House Washing Basics

The second factor why house washing services are required is because of the combination of sunlight and moisture. Those areas of the house that don’t get much sunlight tend to retain moisture. That creates an environment welcoming to algae.

Algae, Mold, and Mildew

Algae is the number one violator when it comes to the greenish growth in the home. Algae should be removed at least annually to prevent long-term unremovable staining. Mold, mildew, and lichens can also begin to grow on siding too, likely causing a darker or blackish look. It’s advisable to get house washing services because these are destructive because they can break down and eat away the surfaces and paint, and greatly reduce the life of the siding.

Your House Is Covered in Sugar

Yes, it’s true!  And algae and mildew love to eat sugar. Any trees around your home broadcast fine aerosols of sugar through the seasons. In the case of wood siding, sometimes wood sealers and stains are made of natural oils that attract mildew and algae. While the sealant is designed to prevent damage to wood, it can begin to break down over time from air, rain, and sunlight exposure and draw in the invaders. It’s recommended to talk to our house washing in MD experts.

Calcium and Rust

Calcium and rust can also build upon the exterior of the home, especially beneath the window, gutters, and along with chimneys where metal is in contact with the house. To avoid this from happening, get our house washing in MD because they cause unsightly orange and white stains. This does not come off easily. It takes vigorous manual scrubbing along with appropriate chemicals to break down these stains.

House Washing for Cleaning and Preservation

House washing preserves both the look and curb appeal of the home while also extending the life span of the paint and exterior. It’s a small cost to get our service of house washing in MD compared to the price associated with replacing siding or re-painting the whole home. 

We recommend doing house washing at least annually, which will extend the life of the siding by years.

Hiring a Professional House Washing Services vs. Doing it Yourself

House washing 101 reminder, it’s easy to pick up a $150 power washer from the store so you can do it yourself. But we recommend extreme caution. Many, many DIY-ers accidentally cause thousands of dollars in long-term damage to their home’s exterior this way. 

This equipment can be very powerful, and siding is more delicate than you think. They are designed to protect the home from rain – not from a concentrated jet stream. House washing 101 techniques are extremely important, as you could damage your property without implementing the proper techniques.

Directing a high-pressure stream of water directly at the siding can cause damage to it by allowing water to get underneath it. That results in water damage and mold growth beneath the siding. Pressure washers, when using too much power and force, can easily crack vinyl siding.

For wood siding, injecting water between cracks and crevices can cause water damage, discolor, and erode the wood. Improper mixes of chemicals can stain, discolor, and break down sealant from these surfaces. 

For these reasons, we recommend calling a professional power washing company that’s competent with house washing 101 if you are considering washing any wood or vinyl siding.

What Does Professional House Washing Include?

Our house washing and exterior cleaning services help your home stay clean through every season of the year. Our service of house washing in MD includes:

• Clean porches, rails, and patios that welcome outdoor living and dining
• Spotless, brightened exterior walls and siding free of dingy algae, mildew, mold, and dirt
• Clean soffits, fascia, trim, and gutters to compliment the home

We make house washing easy for you! We take the responsibility of moving any necessary furniture, planters, and decorations out of the way ourselves.

Our House Washing Process

Our house-washing process is unique to our industry. It beats the competition in being the most thorough, careful, and comprehensive house washing routine. 

We want our customers to have the best experience possible and make sure we follow house washing 101! We take full responsibility for all the tasks in site preparation and follow-up inspection to ensure their complete satisfaction.

1. House Washing Pre-Inspection.Each surface of your home warrants a different chemical, pressure level, nozzle, and technique to ensure the most thorough cleaning without causing any damage to the surface. As part of our house washing 101, we review the home before starting any work to make sure we have the appropriate tools ready to clean the home properly and efficiently.
2. Prepare the Work Area.We remove any moveable furniture, planters, and decorations necessary to complete our house washing service. Our customers love this, especially if they don’t plan to be home that day. They don’t have to worry about doing this chore themselves.
3. Mix Cleaning Solutions.Once we know the volume and type of solutions we need to clean your home, we begin to mix the solution. Algae, mold, and mildew respond well to antibacterial solutions. The cleaning agents are combined just before work to ensure they are the most effective and powerful mix.
4. Protect Vegetation. We rinse any planted vegetation adjacent to the work side of the house to ensure no over-spray will stick to the plants.
5. Apply Cleaning Solution.We work on one side of the house at a time.  First, we cover the surfaces with cleaning solutions. We apply it with high powered equipment that has extensive reach but will not concentrate the spray to damage siding or remove paint. Since the north facing side of the home gets the least amount of sunlight, it tends to cultivate the most algae. We typically apply two coats to the north side of the home.
6. Large Debris Removal. While the cleaning solution is working, we will remove any debris from that side of the house. That would include any bee/wasp nests and bird nests.
7. Cleaning Solution Rinsed.The solution has now had time to work and has begun killing the mold, mildew, and algae on the surfaces. Now it’s ready to be rinsed off. We use the appropriate strength and concentration to thoroughly rinse off any stuck-on material from the exterior of the home.
8. Permanent Vegetation Rinsed.We rinse off any vegetation planted along that side of the home to ensure that none of the overspray could harm the plants.

Steps 4 through 8 are repeated on each remaining side of the house. House washing in MD follow up with a thorough inspection afterward to make sure we cleaned everything thoroughly for complete customer satisfaction.

We’re not like the other pressure washing companies – we focus on delivering an amazing customer experience coupled with great results!

Want to learn more about Pristine Inc’s service of house washing in MD or request a free quote? Please contact us below!