Why a Pressure Washing Company Beats Renting a Machine!

Hiring a pressure washing company might be a bit more expensive than renting a machine and tackling your home's exterior walls, deck, and driveway yourself, but there are many good reasons why the cost of a professional power washing contractor is well worth their expense!

Why hire a pressure washing company instead of renting? An experienced power washing contractor won't damage your home during the cleaning process, will know how to gently but effectively dissolve thick dirt and grime, and makes quick work of thoroughly cleaning your entire property.

Every homeowner and business owner should understand how to maintain their property's exterior, to ensure every surface is clean and pristine and protected from damaging dirt, mud, and other residues. Regular exterior property cleaning also protects the value of your home or commercial building and makes it look welcoming and inviting. To ensure you're making the right choices for maintaining your home or commercial building, note a few reasons why you want to hire a pressure washing company rather than renting a machine yourself.

What Professional Power Washing Contractors Know That You Don't

Pressure washing the exterior of a home or commercial building is not as straightforward as many property owners assume. Spraying exterior walls and a driveway with a rented pressure washer will remove some surface dirt and dust, but a thorough clean is much more complicated and requires more than just a quick spray! Note a few things that power washing contractors from pressure washing companies near St. Pete know that many property owners typically don't understand when it comes to properly cleaning all of a property's outside surfaces:

• Different surface materials and various forms of dirt and debris require particular detergents or surfactants. Using the wrong cleanser on any surface can leave that material looking dry and streaky, or result in an ineffective cleaning job. Professional cleaners from a power washing company know the right detergents to use for every exterior surface and always ensure that everything is rinsed thoroughly and adequately.
• Improper use of a pressure washer often leaves long streaks or marks on timber decking, exterior walls, and the like. A pressure washing wand should be angled a particular way to effectively rinse away dirt without causing water damage to soft surfaces around your property and so that no streaks are left behind.
• Some surfaces, such as patio pavers with lots of nooks and crannies or concrete driveways and pool decks with numerous pits and pores, are best cleaned with specialty brushes and not just a high-pressure wand so that you can scrub away dirt hiding in all those nooks and cavities.
• High-pressure rinsing often causes splattering and splashing, making your property more of a mess than before you started cleaning it! A professional contractor will know how to contain that mess while hiring a company that specializes in soft-wash, low-pressuring cleaning to pressure wash a house means even less splattering around your house and yard.
• An experienced power washing contractor also knows the areas of a property that need extra attention, for a thorough clean. For example, cobwebs and insect nests are often found in roof eaves, while mildew might form underneath roof edges. A professional contractor will also ensure they don't overlook areas that are easy to miss, such as the underside of gutters or areas around downspout connectors.

Hiring a Pro Protects Your Property From Damage

Using a high-pressure cleaning machine on your property can cause tremendous amounts of damage! Not only would you then need to take the time to repair broken materials and surfaces around your property, but remember that your homeowner's insurance policy might not cover the cost of damage you cause yourself. Note some common forms of damage caused by improper use of a high-powered pressure washer, so you know why it’s often best to simply call a professional for pressure washing near St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas:

• It's quite easy to shatter a window with a pressure washer when you pressure wash a house yourself! Older windows and those exposed to harsh sunlight and inclement weather over the years can be exceptionally thin and brittle and likely to break from a power washer.
• A power washer can also shred window screens and screens to patio doors, especially along their edges where the wire mesh is weakest. Improper washing techniques can also allow dirt and grime to settle into the mesh of screens so that they're dirtier than before you started cleaning!
• Too much pressure can chip soft brick or make broken and crumbly areas of concrete even worse.
• High-pressure rinsing might strip paint and other finishes from certain exterior surfaces.
• Power washing might outright split soft timber or chipped wood decking and fencing, and dislodge river rocks and small patio pavers.
• Incorrect wash techniques might dislodge roofing shingles or crack clay tiles, and dislodge or damage screens over vents and chimneys.

What Is a Soft Wash System

A soft wash system offered by pressure washing companies near St. Pete is often considered the best choice for pressure washing all your property's outside surfaces. A soft wash cleaning begins with a specialty surfactant that seeps into all the nooks and crannies of exterior walls, roofing shingles and tiles, concrete, and other such materials. This detergent dissolves the toughest and thickest of dirt, mud, silt, grime, grit, and other such residues from roofs, brick walls, gutters, pool decks, concrete driveways and walkways, and paver stones.

