What to clean and when: a Pacific Northwest home maintenance calendar

Fall: get ahead of the rain

Fall is the most important season for your exterior, because everything you do now pays off through the wet months. The work splits into two jobs: keep water moving, and take away everything growth needs before the rains feed it.

• Clean the gutters and downspouts after the leaves drop, so winter rain has somewhere to go
• Blow the roof clear of needles and debris. Valleys that stay buried stay damp, and damp is where moss starts
• Wash the roof if moss or algae is getting established, before a wet winter feeds it
• Take the screens off before the first hard rains so they don't streak the glass, and get an exterior window clean in. It strips the summer's mineral and dust film off the glass before sideways rain can bond it there
• Wash the decks and walkways now, so the algae that makes them slick never gets ahead of the wet season
• Jet the downspout drain lines if they backed up at all last winter, before the ground is saturated

Winter: watch and protect

Winter is mostly about keeping water moving and catching problems early.

• Make sure downspouts drain away from the foundation, not into a pool against it
• Keep an eye on the shaded north slopes, where moss and algae grow fastest
• Clear any clogs that show up during the heavy storms

One diagnostic worth knowing: if a downspout overflows while the gutters above it are clean, the clog is in the buried line, not the gutter. That is a drain jetting visit, not another gutter cleaning.

Spring: reset for the year

Spring is when winter's buildup shows, and the right order matters: wash first, coat second.

• Soft wash the siding to clear the green film and grime that built up over winter
• Pressure wash the driveway, patio, and walkways. Once a year keeps growth from rooting into the surface
• Clean the windows inside and out while the pollen is still light. This is the visit that changes how the whole house feels
• Wash decks and fences before you stain or seal them. Stain over dirty wood does not adhere and fails early, so it is clean first, coat second, every time
• Give pavers their first wash of the year, even if they look fine. The point is killing growth in the joints before it displaces the sand

Summer: the easy season

Summer is the slow season for growth, which makes it the easiest time to keep things sharp.

• Clean the solar panels in late June or early July. Pollen finishes falling by mid-June, so a clean then keeps the panels at full output through the highest-production months of the year
• A second light window cleaning if you spend time outside
• A good time to book bigger projects while the weather cooperates

The clock each service runs on

The seasons tell you when. These are the intervals for a typical Pacific Northwest lot, and shade is the great accelerator: a heavily treed or north-facing property runs the short end of almost every range.

• House washing: every 1 to 3 years by siding type. Vinyl and metal run 1 to 2 years, painted wood and HardiePlank 2 to 3, and cedar shake every year, with a re-stain every 3 regardless
• Window cleaning: twice a year. Spring inside and out for the light, fall exterior at minimum for protection going into the wet season
• Roof washing: every 2 to 3 years for shingle, tile, and cedar shake, the roofs that carry our 3-year moss-free warranty, kept active by 1 to 2 gutter cleanings a year from our crew. Metal and membrane roofs run every 2 years, or every 1 to 2 in heavy shade
• Gutters: 1 to 2 times a year for most homes, and 3 to 4 under dense canopy. Even a treeless lot needs an annual visit, because UV sheds shingle granules that compact into clogs all by themselves
• Driveways, patios, and walkways: annually. A chlorine post-treatment slows regrowth enough to stretch the interval up to twice as long
• Pavers: 1 to 2 times a year, on a schedule, even when they look clean. The wash is preventative. Growth in the joints displaces the sand and shifts the pavers before you see anything from the surface
• Decks: every year, every material, composite included. Slippery algae is the driver, and stained wood needs the clean before every re-coat anyway
• Fences: every 2 years. Vertical surfaces shed water and grow slower. Shaded fence lines under mature trees run annually
• Dryer vent: every year, and sooner if clothes are drying slower, the dryer is running hot, or lint is showing at the outside vent
• Solar panels: every year, in that late June to early July window
• Drain jetting: every year for unprotected downspouts, every 2 years once Gutter Sticks are protecting the lines

However you handle it, getting on a rhythm is what keeps a home looking good and protects what it is worth. We are happy to help you build a schedule that fits your place.