When is comes to cleaning both interior and exterior cleaning is crucial to daily living. Due to our busy work and life schedules the last thing we want to think about is cleaning up our homes on our time off from work. This is why cleaning tasks are better left to the professionals.
If your homes interior remains dirty for a significant period of time it may lead to big consequences. For example if your homes kitchen stays with food scraps overnight, this is the perfect time for an undisturbed insect feast. Roaches, ants and other creepy crawlers will come by eating up your left overs. The best solution is to clean up after every meal, making sure to leave no crumbs behind. If not contained these bugs will move into other uninhabited areas of the house such as closets and bathrooms. Up next we have the bathroom which if not kept pristine and clean can cause health issues as well as smell bad to visiting guests. E coli can spread in the air and get its occupants sick. The humid moisture made by the shower also helps in bacteria growth. This is why we suggest you clean weekly with a disinfectant such as bleach or an all purpose cleaner. The next reason is more of the mental clarity aspect of keeping a home clean. Just like getting a hair cut we feel cleaner and achieve a sense of clarity. When we walk into our dirty homes it gives off a gloomy heavy feeling, but when it is just cleaned we get a feeling of happiness and joy. The same goes for exterior cleaning, similiar to cleaning a car the exterior is just as important as the interior. Keeping a homes exterior looking it's cleanest helps your home improve curb appeal and helps add value, especially when about to sell. The feeling of driving up to a clean home is always better than the opposite. For exterior roof cleaning we recommend it to be done yearly to keep the organic growth off. For exterior house cleaning we recommend it to be done yearly also, to keep bright. For exterior driveway and pool patio paver pressure cleaning we suggest semi-annually for best results in up to date maintenance. For more information about interior home cleaning checkout our friends at You've got maids in Boca Raton We serve Boca Raton, Delray beach, Parkland and the surrounding areas. Contact us at ivanspressurecleaning@gmail.com for questions or a quick quote.
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Many times as homeowners we want to take the best possible care of your homes, making sure it is clean always ready for the surprise guest visit. Part of the homes up keep comes from exterior cleaning, particularly in soft washing your roof. When first introduced to soft washing we understand its importance, safety as well as results after a job well done. We then realize that the chemicals used can dry out and burn your roofs surround landscape. That is when the panic sets in. We think "why clean something if it is going to ruin something else in its place". We let years go by without cleaning our roofs in order to maintain a beautifully lushious landscape. In short the answer to "Does Soft Washing my homes exterior kill my plants?" is YES, it can definitely harm plant life unless.......... Unless you water the surrounding area BEFORE, DURING and AFTER. This is the best solution for keeping your plants safe and healthy. Watering is a crucial step in soft washing in order to get the best results with zero damage. There is a saying we must remind ourselves of when soft washing your homes exterior, it goes "dilution is the solution to pollution" to rephrase this saying it means that watering the cleaning solution will render is useless because of heavy dilution. Now for a deeper look into why we should water BEFORE, DURING and AFTER a soft washing project. Before we start soft washing any surface we must check for where the concentrated chemical will runoff to and where wind can pick it up and leave it on your delicate plants. Once we have taken note of these areas we will water them deeply to hydrate as they have been a couple hours in the hot sun quenched with thirst. After we have hydrated the plants well enough we will begin to apply our cleaning solution and watch where runoff goes, where the mist drops to and which plants require more attention to. It is best to move section by section during the cleaning process and keep fresh water flowing to the plant life. When the area has come clean and you are about to finish, give all the landscape a good third watering as a security measure and give extra hydration. Note: If a plant has withered or is a bit burned by the cleaning chemical, it may require soluble plant fertilizer to strengthen its roots and extra continuous watering through the week. For more questions regarding soft washing and pressure cleaning please visit our blog page.
