Outdoor Cleaning in Williamsburg, VA

We work on homes along North Henry Street in Highland Park, off Capitol Landing Road between Merrimac Trail and Bypass Road, near City Square Park on North Boundary Street, and out toward Waller Mill Park on Airport Road. If you live on the far side of town, we come there too.

House soft washing takes black mildew, green algae, and dirt splash-back off vinyl siding, brick, eaves, and soffits. We use a low-pressure wash and a soft wash solution, so the siding gets clean without water forced behind the laps.

Roof cleaning removes the black streaks on asphalt shingles. Those streaks are Gloeocapsa magma algae. We also treat moss and lichen. We apply the solution at low pressure to protect the shingle granules.

Pressure washing is for concrete: driveways, sidewalks, patios, and pool decks. We use a rotary surface cleaner for even passes and pre-treat oil and rust stains.

Deck and fence cleaning brings back graying wood and takes mildew off boards and railings. We clean composite decks too.

Window cleaning covers exterior glass, screens, frames, sills, and second-story windows, with a streak-free finish.

Wash water is the first thing we plan around in Williamsburg. Solution and runoff from power washing are not allowed into storm drains or streams. Before we start, we find the nearest drain inlet and where the driveway and gutters send water. We pre-wet and block runoff paths, keep the solution on the surface we are cleaning, and rinse so the water soaks into lawn and beds instead of running down the curb. On a driveway that slopes straight to the street, we set up our runoff control at the bottom edge before the first pass.

Housing type changes how we set up. Homes in the city include detached houses. On those, we usually work from your own spigot and walk the whole exterior with you. The rest are townhomes, condos, and apartments. On a shared building, we confirm water access, parking for the rig, and which walls and roofs belong to your unit. We coordinate with your association or property manager before washing anything shared.

Williamsburg homes range from newer builds to much older houses built with brick and painted wood trim. The age of the house tells us what we will find on it. Newer homes tend to have vinyl siding and asphalt shingle roofs, which get soft washed. Older brick, painted wood trim, and aged mortar need lower pressure and a slower hand. We check every surface by hand before we choose a nozzle.

In the city's historic preservation districts, exterior changes need approval before work starts. Our job there is cleaning, not changing. We take off growth and dirt and leave the paint, brick, and trim as they were. We don't blast paint or etch masonry on any house, and on these homes we test a small, out-of-sight spot first.

Shade and damp walls grow mildew and algae fastest. North walls, siding behind shrubs, and roofs under tree cover come back sooner than sunny sides. We point those spots out when we finish so you know where staining will show first.

We walk the property with you first. We look at the siding, roof, concrete, wood, and glass, and we note oil stains, rust, pollen film, and tiger striping on the gutters. Then we tell you which surfaces get a soft wash and which get pressure.

On wash day, we pre-wet your plants and grass so the solution doesn't sit on leaves. We move patio furniture and grills aside. We close windows and check that outlets and light fixtures are covered.

On siding, we apply the soft wash solution from the bottom up and give it dwell time to break down the mildew and algae. Then we do a top-down rinse so dirty water doesn't streak the clean wall below. We brighten the gutter faces and clean the eaves and soffits in the same pass. We rinse plants again when we finish.

On roofs, we work in a roof harness and apply the solution at low pressure. We never pressure wash shingles. We finish with a gutter line rinse and flush the downspouts so runoff goes where we planned it.

On concrete, we pre-treat stains, run the surface cleaner in overlapping passes to prevent striping, and edge with a rinse wand. A post-treatment keeps the surface clean longer.

On decks and fences, we use a low-angle wand technique to protect the wood fibers. We follow with wood brightener when the boards have grayed. If you plan to stain, we tell you the dry time before sealing.

On windows, we use squeegee technique on reachable glass and a water-fed pole with purified water on second-story windows. We clean screens and tracks and wipe frames and sills with a detail towel.

Will pressure washing damage my siding?

High pressure can crack vinyl, drive water behind the siding, and wear down brick mortar. That's why we soft wash houses. The solution does the cleaning, and we rinse at low pressure. Our guide on soft washing or pressure washing explains which surfaces get which method.

How long will my roof stay clean?

On a roof with full sun, the black streaks usually stay away longer. A roof under trees or on the north side stains again sooner. We treat the algae at the root, not just the color, so it takes longer to return.

Is the solution safe for my plants?

We pre-wet plants before we apply anything, keep the solution on the surface we are cleaning, and rinse plants again when we are done. That keeps the solution off leaves and dilutes anything that drifts.

Do I need to be home?

No, as long as we have access to an outdoor spigot and the gates are unlocked. We walk the finished work with you if you are home, or we send photos when we leave.

Why does the green come back on one side of my house?

That side gets the least sun and stays damp longest. Algae and mildew grow there first. Our guide on mildew and algae on exteriors covers why and how often those walls need washing.

Call (757) 697-5416 or request an estimate for outdoor cleaning in Williamsburg. Tell us what you see: green on the siding, black streaks on the roof, stains on the driveway, or gray boards on the deck. We will walk the property, check each surface and where the water will drain, and explain the cleaning options before we quote. We also work in nearby Yorktown, Tabb, and Poquoson.