Are The Chemicals That You Use For House Washing Safe?
One of the most popular questions homeowners ask when looking to have pressure washing service completed at their home is, “What chemicals do you use and is it safe for my house, plants, and
animals?” We get it, nobody wants to have their home damaged by simply trying to maintain their home’s exterior appearance. Let us first start by stating that we are experienced pressure washing
professionals who are covered by great liability insurance plan. In our years of experience, we have never had to make a single insurance claim and that is something that we take pride in because our property protection and preservation steps before and after the job are imperative to ensuring we provide a high quality result. The products we apply are safe and effective cleaning chemicals that we use every day but unprofessional application or lack of experience could cause damage.
Before we ever begin to apply or spray chemical or our detergents, we have taken the needed pre-cautions to ensure your property is ready for a cleaning. In our Terms and Conditions, we outline the
requested steps that homeowners should take to prepare their property for cleaning. Some of those steps are:
Protect Sensitive Items
Ensuring that your windows are closed and all seals function as they should, all electrical devices like doorbells, cameras, light systems, and more are protected or covered, all outlets are
covered or taped off, cars are removed from the driveway and placed on the street or the garage, furniture and décor items are removed or taken inside, and pets are inside. If there are existing issues or exotic vegetation, we ask that you make us aware prior to arrival so we ensure we can provide a proper care plan.
We bag downspouts when cleaning a roof to ensure we capture any excess, we pre-wet vegetation, and we can Tyvek wrap or cover plants as needed though we tend to ask homeowners to
take on this responsibility. Once we have completed our pre-check routine, it is time for the cleaning to begin. The standard chemical or detergent that all pressure washers use is sodium hypochlorite, commonly known as bleach.
How Strong Are The Chemicals Used For Pressure Washing?
All of the chemicals that we use are commercial grade and for professional use only. Our bleach is highly concentrated and powerful at 12.5% while the average store bought bleach is about <7%. When applying the chemical, it is mixed with a surfactant or soap (tends to smell like apple, cherry, lemon) and contains a neutralizer which is the key ingredient that helps protect your property from unwanted damage. When applying the chemical, it is mixed and diluted with water, soap, and neutralizer so that only about 1% bleach is sprayed towards the home or surface. This makes it safe and effective at cleaning your property while creating less likelihood of damage. There are alternatives to our standard chemicals that are more eco-friendly but due to the cost, the quote would reflect the price increase for a premium, non-standard chemical application.
What Is Done After The First House Washing Application?
Once the cleaning is complete, we run through a post-cleaning checklist that primarily ensures that all vegetation was saturated to further prevent any unwanted damage. We will complete a final walk around with the customer to inspect each side of the home. A common occurrence during the drying process on vinyl homes are faint brown spots remaining on the surface after we have left. This is the result of weep holes on vinyl siding that continue to drip water containing some dirt which seeps out from behind the vinyl. Do not worry, it will go away with the next rainfall and it is not a stain caused by our cleaning but a result of the drying process, naturally. It also occurs regularly with standard rainfall, whether the house was cleaned or not.
Will My House Be Cleaner After Pressure Washing?
By following an extensive pre-work and post-work checklist, we are able to commit to providing professional, high standard practices that give you ease of mind when our team shows up to complete your pressure washing or exterior cleaning service in Greenville, SC. If you have additional questions or concerns that you would like to discuss, we encourage you to present those prior to our team arriving to complete your service. Rest assured, you are in good hands with the Carolina Pressure Washers team.