If you would like to get a quick quote please call or text us at (561)-305-8154 You may have noticed after months of rain and exposure to the sunlight your tile roof shingle may collect a dark hue. At first sight they seem like black streaks coming from the roof. From top to bottom. Although not easily seems from the ground, this is organic growth on the tiles. Brought on by the warm climate and many days of an undisturbed habitat. The most common growth found on roof tiles is called "Gloeocapsa magma" also found in an article by classic metal roofings https://www.classicmetalroofingsystems.com/theres-fungus-among-us/ . What Gleocapsma Magma is are a form of algae literally feeding off your composition shingles, the only way the human eye can capture this infestation is by a black staining on the roofs surface. At a microscopic level they are mold spores that have th eability to travel through the air and attach to other parts of your homes surfaces. Other home surfaces may include wood fences, stucco, windows and so on. Not only does this algae look unsightly but it can also drive down your homes value. When selling your home keeping it clean before the sell is a big plus. Soft washing and pressure cleaning your homes concrete and roof are small ways that make a big difference in curb appeal to your homes value. How to clean your tile roof shingles Step by Step The following steps will be broken down from start to finish. Goal, Preparation, Protection, Application, Dilution, Touch Ups and Rinse. Step 1: First we must take a look at what is our main objective. Is it cleaning a asphalt tile roof or is it cleaning a barrel tile roof. Knowing what surface you plan to clean in the biggest step in how we plan to tackle a job. In this example we will use asphalt shingle tile roof. Step 2: Secondly we want to prepare all tools and cleaning solutions required by our specific task. If we are working on a roof we will be needing a ladder, ladder stabilizers, safety harnesses, safety goggles and a chemical respirator mask. To apply the cleaning solution it comes down to your own choice. The cleaner can be applied by backpack sprayer,12 volt electrical pump or other form of a pump. The important part in this step is to get an even coat on your surface to prevent runoff into surrounding vegetation and landscape. The best cleaning solution to use for a roof cleaning is sodium hypochlorite. This with a mixture of water for dilution and surfactants to help cling (allowing the cleaner to do its work) will bring out the most desired cleaning effect. Step 3: Next we have protection. Protection does not only include plant protection but also property protection, bodily protection and equipment protection. For plant protection we have a few strategies that can be applied. We can place a breathable tarp over sensitive plants or if potted we can move away from the cleaning area. The method we like to use best is dilution with water. The method starts with watering the landscape with water before, during and after. This way the plant is well hydrated throughout the chemical application. Even if a gallon of chemical runs off into a plant it can be kept hydrated with many gallons of water more to dilute the cleaner to cancel out its effects. Property protection involves taping over exposed electrical outlets to avoid overspray getting into the power supply and short circuiting. Moving and also tarping outdoor furniture that can be stained with the chemical. Up next in line we have bodily protection, this includes safety goggle or sunglasses that cover your whole eye area, chemical respirator, long sleeve clothes and a batch of clean water to rinse yourself off in the case of a chemical overspray directly on your person. Although sometimes forgotten equipment protection also plays a key role in saving its use for the next cleaning project. Equipment such as pumps and sprayers should be rinsed out thoroughly with clean water and if possible a bleach neutralizer to level out the Ph. If your equipment is left untreated it will only last all but a couple jobs. Step 4: The next step involves application of the chemical on the desired surface of cleaning. We prefer to use a spray tip that achieves a clean thick enough coat to kill any organic growth with the first and if needed second coat. The cleaner works systematically attacking the bacteria's roots therefore it should be left on and only rinsed off by the rainstorms to come. Step 5: "Dilution is the solution to pollution" That is right dilution solves most of the damage the chemical can cause if not properly used and applied. Dilution the landscape with fresh clean water can cancel the cleaners concentration leaving us with a concentration less than pool water. Step 6: Touch ups on the areas not cleaned up enough will require a light 3rd coat. If there is a small brown haze this is not an issue as the organic growth will be working within its roots for the next days to come. The black stains go from black to brown then disappear. "If its brown it will come down" In this