Wood is the most popular choice material for decks. Not only is wood gorgeous, it is also strong, durable, and easy to work with. Wood is vulnerable, however, to moisture damage and should be checked frequently. Deck boards that are split, splintered, cracked, or have raised nails may point to a potential problem with moisture saturation. Moreover, wood is an absorbent substance, not unlike skin; wood pores can develop clogged and deteriorated conditions. The best way to prevent troubles with your wooden deck is to have it sealed and maintained. Now, let’s discuss some different types of woods that are commonly used for decks.
 Cedar: The wood from this hefty, coniferous evergreen tree is a trendy favorite for decks. It not only looks beautiful and has a wonderful aroma, it is also enormously durable. The feel of cedar is soft, and the grain of cedar is elaborate and stunning. Cedar produces natural tannins that are said to be naturally defiant to insects. However, these tannins can spot, especially after it rains, and this carries on until the wood becomes fully acclimatized (three years or so). After a wood deck cleaning the cedar should be sealed. Sealer colors that work predominantly well with cedar are the likely redwood or cedar tinted. These deck sealers allow the natural grain of the cedar to show through, while still protecting the wood through a shielding pigment.
Redwood: Used commonly in timber construction, redwood is (as the name advocates) a reddish colored wood. Besides the color, redwood is very similar to cedar, and is a stylish choice for wooden deck construction. 
Pressure Treated Pine: This long-needled tree also has wood that is very common in the building of decks. Pine varies from extremely soft wood, as with the white pine, to very rigid wood, as in the long leaf pine. The term “pressure treated” refers to wood that has been chemically treated to repeal insects and rot. Cedar and redwood are never treated due to their nature, it isn’t necessary. The downsides to using pressure treated wood are rapid staining, splitting problems, and inconsistent look due to the many chemicals that are in the wood. As with all woods, it is always a good idea to have your pressure treated deck cleaned and sealed so that these natural problems can be evaded. It’s best to hire a company that specializes in pressure washing decks and wood deck restoration. Depending on personal liking, pine works well with any color deck sealer. As with cedar or redwood, there are natural colors that can heighten the natural grain and color of the wood. Advantages of using pine are its versatility, affordability (compared to cedar or redwood) and its dependability.
Wooden decks can be subjected to very severe exposure, plus abrasion and extreme friction from foot traffic. The horizontal surfaces, such as the floor and top hand rails, receive abundant amounts of sunlight and moisture. Continuous swelling and shrinking of the wood severely breaks down any continuous film coating, resulting in cracking, flaking, and peeling. These deck coatings or sealers are not recommended for these surfaces. Deep penetrating oil based deck sealers are recommended coatings. They require frequent refinishing, but it is an easier task than the scraping and sanding needed to prepare paints, solid stains, and waterborne sealer for refinishing. Latex sealers or paints are to be avoided where water can collect on flat surfaces. Silicone enhanced sealer products should also be avoided.
Coatings fall into one of two categories. Film forming coatings are primers, paints, heavy bodied and solid color sealers which form coat or film over the surface. Penetrating stains, the second category, dive deep into the wood past the surface resulting in very little surface film. This type of penetrating sealer is not prone to cracking, peeling, or flaking like the film forming type. Oil based penetrating deck sealers to an excellent job of locking out moisture and protecting against harmful UV rays. These types of sealers are normally semi-transparent but can still have a tone or tint added to them in a variety of colors. Therefore, your deck can have a particular color or tone to it, but yet the beauty of the wood grain will still show through. A rule of thumb is the darker the tone of deck sealer, the more sun protection it provides.

