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The Ultimate Guide to Pressure Washing

by | Sep 22, 2024 | Pressure Washing for Homeowners

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Introduction

Your home’s exterior is constantly exposed to the elements, which can lead to the buildup of dirt, mold, algae, and other contaminants. Pressure washing and house washing are two popular methods for cleaning your home’s exterior surfaces, but how do they differ, and which one is best for your needs?

In this guide, we’ll explore the differences between pressure washing and Soft washing, the benefits of each, and tips for keeping your home in top shape.

What is Pressure Washing?

Benefits of Pressure Washing:

  • Deep Clean: The high pressure can penetrate deep into cracks and crevices to remove stubborn stains.
  • Efficiency: It’s a fast and effective way to clean large areas.
  • Ideal for Hard Surfaces: Driveways, sidewalks, and some fences are perfect candidates for pressure washing.

What is Soft Washing?

Soft washing is a gentler cleaning method. It uses low-pressure water combined with cleaning solutions to remove dirt, mold, and other contaminants from your home’s exterior surfaces. This method is safer for materials like vinyl siding, painted surfaces, and roofing. View our housewashing breakdown here: House Wash with Softwash Technology is number 1 in VB (neptuneclean.com)

Benefits of Soft Washing:

  • Safe for Delicate Surfaces: Low pressure ensures that your siding, paint, and shingles are not damaged during the cleaning process.
  • Effective on Mold and Algae: The cleaning agents used in house washing kill and remove mold and algae at their roots, ensuring a longer-lasting clean.

Types of Cleaning

  • Pressure Washing is ideal for:
    • Driveways
    • Some Patios and decks
    • Concrete surfaces
  • Soft Washing is ideal for:
    • Vinyl, wood, and aluminum siding
    • Roofs
    • Windows and glass doors
    • Painted surfaces

How Often Should You Wash Your Home’s Exterior?

It’s recommended to pressure wash or house wash your home’s exterior at least once a year, depending on environmental factors. If your home is exposed to heavy rain, wind, or is surrounded by trees, you may need to clean it more often to prevent buildup of debris, mold, and algae.

Steps for Washing hardscapes

  1. Prepare the Area: Remove any outdoor furniture or plants and cover electrical outlets.
  2. Outline: use a higher pressure nozzle to outline the areas a surface cleaner will not reach and apply solution.
  3. Start Cleaning: Work in sections, moving the surface cleaner in even, sweeping motions to avoid streaks or surface damage.
  4. Rinse: Use a wider nozzle to remove all of the residual dirt the surface cleaner has agitated.

Steps for house washing

  1. Rinse: Rinse down surface and plants. Test solution on a small portion of siding or surface to make sure there the solution reacts well with the surface.
  2. Apply Cleaning Solution: Use a soft wash or low-pressure sprayer to apply the cleaning solution to the exterior of your home.
  3. Let it Sit: Allow the solution to sit for 15-20 minutes to break down grime and kill mold/algae.
  4. Rinse Thoroughly: Use a low-pressure washer to rinse off the solution, leaving your home looking fresh and clean.

Steps for roof washing

  1. Inspection: Get ladder, solution and soft wash system ready and inspect the roof for damage.
  2. Clear debris: Using a brush delicately brush off moss and debris
  3. Apply Solution: Using a soft wash system apply your roof wash solution to the roof.
  4. Rinse: This treatment works best to leave the solution on the roof and let the rain rinse it off. However if you msut rinse the solution wait around 30 minutes to allow the solution to set in.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Too Much Pressure: Using too much pressure can damage surfaces, especially delicate materials like wood or siding.
  • Inconsistent Cleaning: overlapping your strokes when pressure washing ensures an even clean without missing spots.

Should You Hire a Professional?

