Most anything that is exposed to Mother Nature is going to get dirty or suffer from mold and mildew depending on the climate. Your home and entire property is no exception. Concrete, brick, vinyl siding, wooden decks, and gutters are all affected by these natural pollutants and will need cleaned eventually.
Your home’s asphalt shingle roof is also something that will eventually need attention. A common problem with asphalt roofs is an airborne algae simply known as roof algae. This alga appears as black streaks or black roof stains normally first appearing on the north facing slopes. Like most any surface exposed to the elements, your asphalt shingles can be cleaned to restore their original appearance.
Hiring a professional roof cleaning company that will use low pressure techniques to clean your roof is vitally important so no damage is done to your roof shingles. This black roof moss or algae, if not taken care of, will only get worse never better. The black roof streaks will soon spread and take over the entire roof. This not only breaks down the black algae infected roof and causes it to fail prematurely, but it also increases your home’s cooling cost.
Never allow a contractor to pressure wash, scrub, or brush your shingles, doing so will remove the shingle granules which are there for protection. The chief shingle manufacturers have recommended low pressure cleaning methods and roof cleaners that should be used to clean asphalt shingle roofs suffering from black roof algae.

Power wash services are popular among home owners whom understand that their home is their largest investment. Home owners know that keeping their house and properties exterior clean does not only boost their home’s curb appeal, but it has been proven to increase a home’s value by up to 5% to 10%.
Pressure wash services, done correctly by a professional house cleaning company, are an extremely good value considering the increased value they bring your property. Water pressure cleaning also saves you money by stopping the damaging effects of dirt, grime, mold, and mildew which can and will cause rot and decay of the building materials that make up your home.
These natural and man made contaminants can cause costly future repairs, renovations, and replacements that could have been stopped by regular professional exterior maintenance. Creating a yearly power wash cleaning budget for your home and property is a great way to avoid these expensive and unnecessary future repairs.

Wood deck restoration is one of the most misunderstood services in the cleaning industry. Most people don’t understand that there is more to deck cleaning than just blasting away at the wood with water and then sealing it. An important factor to remember is that the most common reason a deck sealer fails is because the wood wasn’t prepared correctly. When the wood is not prepared properly the wood deck sealer will not adhere correctly and will fail prematurely.

Wood is soft and may damage easily with too much water pressure, therefore it is necessary to adjust the pressure to achieve the results with the correct chemicals. Various factors will determine which chemicals to use to restore a deck. If the wood is gray from UV damage, a decent deck cleaner should work well. On the other hand, if traces of an old deck sealer are present, then a stripping agent will need to be used to remove all the remnants of the old failing wood sealer.
Once the proper deck cleaning chemicals are determined, they are applied to the wood deck and allowed to dwell. The deck can then be washed with the right amount of pressure using a pressure washer. No more than 1000 psi of water pressure should be used or the wood can be damaged.

After the deck has been correctly cleaned or stripped a pH balancing step is performed. This step is a must to neutralize the caustic cleaning chemicals, preparing the wood for sealer. This neutralizing process is achieved by applying a special mild acid solution to the wooden deck. The deck should is then allowed to dry for a couple of days before being sealed with a quality oil based deck sealer.

You may want to consider hiring a competent pressure washing company to restore a deck properly so it will last. Be sure to ask the contractor the right questions to determine their amount of knowledge of wood deck cleaning and refinishing so you can be sure the you get the quality of service you expect.

This is a concrete cleaning and sealing job we did back in 2006. This Plymouth home owner was tired of the leaf and stick tannin marks and irrigation rust stains that were being left on his cement driveway and sidewalk. After consulting with the home owner, we were both excited about the concrete driveway and walkway cleaning and sealing project.

We performed a complete cement cleaning to remove all the stains and tire marks. We then applied a special cleaner to remove the irrigation rust stains. After allowing the cement to dry for several days we returned to put down a couple coats of concrete sealer. The home owner chose a color to bring out the red in their brick home. The cement sealer will help to protect against staining and prolong the life of the concrete.

Do you have black steaks on your shingle roof? Have you seen black steaks on other roofs? These black roof streaks are a hardy type of airborne algae. Similar to the mold and mildew that collects on your home’s siding, black roof algae can be cleaned and removed to restore your roof’s appearance. But did you know that 50% of roofs are replaced in the Midwest due to their appearance and not their functionality? That’s right, half of the asphalt shingle roof’s replaced only needed cleaned. This may sound like a shocking truth but it’s a fact.

Most people are not aware that shingle roof’s can be cleaned. Even some roofing contractors are uneducated about roof streaks, if they are aware of roof cleaning, they don’t tell potential customers any different. There is also some debate on roof cleaning doing damage to the shingles. This is true only when the roof is not cleaned properly. Using high pressure to clean a roof will remove the black algae streaks but it will also blast away the shingle granules which are there to protect the shingle, thus lessening the longevity of the roof. Furthermore, by not using the proper roof cleaners to kill the algae it will return in full force in a relatively short time. Never allow someone to power wash your roof.

The major shingle manufacturers have suggested methods and cleaners to kill and remove roof algae from their shingles without doing damage. A professional roof cleaning company will use these recommended methods and cleaners to kill the algae so it does not return anytime soon. Roof algae can raise your home heating and cooling costs, diminish your home’s curb appeal and value, and lessen the life expectancy of your shingles. Proper roof cleaning services will save you money by stopping these damaging effects and can cost only a fraction of a total roof replacement.