As a home owner, you are aware that your home is probably your largest investment and that taking care of it is an important necessity in maintaining its value. Unlike the inside of your home, the exterior is exposed for all to see, and it can reflect heavily on your image. Maintaining great curb appeal is pretty high up on the maintenance budget. Lawn care services, landscape maintenance, painting projects, and exterior cleaning are all definite home improvements that give you the best bang for your buck. There is nothing that screams curb appeal more than a good house cleaning, fresh mulch, trimmed shrubbery and a thick green lawn.
One of the biggest eye sores and curb appeal killers is roof algae. Roof algae appear as black stains or streaks on your roof’s shingles. It can really take away from the beauty of an otherwise gorgeous home. So what can be done about these unsightly black streaks? We will answer this question and some of the other most frequently asked questions about roof cleaning.
Q: Can this roof alga be removed?
A: The good news is yes. Roof cleaning is a service offered by many professional exterior cleaning companies. The roof alga can be killed and removed safely to restore your roof’s appearance.
Q: Will cleaning my roof damage the shingles?
A: When the wrong methods are used, the answer is yes. Inexperienced contractors or home owners can easily damage shingles by removing excessive amounts of shingle granules, which are there to protect the shingles. The main culprit of roof cleaning damage is using too much water pressure to blast the shingles clean. Never allow a pressure washer to be used on your roof!
Q: So, how can the shingles be cleaned without causing damage?
A: By using the low pressure methods recommended by the shingle manufacturers themselves. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, GAF, and Owens Corning have all suggested cleaning methods and solutions to clean roofs suffering from roof algae. They recommend using a low pressure chemical application followed by a low pressure rinse.
Q: What is the solution that will be used on my shingles?
A: The proper cleaning solution that is recommended by ARMA, GAF, and Owens Corning is a bleach- based roof cleaner. This type of cleaner is effective in killing the algae when applied with low pressure. A light rinse is then needed to wash the dead algae off the roof to restore its original appearance.
Q: Do some of the other lye or sodium hydroxide-based roof cleaners work well?
A: Unfortunately, they do not. The shingle manufacturers do not recommend these products because they are not very effective. They only work when used in conjunction with excessive pressure from a pressure washer, which leads to lessened longevity of the roof. When not used with pressure, some of these products even state on the label that the roof may take 2-3 months to begin appearing clean after an application, and in some cases more than one application is necessary.
Q: Will the bleach-based products harm my landscaping?
A: It can when handled improperly; after all, roof algae are plants. You’ve probably used bleach before when doing laundry, right? Would you give the same gallon jug of bleach to a 4 year-old and tell them to do the whites with it? Of course you wouldn’t; because in the wrong hands it can be harmful either to them or your clothes. Well, it’s the same thing with roof cleaning. This is why it is important to let a roof cleaning professional clean the roof for you. They will know how to handle the cleaner to protect themselves and your property from damage.
Q: How long will my roof stay clean?
A: There are some biocides and sealers on the market that claim to keep the algae away for good, but their test results are very limited so no one really knows. The best thing to do after getting your roof cleaned is to sign up on the cleaning company’s maintenance plan. For a fraction of the original cost they will come out every year or two and give your roof a maintenance coat so the algae doesn’t return.
Q: When I do get a new roof, are algae-resistant shingles effective?
A: Well, they call them algae-resistant (not algae-proof) for one simple reason; they help in eradicating the roof algae problem but they aren’t a full proof answer (not yet anyway).  As a roof cleaning contractor, I have seen algae-resistant shingles suffering from roof algae, so a low pressure roof cleaning was still necessary.

Here is a deck cleaning and staining job we did in South Bend, Indiana. This deck had an old failing deck sealer on it that had to be removed. This was done using a deck sealer striping agent followed by a low pressure wash to ensure the wood was not damaged. A pH balance process was then executed to brighten the wooden deck and to prepare it for the new deck stain. Most deck cleaning and sealing jobs in South Bend, Indiana are very common to this one.

After a two day waiting period the moisture content was checked and the deck was ready for a coat of semi-transparent penetrating oil based wood deck sealer.

The sealer was allowed to cure for a couple of days before these South Bend, Indiana home owners started grilling and enjoying their restored living space. We really enjoyed this deck cleaning and sealing job and would like to thank these South Bend, Indiana home owners.

There certainly is a lot of misconception involved when it comes to using a pressure washer to clean various surfaces. Most pressure washers, even small consumer grade ones, will put out at least 2000 to 2500 PSI or more. That is plenty of pressure to easily damage the surfaces around your home such as vinyl siding, shingles, wood and even certain types of brick and concrete.
The misconception with pressure washers is that most people think the pressure does all the work; after all it is called a pressure washer. But honestly nothing could be further from the truth. Even small power washers should have the pressure backed down before washing most surfaces. The problem is the nozzles that come with a new pressure washer allow for the maximum amount of pressure. This is like buying a new car and driving it around with the gas pedal smashed all the way to the floor which would definitely be reckless and probably would cause some serious damage. It is necessary to buy different nozzles that allow for the use of lower pressures without sacrificing the flow or the gallons per minute.
Too many people, including inexperienced contractors, rely too heavily on the pressure to do the cleaning.  Two major problems are caused by this; the first is what was mentioned earlier, the risk of damage to your home’s vinyl, deck, roof, window screens and so on. The second problem is because they are relying on pressure they are not using very effective cleaners if any. Due to this, contaminants like mold, mildew and algae are just blasted off but not killed resulting in them returning in a few short months. It is necessary to use the proper cleaners so these contaminants are killed and so low pressure methods can be used eliminating risk of damage. Be sure the pressure washing company you hire use the low pressure methods.