While DIY pressure washing or house washing can save money, hiring a professional service guarantees the job is done safely and effectively. Professionals know how to handle different surfaces and have the right equipment to ensure your home is cleaned without damage. 12 Benefits of Pressure Washing for Your Home or Business (mrhandyman.com)

Why You Should Choose Neptune Clean

Neptune Clean is the ideal choice for your pressure washing needs. With our years of expertise and experience in both pressure, house, and roof washing, we can effectively and safely clean any surface, whether it’s tough concrete or delicate siding. Regular maintenance using our services will not only enhance your home’s curb appeal but also provide long-term protection against damage. Choose Neptune Clean for a top-notch cleaning solution that keeps your property in excellent condition year-round.

Call us at: 757-773-2470

Email: sales@neptuneclean.com

Property Managers Discover 7 Benefits of Pressure Washing

by | Nov 18, 2022 | Pressure Washing Professionals

property managers

Gutter Guards Protect Your Home

Pressure washing may be the most overlooked tool property managers have at their disposal for cutting the operational cost of their buildings and improving their overall appeal. Most property managers do not know the benefits of pressure washing a building, so they consider it a luxury.

Property managers seek to solve many of the problems by repainting a building or giving it a general facelift can be solved by pressure washing it. When placed side-by-side with the other methods property managers often use, the benefits of pressure washing are more significant.

 

There is no quicker and more environmentally-friendly method for ensuring the cleanliness and attractiveness of a property than pressure washing it. The reason is simple; pressure washing combines high pressure with the well-known power of water as a universal solvent.

These qualities give pressure washing the ability to dislodge dust, grime, chemical agents, and organisms that have ingrained themselves into the surfaces of a building for a long time. Pressure washing stops the unseen processes that hasten the deterioration of materials.

Property managers often need to see the benefit of pressure washing a building because they underestimate the power of dirt to harm the structure of their building. They don’t know how much harm the bacteria that have established themselves on the surfaces are doing.

 As a result, they also don’t see the value of pressure washing for dealing with those problems. Pressure washing removes harmful materials from the surfaces of a building; it does it in record time and at a lower cost than the cost of fixing or repainting the building.

If you’re a property manager looking for efficient ways to improve the appearance and performance of your managed properties, what are the benefits of pressure washing for your business? This post explains the reasons to make pressure washing part of your building maintenance arsenal.

7 Benefits of Pressure Washing for Property Managers

Number 1: Attract new customers and residents

Whether you manage a residential or commercial property, pressure washing can help your business. Property managers are always advertising, but there is no better advertisement for your business than the appearance of the building.

Buildings that are grime-free by periodic pressure washing will not have unsightly surfaces that repel visitors. People who live in them are less likely to complain and more likely to renew their leases. Businesses domiciled on the premises can attract more clients because customers feel at home inside the building. As the property manager, you can entice new residents or businesses to lease from you.

Number 1: Attract new customers and residents

Whether you manage a residential or commercial property, pressure washing can help your business. Property managers are always advertising, but there is no better advertisement for your business than the appearance of the building.

Buildings that are grime-free by periodic pressure washing will not have unsightly surfaces that repel visitors. People who live in them are less likely to complain and more likely to renew their leases. Businesses domiciled on the premises can attract more clients because customers feel at home inside the building. As the property manager, you can entice new residents or businesses to lease from you.

Number 2: Improved property values

A significant benefit of pressure washing is that you can instantly restore the appearance of different types of surfaces. Driveways, parking lots, walkways, lobbies, patios, roofs, sidings, and fences are a few of the areas you can clean with pressure washing. Interestingly, these are some essential features of a building’s curb appeal.

Algae, mold, and mildew are common sights on buildings, especially after the summer rains, due to high heat and humidity. These growths can have a marked impact on a property’s value and the overall attractiveness of a neighborhood. But it is easy to maintain or even boost the value of your properties and raise the rental rate if you pressure wash the building regularly.

Number 3: Good for preventative maintenance.

The best way to maintain your property is not to stay up to speed with the problems. The best way is to minimize maintenance issues in the building. This is preventative maintenance: taking steps to solve problems early so they do not become costly maintenance items later.

