Nearly everyone glances at the houses on the roads they take to work. They note the condition of the house and grounds, they note any changes made to the house or grounds, and they compare the houses to their own. Many make a note to themselves to improve the condition of their own houses.
For numerous homeowners, the first improvement is to the outside of the house with pressure washing. Every homeowner is proud to see the cladding on their house sparkle in the sun. The dirt, mildew, and other debris robbing the house of its color is gone.
You’ve decided to seek out pressure cleaning near me for your Nassau County or Suffolk County house. The question is shall you do it yourself or bring in the Long Island pressure washing pros? Why would you need pros?
Why It’s Called “Pressure” Washing or “Power” Washing
The first reason homeowners need pros is the keyword in the term “cleaning with pressure washing.” As an illustration, do you remember the Kelsey Grammer movie “Down Periscope?” In one scene, the crew is cleaning the submarine.
Rob Schneider is supervising the cleaning of the deck. A sailor moves to open a hatch for two sailors carrying a torpedo. As the sailor opens the hatch, his butt hits the hose with which he was power washing the deck. The hose moves around with its spray aimed squarely at Schneider.
Needless to say, Schneider gets blown off the deck by the sheer pressure of the water coming out of that hose. So the question to homeowners wishing to do it themselves is do you feel lucky today? If you’re up on a ladder pressure washing the top floor of the house or even the roof, will the pressure blow you off the ladder and across the yard? Professionals rarely, if ever, get blown off ladders.
Sure You’re Doing It Right?
Saving money by doing things yourself sometimes results in more money spent to rectify what you did wrong. Using the wrong nozzle on the Long Island power washing machine will definitely blow the dirt off the cladding, but it will also blast the mortar out from between the bricks, crack the wood and even brick, break windows, as well as injure you.
It only takes a few pounds of pressure to accomplish your task. It’s measured in pounds per square inch or psi. The water being used is measured in gallons per minute. These measurements can be adjusted depending on the scope of the project. For most projects, using the lowest to medium settings on the machine gets the job done. More than that, and you’ll be painting the house way before you thought you’d need it.
Long Island professionals are aware of just the right pressure to get the project done. For instance, it would take a house literally black with filth to require the highest, and strongest, by the way, pressurized stream with which to clean it. Not many pros see this kind of house, so they clean ordinarily soiled cladding on houses instead.
Got The Right Equipment?
New York pressure cleaning near me requires specialized equipment. Homeowners not knowledgeable about the use of the equipment can damage both the equipment and the house. Professional cleaning with pressure washing requires all of this equipment:
• pressure washer
• wands
• tips
• pressure wash hoses
• garden hoses
• ladders
• tarps
• scrub brushes
• sprayer for chemical application
• telescoping wands
• one- and five-gallon buckets
• extension cords
• cleaning cloths
• safety items like goggles, respirators, and gloves
• tools like a hammer, drill, screwdrivers, etc.
• broom
• leaf blower
• cleaning chemicals
• surface cleaner (for paint prep)
Proper Seasons For Power Washing A House
It’s no secret that New York is cold in winter. While spring and fall are lovely in Nassau County and Suffolk County, there’s still a bit of a chill in the air. Cleaning the outside of a house in these chilly temperatures isn’t a good idea because:
• the pumps could freeze-up
• so could the spray as it hits the house
• it puts you at risk of hypothermia
• the cleaning solutions are much less effective
All in all, cleaning the outside of a house with pressurized water in temperatures less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit is damaging to houses, equipment, and people.
Long Island pressure washing professionals choose to clean a house anytime from March to November, providing the temperatures aren’t too close to freezing. You simply get the best results in warmer temps. You can use hot water for pressurized cleaning, but it’s not a good idea to use it in freezing weather.
Time’s A-wastin’
Cleaning with pressure washing will take homeowners more time than it would take a professional. There’s reading the instructions regarding the ratio of cleaner to water. There’s learning what psi to use in order not to hurt yourself or blow the paint off the house.
There’s taking eight hours to wash an entire house as you learn where to stand, at which angle to hold the washer wand, as well as going back over the house to rinse it following the washing. That’s eight hours homeowners could have spent with the family. It doesn’t help to note that professionals will get it done in less than two hours. Save yourself some time, and call in the pros.
Stain Removal
Numerous things can stain the cladding on a house, including smoke drifting onto the cladding, the remnants of chemicals used nearby, water damages, lichens, mold, mildew, dirt, and dust. These are unsightly and can damage the cladding, not to mention the inside walls.
Long Island power washing removes these unsightly stains. Chemicals added to paints and stains prevent their return when the homeowner paints or stains the cladding. Professionals know which chemicals or solutions clean away stains as well as prep the surface for painting or staining. They know which to use on which type of surface for optimal results.
Protect The Health Of Your Family
Allergens come from some of the things listed above. Family members with allergies, asthma, or COPD suffer from the results of these causes of stains on the cladding. Keeping the inside of a house exquisitely clean is only half the equation, however.
Long Island professionals will wash your house’s cladding with pressurized water and chemicals that will not only kill but prevent the return of these health-threatening things. Their chemicals and solutions will also kill any bacteria growth that can and will threaten the health of your family.
It’s In The Details
Did you know there are 36 types of houses and rooflines? There’s the simplest of all, the ranch, and from there we move on to cottages, saltboxes, Cape Cod, Craftsman, Colonial, and split-levels. Rooflines can cover each separate wing or room in a house, they can cover the whole house in one simple roof, or they can have multiple peaks.
Homeowners cleaning their house with pressurized water have to get into every nook and cranny to get it thoroughly clean. That’s going to take all day, isn’t it? Alternatively, professionals have the ladders for the job. They sometimes use cherry pickers or lifts if the roofline or the cladding is intricately constructed. Since very few homeowners own a cherry picker, it’s a better idea to leave this kind of project to the pros.
Curb appeal, the health of your family, saving time, and not becoming injured are only a few of the reasons to hire Long Island pressure washing professionals to clean your home’s cladding and roof. Simply contact us and leave your information and a description of the project. We’re standing by to help.