Many home improvement projects around your home and property can be accomplished with a pressure washer. The proper way to tackle these projects, whether you are going to hire or do it yourself, is to become educated by researching. For instance, using the proper cleaners so that excessive high pressure is not needed is something important to know to help eliminate the risk of damage to your property. Too much pressure can easily damage wood, vinyl siding, asphalt shingles and brick mortar as well as other surfaces. When using a contractor grade house or deck wash you can use less pressure, eradicating the risk of damage, yet still achieve terrific results.
The way the pressure is lowered on a power washer is by changing the nozzle at the end of the wand. Usually the nozzles that come with pressure washers are designed to allow for the maximum amount of pressure in various fan degrees. It will probably be necessary to obtain different nozzles from a pressure washer dealer to achieve a lower pressure.
You should also educate yourself on the safe handling of the chemicals involved, proper equipment and washing methods. If you plan on hiring be sure to ask the contractor what their methods and cleaners are so you know what to expect. Be sure they are going to use contractor grade cleaners, equipment and low pressure methods.

How often you should have your house pressure washed really depends on the area you live in. Natural contaminants such as mildew, algae and mold can appear on vinyl, wood, and aluminum siding as well as stucco, dryvit and brick. This situation can be more of a predicament for a home that is shaded by trees; the lack of sun permits moisture to be present helping the pollutants to grow.
Other contaminants that can collect on your home’s exterior are spider webs, bug fecal and bird droppings. Some homes are more prone to these impurities than others.  Receiving a house washing service followed by an insect treatment around the perimeter of your home can really help eradicate the bug contaminants.
Those living in close proximity to a major highway or airport will have exhaust emission pollutants collect on their homes in the appearance of gray or black dust. The positive aspect is all of these contaminants and pollutants can be removed by a professional exterior cleaning company to restore your home’s appearance. Having the exterior of your home cleaned every couple of years, as a regular maintenance program, is a good idea that will help to maintain its value.

How long your vinyl siding will stay free of dirt, mildew and algae after it’s been cleaned highly depends on how well it was cleaned. From our experience in talking with our customers that have cleaned their own homes in the past, the consumer grade cleaners sold at hardware stores do a mediocre job at first but contaminants seem to return in a few short months. The trick to cleaning the exterior of your home and keeping it clean is to use the proper cleaners and methods.
 Professional power washers rely heavily on their house washing cleaners to do the work so they can use low pressure techniques to clean the vinyl siding eradicating risk of damage. The proper house cleaning detergents will not only remove dirt and grime but will kill the roots of any mildew and algae. High pressure will remove these pollutants but without killing them with cleaners they return quickly. Moreover, using high pressure will risk damage to the siding, windows and landscaping. A house cleaning done right will result in a home free of dirt, grime, mildew and algae and can be expected to stay clean for approximately two years.

This is a roof cleaning in Warsaw, Indiana project that we completed for a home owner. The customer was unsure why his roof was black and was thinking he was looking at an expensive roof replacement. We have found that this is not that uncommon for people to think this and unfortunately some do go to the extent of having their roof replaced prematurely.

Sadly enough some roofing contractors will not educate them that the roof is still in good shape and that it only needs to be cleaned. This may happen because the roofing contractor is not aware a roof can be cleaned or they may be under the misconception that roof cleaning causes damage to roofs. Damage can be done to the shingles only when the wrong cleaning methods are used.

Fortunately this Warsaw home owner found us before deciding to replace his roof. After educating him that we use the low pressure methods and cleaners recommended by the shingle manufacturers themselves at a fraction of the cost for a complete replacement, he was excited about the cleaning project. The entire roof was cleaned using low pressure methods to restore this roof’s appearance and to ensure this Warsaw home owner gets the full life out of his roof. We enjoy roof cleaning Warsaw, Indiana resident’s homes. It’s nice to save someone quite a bit of money just by educating them.