 Mildew, mold, grime, hazardous chemicals, bacteria, and mold accelerate wear and tear on the materials of the building. Mold, in particular, penetrates surfaces to extract the substrates from materials. Over time, this compromises the structural integrity of sidings, concrete surfaces, roof shingles, and other mold-infested surfaces. Pressure washing surfaces helps get rid of harmful substances and organisms that do damage to your building.

Number 4: Property managers can save and make more money.

For example, the cost of fixing damage caused by the acid in bird droppings on the metal surfaces of your building, such as gutters and drainage systems, pales compared to the cost of pressure washing those surfaces to protect them. This is just one way pressure washing your building saves you money.

Beyond saving money, pressure washing will help you make more money. One benefit of pressure washing is the improved ambiance of the building, which means you can attract quality clients who can afford to pay higher rents. Additionally, you can cut vacancy rates by getting existing tenants to stay.

Number 5: Pressure washing improves health.

One of the least-talked-about benefits of pressure washing is its impact on the health of the people who live in or work in a building and those who visit the premises. Allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems are enormous problems in the enclosed internal environments of facilities. Allergens and irritants get circulated in and out of the closed HVAC system, but pressure washing parts of the building can help eliminate them. Pressure washing will remove mold, mold spores, pollen, dust, and bacteria, thus improving the indoor air quality of your buildings.

Number 6: Pressure washing is environmentally friendly

The main things you need to pressure wash a building are high-pressure water with pressure washing solutions that are EPA-certified and primarily biodegradable. No toxic chemicals are used in this process. So, there is no chance that people will get sick after pressure-washing the building.

Pressure washing will not leach harmful chemicals into the soil or groundwater. There is no risk that some of the solutions used in the process will find their way into the drinking water and harm nature or people. Unlike cleaning methods that use harsh chemicals, pressure washing is one of the most environmentally friendly cleaning methods.

Number 7: Helpful in maintaining common areas

The final benefit of pressure washing for property managers is its value in maintaining the common areas of a community. Common areas play a role in tenants’ happiness and are vital for attracting new renters to your community.

Keeping common areas, such as pool areas and lobbies, clean and sanitary can be a considerable challenge. Common areas are the public face of your community, and pressure washing them is a great way to keep these highly visible parts of the property clean, safe, and attractive.

Bidding Pressure Washing Jobs – #1 Reason No Gov Bids

Bidding Pressure Washing Jobs – #1 Reason No Gov Bids

by | Mar 27, 2022 | Pressure Washing Professionals

Bidding Pressure Washing Jobs – Why I don’t compete for Government Work

Why bidding pressure washing jobs solicited by the government is a losing game. I’m going to share an experience I recently had when competing for a contract to soft wash the buildings, clean the windows, and pressure wash the concrete for several community college campuses here in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

My goal in sharing this with you is to raise the collective awareness within our industry to a higher level of understanding. Particularly when it comes to bidding pressure washing jobs for goverment exterior cleaning opportunities.

I understand there are numerous ways to price a job and for the most part I see consistency among professionals in my area. I feel that when it comes to commercial work however, you can’t carry over a residential pricing structure, especially when the jobs are as large as a college campus.

I’m about to share my opinion so for what it’s worth you can agree or agree to disagree. After the solicitation ended and the quotes were made public, I noticed that several companies truly low-balled their pricing.

bidding pressure washing jobs

At the prices these contracts were awarded, I would have lost money bidding pressure washing jobs for this state owned community college. I understand everyone has different operating expenses and mine may be higher than a one-man operation. Regardless of that fact, these prices were WAY too low. We are cheapening the industry by offering to do the work at these low prices.

Having a mindset that doesn’t take into consideration the profit that is due you affect the entire industry. It also shows you basically have a job and not a business. Using a low-ball bid strategy, you’re simply working for the government and not yourself. You’re a contractor and not a business owner.

