Keep your home clean and pristine (even on the outside)
A lick of paint isn’t always the answer.
Despite what most home improvement blogs and magazines tell you, a “fresh coat of paint” isn’t the only way to get your house looking better.
Thanks to “cleantok” and other viral cleaning trends, we have all now got a basic grasp on how to keep our homes clean indoors. But what about our exterior surfaces. Yes, you could re-paint your home to cover those mud splashes, bird-messes and moss growth, but there is a cheaper and quicker way to do this.
The Good Ole Broom and Bucket Way.
This is a labour intensive but extremely easy way to lean your exterior walls and surfaces. Get a good quality soap, a couple of buckets of warm water, a hosepipe and a hard bristled broom.
Wet down your walls, garage doors or driveway, and then simply get scrubbing. This is a water UN-wise way of cleaning your space, but in a pinch, and hoping that Rand Water has sorted out their maintenance, it will give you a clean house. For tougher spots you might have to get busy with a handheld scrub brush and an even stronger soap or cleaning spray, so wear gloves to protect your skin. Seeing as this process takes so much water, it’s best not to do it weekly.
Bow To The Pressure!
If you have exposed brick or stone walls, you can also look at pressure washing these surfaces. You can rent water and soap-pressure washers, and these are great for getting years of dust, mud and grime out from between your bricks and stone. It is best to do a patch test and read the instructions carefully so that you don’t damage your surfaces. Pressure washers are also great for cleaning patios, paving and gutters.
Unless you are trained to do it or have successfully done it before without damaging the paintwork, don’t pressure wash plain painted walls. Even the smallest irregularity in the paint can give the water jet a gap to start splintering off your paint.
Pressure washers are great for removing moss growth and weeds from pavements ant getting rid of the sticky “footprints” left over where you might have removed ivy, or other creeping plants form an exterior surface.
Get A Guy.
There are many companies that offer professional cleaning services for exterior spaces. If your exterior is particularly large, or if there are places you can’t reach safely on your own, look into getting a guy to help you. They have the know-how, tools and safety gear to get the job done properly.
Your outside walls might be the last thing you are thinking about, but we promise you, with a bit of work you can completely refresh your house, without having to deal with drop sheets, turpentine and paint splatters.
