to save money at home, but it's important to remember that cleaning siding on a house without damaging it and power washing a house can be difficult to do yourself, both of which are crucial when undertaking any exterior house cleaning.

What to shop

Most pros will come armed with everything they need for exterior house cleaning, but these items are sure to come in handy for your other outdoor cleaning tasks, too, from cleaning your front door to cleaning the driveway.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

FAQs

What is the average price for pressure washing a house?

In general, the average price for exterior house cleaning with a pressure washer is around $310, with most homeowners paying between $212 and $447 according to data collected by Angi.

To avoid hidden costs, have a pro come round to consider the project type and surface area, for a complete and accurate estimate.

Meet our experts

Karina Toner

With numerous contributions in Homes & Gardens, Real Homes, The Spruce, and many more, Karina has extensive knowledge of both indoor and outdoor cleaning, and which tasks are best left to the pros.

Carolina Kazimierski

Since being founded in 1984, Sophia's Cleaning Service has become a trusted, local and family-owned cleaning company when it comes to tackling both indoor and outdoor cleaning.

Looking for more ways beyond exterior house cleaning to increase your curb appeal? Why not try these small upgrades that can boost home value, from installing double glazing to converting a pre-existing space.