Businesses pay their owners AND make a profit on top of that. This is why we’re in business to begin with. This where some entrepreneurs run off the rails when bidding pressure washing jobs for government entities. They do not put enough value on the knowledge they’ve acquired through hours of study and experience.

They don’t place the proper value on the risk they’ve taken investing their hard-earned dollars in gear, equipment, materials, marketing, or other administrative expenses.

There is a risk associated with government contracts. You must price this risk in and here it is… If you don’t price government work correctly, you’re still obligated to perform at the price you quoted.

If you make a mistake bidding on large contracts, it could be the one that puts you out of business. Best case is that you basically work for free or lose money in the process of completing the job.

Getting back to this competition and why I won’t be bidding pressure washing jobs in the future. I thought I had a great chance to win several of these contracts since I worked for more than six years for a government contractor doing business development. I also have a thorough understanding of my pressure washing business model and what it takes to turn a profit.

If you’ve ever competed for government work, you understand there is a process that you must follow to be successful. Some are more complicated than others but overall, pressure washing contracts are straight forward.

Let’s take a moment to run through a couple of these properties to analyze my bidding on pressure washing jobs process and then look at the end results of the competition. To see the rest of this post, watch the video at the top of this page. I’m going to run my bid process so you can see how I structured my bid.

For more information on Pressure Washing Prices pressure washing prices.

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Are Gutter Guards Worth The Investment?

Are Gutter Guards Worth The Investment?

by | Feb 22, 2022 | Pressure Washing for Homeowners

Gutter Guards Protect Your Home

Gutter guards are one of the most important preventative measures you can take to protect your home from moisture damage. They are not all created equal however. When it comes to doing a DIY gutter guard project I understand the desire to work on your own home, save money, and have a sense of accomplishment when you’re done.

The problem is with the quality of the product you can purchase. If you’re looking to a big-box home store for gutter protection, don’t waste your time or money. They just don’t have products that actually work. Ok, they may work for a year, maybe even two if your lucky but long-term their gutter guards are worthless.

If you watched the video on this page you’ll see that we’re removing old, inferior gutter guards before installing our high-quality Bulldog Brand product. If you want a true 25 year warrenty spend a little more money and have Neptune Clean professionally install the gutter guards for you.

You do have other options for professionally installed gutter protection but you’ll pay more than double by going with the national brand with the huge advertising budget. Of course they do have a good product, I just feel they price-point doesn’t match the value added. As a homeowner myself, I encourage you to do your research. Let Neptune Clean quote your gutter guards project along with the national brands and see what I’m talking about.

We use a high quality product sourced from a local professional building supplier who guarantees them to keep your gutters clean for 25 years. I’ve personally installed a few thousand linear feet of this product and I’ve never been called back for a clog.

Click here for more information on our Bulldog Brand gutter guards.

Click here for an instant quote.

Gutter Cleaning in Virginia Beach
Gutter Covers

Should You Invest in Gutter Guards?

If you’re reading this article, then you’ve probably noticed that your gutters aren’t doing their job quite as well as they should be. Over time, leaves and pine needles can get clogged in the gutter and cause water to overflow into your yard, potentially causing major damage if left unaddressed for too long. To protect your home and landscaping from water damage, invest in gutter guards today! 

Do I need gutter guards?

If you’re on a limited budget, or just don’t see yourself ever needing to clean your gutters, gutter guards may not be worth investing in. However, if you have a large tree that sheds leaves throughout the year—or live in an area with lots of rain and snow—gutter guards can save you time and money by keeping debris out of your gutters. Also, while they aren’t cheap (the average cost is $1 per linear foot), they are very affordable compared to replacing damaged gutters after a big storm!

When do I need them installed?

The first thing to think about is when it’s best to install gutter guards. If you have enough leaves and debris that they start to clog your gutters, then it’s probably a good idea. However, if you don’t have any debris buildup and plan on doing seasonal leaf removal, then investing in these gutter guards might not be worth it for you. It all depends on how quickly your gutters fill up or how quickly leaves begin to fall from your trees.

