First and foremost, is having an exterior hose bib turned on from the inside of the home. At least one hose bib that is not too difficult to get to, with good pressure, is needed for our power washing. Some customers elect to remove window screens which can then be stacked so we can soft wash them together. Remove potted plants away from house.

We typically don't use "chemicals" but detergents that have been around since the beggining of time. Besides soap as a cleaner, sticker and surfactant, we use: Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) is a must-use detergent if you have green algae, lichen or black mold. Sodium Hydroxide and/or Sodium Metasilicate (alkaline stripper) is necessary if an oil based, hybrid oil-latex and sometimes if a mostly latex-based-stain or sealer is present on deck. Sodium Percarbonate (oxy bleach) and Tri Sodium Phosphate (TSP) are harmless cleaners safe for practically anything it touches. Oxalic Acid (deck brightener, rust stain remover) is also a necessary step for decks that have just been cleaned, as a post treatment, to restore deck to its original color, and to balance pH as a neutralizer before staining a deck.

Oxidation is tricky, because it is not dirt, but a breakdown on the molecular level of the product in question itself. So, typically vinyl siding, plastic or vinyl shutters will fall victim to this due to sun UV exposure, and time. Oxidation will typcally show up where the sun is exposing that side of a home and its components, so usually the south side (in our hemisphere). So a general rule of thumb for a power washer is that the "dirtiest, green algae black moldy disgusting side of a house (typically northely or shady) is the EASIEST SIDE TO CLEAN. The hardest side to clean is the one that appears clean but has oxidation. On the southerly oxidized side, we generally will do a light misty cleaning, designed to remove dirt and pollen, but not disturb the oxidation which must be dealt with separately or ignored.

Go to the south side of your home. Rub your fingers across the siding. If your fingers reveal a white powdery chalk like substance, then your house siding is producing oxidation.

Some contractors unwisely always try to remove this, but it is a battle many have lost unsuccessfully.

These are called artillery fungus spores that launch from their host, typically shredded hardwood mulch, and are attracted to light-colored siding. The first thing to do is get rid of this kind of mulch around the base of your house or detatched garage. You can use pine bark mulch or stone, which is a popular alternative to mulch in Delmarva. As for removing these spores, they are difficult to eliminate. Yet, sometimes it can be done if siding was just fired upon by the fungus. But just like barnacle glue, it may be impossible to remove completely, especially if its been there for some time.

"Soft washing" typically uses a battery-operated pump that uses considerably less pressure in cleaning your home than a power washer and is a viable option for cleaning siding. It is by far the best way to clean a roof, while adding no pressure in the process. Soft-washing is also great for cleaning vinyl or PVC fences. It is great if your neighborhood has a noise regulation at certain times of the year, since battery operated pumps make very little noise, if any. Noise ordinances are common at some beach areas in DE and MD after Memorial Day.

However, soft-washing has some well-documented constraints in comparison to power washing. While it is perfect for roof cleaning, it can have limitations in rinsing your siding in comparison to power washing. Wind can often be a challenge for cleaning as the pumps typically used for soft washing are far less powerful than our power washers. When high pressure is needed, such as reaching high portions of a home, or cleaning concrete, hardscaping, docks, driveways, brick, etc, then soft washing is not always the best choice. Soft washing can typically require two people many times, as one would be applying the detergent while the other would be rinsing off or rinsing plants below. Regardless, House Washing Delmarva has both setups and can advise accordingly for your unique home or property.

Temporarily remove lawn decorations, solar lights, and/or anything that we can trip on, get in the way, or that can snag or impede our hoses from the perimeter surrounding your home. We need easy access around your house to clean efficiently. Animal waste too should be removed in target areas.

Nothing should be on or adjacent to the deck that needs to be cleaned or stripped. The only exception is a large covered grill that can be moved. Trimming vegetation encroaching onto the deck is vital if we will be staining the deck on a return trip. Keep foot and pet traffic off of deck after cleaning, and before staining.

Short answer–Yes. Why?–There is apparently what is called “mill glaze” during the planing of the wood deck components when producing them from the lumber mill. This mill glaze will cause wood components to not receive a stain well because of the milling tool's high speed process against the wood. So, this alone is sound reason to power wash or raise the wood grain of the deck to prepare it to be able to receive stain. Additionally, new wood becomes dirty at or during construction time. It also depends on the amount of sun exposure, dirt and pollution the deck has had, and also the direction the deck is facing (is it in direct southerly sun or the woods, etc?). So in summary, you should never seal over dirt or mill glaze. Always remove them first through power washing or by a 2-step detergent process.

Typically, 2-3 dry or high pressure days, possibly less if facing south in full sun. If rainy low pressure weather comes between washing and sealing, then you obviously need to wait longer. However, some stain manufactures are advertising that their oil-based or hybrid stain can be applied the same day as power-washing or deck cleaning, even if the deck is damp. So always check with the manufacturer of the stain/sealer that you desire to use.

Good question, but no. This is not necessary, as we can still power wash a deck or house in light rain. However, if the rain is expected to be exceptionally heavy or thunderstorms are also widely forecasted in your area, it is best to reschedule. Obviously, no staining can be done if there is a certainty of rain in the forecast.

Generally speaking, this is a waste of money and is not the same thing as the power washing we do. Also, the techniques for cleaning are drastically different.

Additionally, those small home-use power washers typically break because too much heat transfers from the engine to the pump, and eventually the pump overheats and the components fail (the problem is in how they are typically built). The power washers we use are industrial strength and powerful enough to accomplish several jobs in a day. On the average, the small home-use power washers can clean small areas (great for cleaning vehicles) but are NOT designed for whole house applications. We can typically shoot detergents 30-40' with ease with our setups, which can clean an entire large house. Small PW machines fall short of their industrial counterpart that we use.

Furthermore, just like the danger some have of installing Christmas lights annually, small home use power washers encourage the homeowner to get on ladders and blast the siding directly. This is an exhausting danger that we do not do even for oursleves. Power washing and ladders typically do not mix well. We always and safely clean everything from the ground. This reduces liabilty for all parties involved. With roof cleaning, we clean from the eave with a ladder with low pressure soft washing.

Yes! The floor product called Duradek cleans very well. Duradek has a life span of 15-20 years. So newer or recently installed Duradek cleans extremely well. However, older Duradek can be a tad more resistant and therefore requires a little more effort to clean. Nevertheless, we have had very good results overall in cleaning Duradek.

Yes actually. In 2019 for the first time I used a product that was an oil-based stain that performed better than any stain that I have ever applied to wood. The results were unbelievable. The only down side is that colors may be limited. However, I have never seen such a drastic difference in the faded deck to the brand new look this stain produced. Please check the top slide on this website that shows the beautiful results. So yes, reviving a faded old composite deck is very much possible!