Outdoor Cleaning in Hampton, VA

Most Hampton houses need more than one kind of cleaning. Vinyl siding, asphalt shingles, concrete, and wood each take a different approach, and the wrong one causes damage.

House soft washing. We clean vinyl siding, brick, eaves, soffits, and gutter faces with a low-pressure wash and a soft wash solution. The solution kills the algae and mildew. The water only carries it away. We also brighten gutter faces to remove the dark tiger striping that runs down from the gutter lip.

Roof cleaning. Those black streaks on asphalt shingles are Gloeocapsa magma, an algae that feeds on the roof. We remove it with low-pressure roof cleaning, not a pressure washer. High pressure strips granules and shortens the life of the shingles. We treat moss and lichen the same way, work from a roof harness, and rinse the gutter line and flush the downspouts when we finish.

Pressure washing. We clean driveways, sidewalks, patios, and pool decks with a rotary surface cleaner. It covers concrete in even passes and prevents the striping a single wand leaves behind. We pre-treat oil stains and rust stains before we clean and post-treat the concrete afterward to slow regrowth.

Deck and fence cleaning. We wash wood and composite decks, railings, and fence boards. On wood we use a low-angle wand technique to protect the fibers, then apply a wood brightener to bring back graying boards. If you plan to stain or seal, we tell you the dry time before sealing.

Window cleaning. We clean exterior glass by hand with a squeegee and reach second-story windows with a water-fed pole and a purified water rinse. We clean screens, wipe frames and sills, and remove hard water spots for a streak-free finish.

If you are not sure which method your house needs, our guide on soft washing or pressure washing shows which surfaces get which treatment.

Hampton sits between the Chesapeake Bay, rivers, and a lot of old tree cover. Surfaces here stay damp longer, and shade holds that moisture. That is what feeds green algae on siding, black mildew under eaves, moss on roofs, and slick film on decks. Our guide to mildew and algae on exteriors explains why it keeps returning. Here is how it changes the work street by street.

Near Buckroe Beach. Homes close to Buckroe Beach sit right on the Chesapeake Bay, and siding and glass there stay wet longer after humid nights. We see more mildew on the north and bay-facing walls and a gritty film on windows and screens. We give the soft wash solution full dwell time on those walls and rinse screens and glass with purified water so the film does not dry back into spots.

Along a busy neighborhood street. This street works as both a residential boulevard and a neighborhood main street, so many houses face steady traffic. Road grime and dirt splash-back build up on the lower courses of siding, front steps, and walkways. We pre-treat that bottom band before the full wash and run the surface cleaner across front walks so the entry looks even from the street.

Off Big Bethel Road near Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Houses near Sandy Bottom Nature Park at Big Bethel Road often sit under or beside heavy tree cover. Shade and pollen seasons mean moss on roofs, lichen on shingles, and green growth on decks and fence boards. We check shaded roof planes closely, treat moss and lichen with a low-pressure application, and plan the runoff so it does not pool against the foundation or in flower beds.

Along West Mercury Boulevard. West Mercury Boulevard is a busy road where walkways are being improved for people on foot. Tire dust and road film settle on nearby driveways, walks, and lower walls. On those properties we pre-treat concrete for oil and grime, clean it with the rotary surface cleaner, and rinse the edges so dirty water does not run back onto clean concrete.

Pollen season hits all of Hampton. A yellow pollen film on siding, decks, and windows can hide the mildew underneath. We clean the film first so we can see what is actually growing on the surface.

We walk the property first. We check every surface you want cleaned: siding type, roof type, the age and condition of wood, cracks in concrete, and loose trim or screens. We point out anything fragile before we start, and we note where rinse water will drain.

We protect the landscaping. We move patio furniture aside, close windows, and pre-wet the plants and grass near the house. Wet leaves absorb less solution. We keep plants rinsed while we work and rinse them again when we finish.

We apply the soft wash solution from the bottom up. Starting at the bottom keeps the solution from running down dry siding and leaving streaks. We let it sit for the dwell time the growth needs. Heavy black mildew under a shaded eave takes longer than light green algae on a sunny wall.

We rinse from the top down. Top-down rinsing carries the dead growth and solution down and off the house in one direction. We finish with eaves, soffits, and gutter faces so nothing drips onto clean siding.

We clean concrete in even passes. On driveways and walks we pre-treat stains, then run the rotary surface cleaner in overlapping passes. We rinse with a rinse wand and apply a post-treatment to slow algae return in the shade.

We clean roofs at low pressure. We apply the solution from a roof harness, let it work, and let rain and a gentle rinse finish the job. We never put a pressure washer on shingles. When we are done we rinse the gutter line and flush the downspouts.

We finish with windows and a final walk. Glass gets cleaned last so overspray from other work does not spot it. Then we walk the property with you and fix anything we missed while we are still there.

Should my house be soft washed or pressure washed?

Siding, roofs, and painted surfaces get soft washed. Low pressure and the right solution kill algae and mildew without forcing water behind vinyl or stripping shingle granules. Concrete gets pressure washed with a surface cleaner. Wood gets a low-pressure wash with a careful wand angle. We use the method the material can take.

Which surfaces need cleaning?

Start with what you can see turning green, black, or gray. In Hampton that is usually the shaded walls of the house, the north side of the roof, the driveway and front walk, and any deck under trees. When we walk the property, we tell you which surfaces need cleaning now and which can wait.

How often should I have my house cleaned?

Most Hampton houses need a soft wash once green or black growth starts to show. Homes under heavy trees or close to the water often need it yearly. Roofs usually go a long while between treatments once the black streaks are gone. Driveways and walks in shade look best cleaned once a year. Windows are worth doing after pollen season.

Will the black streaks come back on my roof?

Eventually, yes. The algae comes back over time in a humid climate, especially on shaded roof planes. A proper soft wash kills the growth instead of just rinsing the surface, so it takes much longer to return than after a pressure rinse.

Will the solution hurt my plants?

We pre-wet the plants before we start, keep them wet while we work, and rinse them when we finish. We also direct runoff away from beds. That protects your landscaping.

Do you work outside Hampton?

Yes. We also clean homes in Yorktown and Tabb. You can read more about our crew.

Call (757) 697-5416 or request an estimate for outdoor cleaning in Hampton. Tell us which surfaces are green, black, streaked, or stained: siding, roof, driveway, deck, fence, or windows. We will come out, check each surface, and explain the cleaning options that suit your house.