Questions people ask us

Low-pressure cleaning with a solution and soap. It is a lot gentler than the power washing most people know, and the solution gets to the root of organic growth like algae, moss and dirt instead of spraying water at high pressure.

Yes. That is the point of it. The pressure is close to a garden hose, so water does not get forced behind siding or into trim. The solution does the cleaning, and we rinse it all off.

We soak your plants with water before any solution goes on the house and rinse them again after, and we cover outlets. Keep pets inside while we work and until the surfaces are rinsed.

Usually not. We need an outdoor spigot and access to the areas being cleaned. We text before we arrive and do a final walk-around with you if you are there.

If you are home, after we walk around the property with you and you give us the OK. If nobody will be home, we take payment ahead of time, or you can leave a check out for us before we start. Nothing is charged when you book.

Most homes in Lake and McHenry County want a wash every one to two years. Shaded sides, homes near water and homes under big trees green up faster.

Not when it is freezing. Water ices on the siding and the cleaning solution cannot work. We wash from spring into the fall and install holiday lights over the winter.

Window and door frames are part of every house wash. Cleaning the glass itself is an add-on: $10 a window with a $200 minimum, done on the same visit.

Not for a good while. Because the solution neutralizes the growth instead of knocking it off, siding stays clean much longer than after a pressure wash. Homes near the lakes tend to want a rinse for spider webs each year.

Type your address on our quote page and you get an instant quote for your home. There is a $400 minimum per visit, so most people add a second surface to the same trip.

An algae called Gloeocapsa magma. It feeds on the limestone filler in asphalt shingles and spreads on the shaded north side first. It is not dirt, so rain does not wash it off.

No. High pressure blows the protective granules off shingles and can void a roof warranty. We apply a solution at low pressure, let it work, and let the rain finish the rinse.

Yes. Cedar gets a milder mix and a longer dwell than asphalt, and no pressure. It is quoted after we see the roof.

Usually lichen. It grips harder than algae or moss and takes longer to let go after the wash. Most of it is gone within a few weeks of rain.

Most roofs stay clean for several years. Roofs under big trees or facing a lake see growth sooner.

Yes. Asphalt, cedar, slate, tile and stone, and synthetic roofs each take a different approach, so every roof is a custom quote. Pick your roof type on the quote page or call and Andrew will price it.

If you are home, after we walk around the property with you and you give us the OK. If nobody will be home, we take payment ahead of time, or you can leave a check out for us before we start. Nothing is charged when you book.

Most of the way. Fresh oil lifts well; oil that has soaked in for years lightens but may leave a shadow. We tell you what to expect on the walk-around.

Algae and mildew in the pores, worse on the shaded side and near sprinklers. The surface cleaner lifts it out of the pores, and a treatment afterwards neutralizes what is left, which is why ours stays clean longer.

Yes. The surface cleaner spins at an even distance from the slab, and we turn the pressure down on stamped and colored surfaces.

Not with a surface cleaner at the right setting. Concrete that is already flaking or pitted from salt can lose a little more surface, and we point that out before we start.

Once a year for most driveways. Shaded driveways and ones under trees may want it twice.

Yes, and most people do. The $400 visit minimum makes a second surface on the same trip the better deal.

Usually not. We need an outdoor spigot and access to the areas being cleaned. We text before we arrive and do a final walk-around with you if you are there.

If you are home, after we walk around the property with you and you give us the OK. If nobody will be home, we take payment ahead of time, or you can leave a check out for us before we start. Nothing is charged when you book.

Yes. Sealer locks in whatever is on the surface, so the pavers are cleaned first and left to dry fully, usually a day or two, before sealing.

Some, which is why re-sanding is part of the job. We sweep polymeric sand into the joints before the sealer goes on.

Three to five years in our winters, depending on sun, salt and traffic. When the color goes flat, it is time.

We give you the exact times for the sealer and the weather that day. Plan on keeping cars off for at least a day.

Usually efflorescence, salts coming up out of the pavers, or sealer that went on over damp pavers. Both should be dealt with before a new coat of sealer goes on.

Yes, at low pressure. We will tell you if the sealer is failing and needs a fresh coat.

If you are home, after we walk around the property with you and you give us the OK. If nobody will be home, we take payment ahead of time, or you can leave a check out for us before we start. Nothing is charged when you book.

Not the way we do it. Too much pressure raises the grain and leaves wand marks, so we keep it low on wood and let the solution do the work, then rinse.

Yes. Composite holds mildew in its texture. We clean it at low pressure with a solution, and it comes up bright without scarring.

Plants next to the deck are soaked with water before we start and rinsed again after, the same as on a house wash.

Yes, once it dries, usually 48 hours in summer. Many customers book the wash a few days before the stain.

If you are home, after we walk around the property with you and you give us the OK. If nobody will be home, we take payment ahead of time, or you can leave a check out for us before we start. Nothing is charged when you book.

Yes. A patio wash cleans the pavers at a setting that leaves the joint sand in place. Re-sanding and sealing is a separate service, priced after we see it.

Yes. Stone is cleaned at a lower setting than concrete, so the joints and the face of the stone stay intact.

Yes. Concrete and paver pool decks are washed like a patio and are often booked together with it.

Shade, sprinklers and water that sits after rain. Algae grows in the pores of concrete and in the joints of pavers. The treatment after the wash is what keeps it from coming straight back.

If you are home, after we walk around the property with you and you give us the OK. If nobody will be home, we take payment ahead of time, or you can leave a check out for us before we start. Nothing is charged when you book.

We rinse the screens in place. If you want the glass behind them cleaned, pop the screens off before we arrive and we will do the glass.

Windows are offered with a house wash, not as a stand-alone visit.

No. We clean the outside of the glass, the frames and the sills.

$10 per window, $200 minimum, added to your house wash. Count your windows on the quote page and the price updates as you go.

The outside faces are included in a house wash. Gutter cleaning is the inside: leaves, seeds and the grit that clogs downspouts.

Oxidized paint and road film, sometimes called tiger striping. A house wash removes most of it. Heavy striping may need a separate treatment; we will tell you on the walk-around.

Usually a clog at a downspout or a gutter full of seeds and grit. Flushing finds it. Overflowing gutters also feed green streaks on the siding below.

Late fall after the leaves drop, and spring before the heavy rains. Adding it to a house wash saves a trip.

If you are home, after we walk around the property with you and you give us the OK. If nobody will be home, we take payment ahead of time, or you can leave a check out for us before we start. Nothing is charged when you book.