Your home's exterior paint is one of the most important factors for determining the overall appearance of your house. However, this is one part of the home that many people are poorly informed about, which can lead to them making mistakes that will shorten the lifespan of the paint. Fortunately, the following two tips can help new homeowners better understand what they will need to do to ensure that their home's exterior looks as good as possible. 

Pressure Wash It At Least Once Every Few Months

Most people understand the importance of routinely washing their cars, but they may overlook the benefits that regular cleanings can provide your home's exterior paint. Over time, dust and dirt will start to accumulate on it, which can severely dull the appearance of your home. Also, molds and mildews can start growing, which may permanently discolor your paint or cause it to develop cracks and chips. 

To minimize these risks, you should wash your home with a pressure washer at least once every few months to remove these substances before they are able to severely impact your home's paint. When doing this step, avoid using soaps or other cleaning agents because these can weaken the exterior coat of paint. The pressure from the powerful jet of water will likely be sufficient to remove most of these substances. 

Touch-Up Scratches And Chips Following Strong Storms

In addition to regular cleanings, you should also make it a point to inspect your home following every strong storm. The winds from these storms can cause flying debris to damage your home's paint. Also, large hailstones can chip your home's paint. These chips will gradually spread because water will enter through the chip and loosen the surrounding paint.

Avoiding these issues will require you to inspect your home's exterior after every strong storm. If you find an area that has been scratched or damaged in any way, you will need to repair it using a touch-up kit. These kits contain a variety of paint colors that can be mixed to match your home, and if you repair the damage when it is still fresh, you will likely be able to avoid having the damage spread. 

Maintaining a home's exterior paint coat can be a somewhat confusing task for homeowners that are inexperienced with this chore. By understanding the importance of keeping the house's exterior clean and repairing any minor scratches or chips when they first occur, you should be better able to ensure your home always looks its best. 

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