How often do you deep clean the insides of your home? Most people aim to do it at least every three months to keep on top of dirt and dust.

On the other hand, how many times after you’ve spruced up the kitchen and the bathroom do you go out the back door and clean the exterior of your house?

We’re talking the back doors, the fences, the children’s swing, the exterior shutters, your house walls and everything else. Chances are you’ve exhausted yourself by cleaning indoors and completely forgot about your exterior.

Unfortunately, this isn’t good enough. If you forget to clean the exterior of your house, germs that have grown there are going to find their way inside.

We’ve written this post to highlight how vitally important it is that you disinfect the outside of your home to protect those who live inside. In the wake of the continued COVID-19 outbreak, this is more important information than ever before.

Why Do I Need to Clean the Exterior of My House?

Many people assume that because it’s outdoors, the exterior of your house isn’t subject to as many germs or bacteria. A lot of people seem to think the rain simply washes these things away; this isn’t the case.

Even when doing a seemingly harmless spot of gardening, you are exposing yourself to harmful bacteria and fungi.

Take for example children’s play areas, which are outdoor public spaces. A study undertaken between 1999-2003 found that these were the most contaminated of any areas they studied including offices, gyms, and airports. They even found children’s play areas carry more bacteria than public restrooms.

We’re not saying that the exterior of your house is definitely carrying more germs than public restrooms, but what this study does show is that the perception of people not needing to clean exterior surfaces needs to change.

Should I Clean My Exterior More Due to COVID-19?

This is particularly important during the ongoing COVID-19 situation in America and worldwide. Current advice states that any surfaces that are regularly touched need to be disinfected daily. This is essential to prevent the spread of the virus.

You don’t need to clean the entire exterior of your house every day but think about certain high-risk locations. Your front door or letterbox could be touched by the postman several times a week. Your children could be playing on their backyard playground equipment four times a week.

These are all locations that must be disinfected properly and regularly on the off-chance that COVID-19 could be spread through the surface. As the BBC makes clear, we still don’t know just how much the disease does spread through surfaces.

This means it could be even worse than currently imagined, so disinfecting surfaces daily is a vital measure to protect yourself and your family. In many ways cleaning your exterior is even more important than your interior if you aren’t having guests around at the moment, as these are the places where more people will have potentially spread the disease.

When you do clean your exterior, you should make sure to wear latex gloves at a minimum and use reliable chemicals. 

Which Exterior Areas Do I Need to Clean?

You should treat cleaning the exterior of your house in the same way as you clean the interior of your house.

When you clean your house (we’re talking a thorough deep clean here), you don’t pick and choose which parts to target. This is because anything you miss is going to spread germs to other areas of your home. We’re not saying you need to uproot your fences the way you move the sofa to clean under it, but you can’t miss anything.

When cleaning the exterior, you need to properly wash your house walls with soapy water, as well as the walls of any sheds or fences you have. It’s usually best to pick a warm day for this unless you’re particularly fond of cleaning in the rain.

Contrary to the usual method, it’s best to clean your house exterior from bottom to top. This is because much of the dirt and soil that will dirty your house will have come from the foundations of the building. A pressure washer or hose can help you to reach the higher areas of the house; remember, you can’t miss anything.

If you don’t invest in a window cleaner, it might be worth doing so to avoid having to clean both the inside and outside of your windows yourself. If you do aim to do this yourself, it would be wise to first read our thorough post on how to clean your exterior windows.

This doesn’t just mean the back of your house either, the front and your driveway also needs a regular deep clean. This is arguably even more important, as guests and postmen, among others, will use the front exterior of your house compared with your back yard. They could be passing germs onto your driveway or your front door that could last for months if you don’t clean these areas properly.

Not to mention the fact that the front facade of your house is what all your neighbors see. You don’t want people to be driving down your street commenting on how dirty your house looks in comparison to everyone else’s. Cleaning your exterior is important aesthetically, but most important to protect the health of your family.

What Do I Do If I Need Further Help with Cleaning the Exterior of My House?

If you’re concerned that you can’t complete the thorough cleaning of your house exterior yourself, Outdoor Extreme Clean can help.

We are specialists in exterior cleaning as well as interior, including driveways, sidewalks, pool decks and more. 

The best thing to do if you are concerned or interested in our services is to contact us directly. Our website form allows you to give us all the information we need to help you with your cleaning, both interior, and exterior.