Soft wash systems use a low-pressure rinse, typically just a bit more powerful than a garden hose with a sprayer nozzle, to remove all that dissolved dirt and grime. Low-pressure rinsing is an excellent choice for any outside surface, but especially those that are older and more fragile, such as brittle roofing tiles, soft brick, painted concrete, and the like. This low-pressure rinsing won't damage those materials or ruin their coatings, so your property is then clean and pristine and looking like new

The specialty surfactants used for a soft wash system are also more effective at dissolving thick dirt and grime than other detergents, making a soft wash cleaning a superior choice for clogged gutters or homes covered in thick mildew, mold, and dirty grime. This specialty detergent will eat through all that thick debris, making quick and simple work of rinsing it all away!

Benefits of Regular House Washing and Roof Washing

While you might now realize the benefits of hiring a professional for needed house washing and other exterior property cleaning, it's good to understand why your property needs this service from a power washing company in the first place. Consider some benefits of regular house washing, roof washing, and cleaning of all other surfaces and materials of your property's exterior:

• Mold, mildew, and algae can grow and spread under roofing shingles, loosening those tiles and making them more likely to blow away in a storm or high winds. Regular roof washing removes those residues and protects the roof's materials from such damage.
• Sand, silt, and other gritty residue erodes exterior brick and can also scratch outside window glass, causing microscopic etching and other such damage. Proper washing of windows, brick, and other soft surfaces will remove that residue and prolong the life of those materials.
• Professional power washing can reveal areas of damage around a structure's outside walls and exposed foundation so that you can repair cracks and chips. These repairs will keep a building insulated and reduce the risk of interior water leaks.
• Chlorine and other such pool chemicals are caustic and can cause damage to a concrete deck, timber fence, and other such materials and surfaces on your property. Regular pool deck cleaning and fence washing will remove those materials, avoiding early damage.
• Regular roof washing allows for a more effective visual inspection of the roof, so a property owner can note damaged tiles, soft spots that might indicate needed structural repairs, water stains that signal leaks inside the building, and so on.
• Washing away insect nests and termite tunnels keeps those bothersome insects and pests out of your home or commercial building.
• Mold spores, dirt, sand and silt, and other such residues clinging to a structure can become airborne, making the air outside your home or commercial facility very unhealthy and unpleasant. Cleaning your home or office building ensures that you can lounge by the pool or employees can relax at an outdoor courtyard without breathing in dangerous and unpleasant debris around them.
• An unsightly exterior can impact your property's curb appeal and potentially reduce its value! Keeping your home or office clean on the outside with pressure washing services ensures that it looks its best and can protect its monetary value as well.

How to Hire a Good Pressure Washing Contractor

To ensure you find good pressure washing services for your home or business, you want to choose a company with a long history of work in the power washing industry. Quality exterior house cleaning is not like washing interior walls or shampooing carpets and rugs, so be wary of general contractors or house cleaners who may not specialize in power washing in particular.

A high-quality pressure washing company will also offer a wide range of services that you can choose, so your home or office gets the attention it needs without having to pay for added services. For example, many companies recommend having your structure's gutters washed during a standard roof washing, but if the gutters are clean, you may not need this service! Ensure a company allows you to choose the services that suit your needs in particular.

A quality contractor will also take time to thoroughly examine your structure's surfaces and materials before they break out their equipment! High-quality washing will vary according to surface materials and the level of dirt and filth covering those shingles or exterior roofs, timber decking, and the like. Ensure you choose a contractor who takes his or her time and doesn't seem like they're rushing through the job, or relies on promises of a fast clean of your home or business.

Related Questions

Is a soft wash system suitable for roof washing and general house washing?

Soft wash cleaning is an excellent option for brittle and fragile materials and surfaces, such as windows, timber decking, and patio paver stones. However, the surfactants used for soft cleaning also dissolve thick dirt and grime in gutters, on roofs and exterior walls, and in concrete as well.

How often should you have your home or commercial property washed?

Call a pressure washing company at least annually, to remove dirt and other debris from a structure's roof, exterior walls, and gutters. Structures in stormy areas need cleaning more often, as do buildings near busy roadways or production facilities that deposit excess soot and grime in the air.