Do I need professional installation?

This depends on several factors. First is safety. Are you comfortable working off the ground on a ladder? If you can’t be bothered to hire a professional to install your gutter guards, there’s always do-it-yourself options. They are relatively easy to install unless your gutters need repair. You’ve got to start with straight gutters so some repair might be in order. Still, if you choose to DIY, I recommend hiring a gutter professional or handyman to check over your work. It could save you hundreds of dollars down the road if they catch an installation error now rather than months from now when it starts leaking or clogging.

How much will it cost to install them myself?

If you don’t want to hire a professional for any reason, it can be very costly to invest in gutter guards yourself. While DIY options are available, you can still expect to pay at least $500 for materials alone, as well as hours of labor time cleaning and installing them. The exact cost depends on your roof type and size. That’s not to mention having them professionally installed will give you peace of mind that they won’t come off accidentally or be poorly fitted.

Will it stop debris from building up in my gutters?

As a rule of thumb, you should never buy anything that doesn’t solve a problem you have. So if your gutters haven’t been cleaned regularly, maybe it’s time to invest in gutter guards. If they aren’t clogged up and debris-free, you might not even need them. To answer this question, yes, gutter guards installed by Neptune Clean are guaranteed against clogging for 25 years.

What’s the best brand to use?

Not all gutter guards are created equal. Depending on your home’s layout, it may be necessary to purchase a specific brand. Before deciding which guard is best for you, ask a professional who has worked with the big-box store (DIY) brands and professionally installed gutter guards. Those with first-hand experience will be able to tell you how well each brand protects against rain-related damage and how easy each type of guard is to install.

How long should they last, and what can wear out first?

As mentioned earlier in this post, our professionally installed gutter guards are guaranteed never to clog for 25 years. They are made of high-quality aluminum, so they don’t rust or deteriorate. The cheaper DIY brands you find at the big box home stores are made of plastic and deteriorate quickly with exposure to the elements.  

Maker Pipe Storage Rack for Pressure Washing Rig

Maker Pipe Storage Rack for Pressure Washing Rig

by | Feb 6, 2022 | Pressure Washing Professionals

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Maker Pipe Storage Rack

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Maker Pipe Entrepreneurial Journey

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Maker Pipe storage rack project

Make Pipe Storage Rack for Pressure Washing Truck

Maker Pipe to the rescue! Last year I made the decision to take Neptune Clean to the next level with the purchase of a beastly Ford F450 with a twelve-foot flatbed. Since this truck can carry about 16,000 pounds of cargo, it allowed us to upgrade our equipment and install a much larger water tank, SH tank, and batch mix tank. I’ve still got m

The first thing that needed to be done was to install a ladder rack prior to mounting all the pressure washing gear. Since the pressure washing season was in full swing when I purchased the truck, there wasn’t much time to fabricate anything else that it needed. Frankly, there wasn’t any money left to pay for welders or the metal they would need to customize it further anyway.

Fast-forward to the winter of 2022. During the off-season I wanted do maintenance, make some additional upgrades, and organize the rig for efficiency. Building a rack to take advantage of the vertical space on my truck my goal. Since the cost of metal is on the rise in a big way I and I don’t know how to weld, searched for an alternative and came across Make Pipe.

Make Pipe

Maker Pipe Entrepreneurial Journey (Short Version)

A husband-and-wife team set off on an entrepreneurial journey born from a desire to find strong, convenient, and affordable ways to build furniture and other things to use in their home. A great place to look for inspiration sit the maker community. The maker community is a fun one to be a part of with lots of support and idea sharing.

After some ideation and experimentation, the couple begin with one basic connector. This connector was their minimum viable product necessary to begin testing the waters, with their target market. The idea was to pair the connectors with inexpensive electrical conduit as it’s readily available pretty much everywhere, strong, affordable, and transportable.