situation we need to trust the process. Step 7: The final step once all the roof is cleaned is to rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse some more! While rinsing down plants to dilute its concentration you must rinse your equipment and tools to prevent corrosion. In certain circumstance if a roof does not have rainstorm gutters it is a good practice to rinse about 3 feet up. This way when it rains the plants wont get a direct concentration. For more information on soft washing please visit our website ivanspressurecleaning.com or call/ text us at (561)305-8154 Visit our facebook page! When Cleaning your driveway pavers it is best to use a power washer and the correct cleaning chemicals to get the job done right. The power washer recommended is a 1200-1800 PSI that shoots 2.8 GPM of water volume and up. The cleaning solution used to kill and lift up organic growth such as mold and mildew can be found at your nearest pool supply store. You want to use chlorine or sometimes referred to as pool shock, this chemical will systematically kill the growth at the root. We also recommend you use a chlorine stable surfactant to mix with your cleaning solution, this will allow the chemical to stick to its intended surface and work longer. Allow the surface to soak up the solution and allow about 10 minutes to dwell. Although you can use a pressure cleaning gun to remove the grime off the driveway, we also recommend you use a surface clean to save on time and back breaking labor. With a surface cleaner you can cover more square footage with minimal effort. Once the growth has been lifted off the pavers, you will use your pressure washing gun to hit the edges and details such as gum and paint spots. Lastly rinse away the grime with your pressure washing gun off the paver surface. Depending on how badly the area was dirty you may want to post treat with the same cleaning solution incase any more organic growth was left over.
Now that the surface has been cleared up you might notice oil spots from cars or rust stains along your landscaped edges from sprinklers. The oil stains can be tricky to remove as they embed deep into the porous surface as days have passed but heavy duty degreaser will be the next chemical to reach for and apply. Let it dwell for 15 minutes and power wash away. Your rust stains are typically not as stubborn and can be removed with an acid such as muriatic or oxalic. We advise you to use caution when handling these chemical. Be sure to use gloves, wear protection and a respirator. If these chemicals come into contact with your skin or eyes, rinse off with water immediately until burning as gone away. After the process has completed allow time to dry before parking your vehicle to ensure all areas have been cleaned and not spots were missed. This method of cleaning can also be done on concrete driveways for similiar results. For more information on pressure cleaning and soft washing please refer to our blog page for informative articles. PSI stands for pounds per square inch. This in short is the pressure washers cleaning power. It is the force created by the pressure washing pump. The number of PSI marked on the equipment will tell you how much force the pressurized water comes out to. Although the PSI is important when getting your surfaces clean, we also want to see the GPM on the machine. GPM stands for gallons per minute. This tells us the volume of water that is coming through the pressure washing machine. The number of GPM will help in speeding up the cleaning and rinsing process leaving behind a clean finish. When picking out the correct pressure washer to buy or rent it is crucial to know what it will be used for. There are different catagories of pressure washing machines that break into residential and commercial grades both in gas and electric form.
For example if washing your car the light duty lower tier psi, electric grade set up is a great fit. A machine of this size can tackle car washing and other smaller infrequent projects such as grill cleaning, patio furniture and residential garbage bins. These pressure washers are in the 1,200 to 1.800 psi range and deliver 1.5 GPM of water volume. Up next we have 2,000 to 3,000 psi gas powered machines that are considered more heavy duty and shoot out around 2.8 GPM of water volume, these models are most common for residential scenarios such as driveways, sidewalks and pool patio surfaces. Lastly we have the 3,000 to 4,000 psi rated power washers that are commercial grade in nature and are to be used in large cleaning projects such as commercial plazas, banks, parking garages and other large concrete cleaning operations. These machines throw out 4-8 GPM of waterflow when paired with a buffer tank. In conclusion we recommend you pick out the pressure washer and equipment needed to complete the task at hand with efficiency and quality in mind. For more information about exterior cleaning please refer to out blog page for up to date information. welcome-to-our-blog.html |
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