Monday, September 26, 2011

Pressure Cleaning - Tips on who to hire

Orlando Pressure Cleaning and Safe Non Pressure Roof Cleaning by Tropical Roof and Exterior Cleaning Systems.. also cleaning exteriors, driveway and walks, pavers, pool enclosures and decks, wood and vinyl fences, brick wall cleaning, boat dock cleaning and sealing, painting, paver sealing and more. Serving all commercial and residential properties, we are fully licensed and insured plus we are Florida Workers Comp compliant.

www.tropicalroofandexterior.com or call 407-415-3419 for a free consultation!

When most people look into having their home or business’ roof, exterior or other surfaces cleaned they think pressure cleaning. But what most people are not educated on is who to hire and why. There are different ways to clean each surface correctly and incorrectly. Here is what I have noticed over the last decade and a half.

More people now know that pressure cleaning a roof is wrong and that it is very destructive whether it is tile, shingle, slate, metal or cedar shake even at the lowest pressure settings on a pressure washer. Still there are companies that still practice this method of roof cleaning which are usually new start up gigs that never last long, and homeowners and business owners that buy into pressure cleaning their roofs still; only to find out later that their warranty has been voided and the damage is irreversible. They can’t get the companies insurance to pay since they (the cleaning company) is out of business.

The proper companies to hire are companies who only use non pressure methods by using chemical roof cleaning and only rinsing off with a water hose. If they say that they do that and show up to clean your roof and fire up a pressure washer after applying a product to your roof, YOU the HOMEOWNER have the legal right to stop them from continuing and pay them nothing. Why? They made a false pretensious sale by lying and that legally voids even a signed contract. So be sure to hire a well known or certified roof cleaner like me at Tropical or any other company that only practices Safe No Pressure Roof Cleaning.

Now for exteriors, screen enclosures, walls, fences and painted flat surfaces pressure cleaning is still an accepted method. IF done properly by first applying a chemical solution and rinsing gently with the use of either a water hose or a pressure washer. The stereotypical picture you may invision of pressure cleaning is a contractor blasting off stuff with a high pressure fan tip waving it side to side and up and down to clean your home or business which is still used today only for paint preps not for basic cleaning and maintanence. That method is so outdated for cleaning that if you hire someone and notice they are doing it stop them immediatly!

The way that I prefer to clean those surfaces is by using a pressure washer with a chemical injection setup and custom made application tips and rinse tips not the stock tips that come with the pressure washer when it was purchased, I usually throw those in the trash or leave them with the dealer. I have 3 different application tips with a wide orface to allow the injection system to let the concentrated cleaning solution to mix with the water being fed through the hose and the rinse tips are smaller orfaced to cut off the circulation of chemical and allows only fresh water to pass for rinsing. I have 2 rinse tips one I have is worth $50.00 for just the tip alone and it is a high reaching stream/fan tip that can clean a 3 story building from the ground. Another reason I use this method is because I know exactly what percent I am spraying at all times which is 12.5% chemical and 87.5% water. Now, about the other correct method I (used) to use is by spraying a solution on with a 12 volt pump and rinsing with a water hose and I still use this method by request only. I do not prefer this method because it is time consuming, you can’t get mud dauber and wasp nests down easily with a waterhose especially if the house has very little water pressure and lastly you never really know if you are spraying too hot or too weak. I rather know for sure.

Now on concrete and pavers. There are 2 ways to clean these correctly and both ways involve using chemical. First, I will explain my way and then the other way I used to do it and why and the wrong way.

On non painted, non sealed or non coated surfaces I always pressure clean them using a surface cleaner first, then I rinse off the entire surface and apply a (LIGHT SOLUTION) to kill any reminents of the mildew spores and remove acorn and other growth stains. The reason for the light solution after cleaning? Grass along the edges of driveways and sidewalks and to make sure that the cleaning lasts a long time. Not a few months but for a few years. Note: it also depends on the shade and weather conditions but even then my process lasts 10 times longer than conventional pressure washing.
The second correct way I used to use is the spray it HOT! and let the rain wash it away method. I stopped using this method mainly because people want instant results and grass edges would get burned slightly due to the higher concentration of chemicals since lighter mixes take forever to get results and I had to waste gas by going back to touch up spots.

I also have seen the wrong way A LOT!! Everywhere I go I critique others work that I see around Central Florida during my schedules or on homes that I am there to do some cleaning for since the last guy did not make a happy customer. I can tell when a wand and fan tip was used, an orbital tip was used, and a surface cleaner was used since the pattern they took to clean it is visible. Why? They just used water, water has no cleaning or mildew spore killing properties and even though it may look clean once it is finished it will start coming back in as little as 3 weeks! 3 weeks of a clean driveway for the same price or maybe a little more for a driveway that stays clean for 2 to 3 years?? Make sure they use chemicals when they clean your driveway and sidewalks so you don’t waste your money. The guy who did your driveway and left lines everywhere probably bought pawn shop gear and just needed some quick cash so beware.

I hope that this Blog on pressure cleaning helps you find the right company to serve your exterior cleaning needs and if you would like a Free Consultation from me call (Jeff Worth) me anytime at 407-415-3419 or visit my website for more information at www.tropicalroofandexterior.com


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