 The response they got to the product lead to a Kickstarter campaign in 2015. It wasn’t an instant success but with perseverance and some creativity they funded the second Kickstarter round in 2016 in just 6 hours. Pretty cool if you ask me. I love an entrepreneurial success story.

Maker Pipe T Connector

Maker Pipe Resources

Maker Pipe Fittings

Build Ideas

Cleansol BC Spec Sheet

Maker Pipe How-to Guide

Click here if you’re interested in starting your own pressure washing business.

 

Maker Pipe storage rack project

Getting back to my Maker Pipe storage rack project. Since I’m no stranger to the maker community, I engaged my woodworking skills to design and build my new storage rack. It had to be strong enough to hold a 13-gallon fuel tank above my 8 gallon per minute pressure washer. It also needed to support a surface cleaner and provide storage for bottles of cleaner we carry on the truck.

The Make Pipe storage rack design is simple and I’m very impressed with how strong it has turned out. I added a couple of 45-degree connectors to provide lateral support and hard-tied it into the bed of the truck as well as the vertical bulkhead some-times known as the headache rack. I have no doubt it’s going to stand up to the stress of a professional pressure washing operation. It also looks great!

I opted for the black vinyl connectors and wrapped each pipe with black shrink-wrap that is offered on the Maker Pipe website. The black finish blends in perfectly with the painted flatbed and ladder rack. I added a bar to hold the pressure washing surface cleaner in place as well as a bungee cord. Two closable storage bins hold the cleaners and fit perfectly into the space below the surface cleaner. I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. If you have a project you’d like to make, look at the Maker Pipe.

Building My Soft Wash Blend Manifold

Building My Soft Wash Blend Manifold

by | Feb 3, 2022 | Pressure Washing Professionals

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Building My Softwash Blend Manifold

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Blend Manifold Basics

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Blend Manifold Parts Resources

Blend Manifold Build – My Custom Soft Wash 3-Valve Setup

Prior to building my first blend manifold, I had a bunch of decisions to make. Before I launched my pressure washing company, I did hours and hours of research on which equipment to use and why. I soon learned there are two basic methods of delivering a cleaning solution to a home’s exterior, down-streaming and soft-wash. The term soft wash can get confusing, however. Soft wash simply means low-pressure application of a cleaning solution that will not damage a building’s exterior.

Commercial pressure washers, 4 gallons per minute and up, are scary strong and if used improperly can force water underneath a home’s siding, through construction gaps, or behind window and door jambs. They can also damage wood siding such as cedar shake or even fiber cement products like Hardie Board. Having said that, I consider down-streaming as a method of soft-washing since pressure is reduced significantly in down-stream mode allowing for a “soft” application of the cleaning solution. Its only limitation is the cleaning blend. You have to pre-mix your cleaning solution which isn’t right for every application.

blend manifold

During my time as a Navy SEAL, I learned that when it comes to gear, one is none and two is one, so I have both systems available on my rig. Soft wash systems are unique however, in that they allow for the use of a blend manifold which can meter the exact amount of cleaning solution needed. This is especially important for cleaning roofs. Cleaning most exterior siding requires a 1-3% sodium hypochlorite (SH) mix, but a roof will require a strong 6% blend. The only way to do this on the fly is with a blend manifold.

Blend Manifold Basics

A blend manifold has metering valves that control how much cleaner is allowed into the system. It automatically mixes the concentrated SH with water to arrive at the desired mix strength. A blend manifold can consist of multiple metering valves to allow adding additional cleaners into the mix. I can add two additional cleaners to my SH mix for stubborn stains or simply based on the material to be cleaned.

My blend manifold has three metering valves on it. Each valve is plumbed to a tank that holds a specific cleaner. My SH metering valve is ¾” allowing for maximum flow of the SH. The other two metering valves are plumbed to two different tanks each (four in total). I have a three-way valve that will allow one metering valve to pull from two separate tanks. This flexibility allows me to spray an alkaline cleaner like Cleansol BC,  an Oxalic acid or Sodium Percarbonate and a bleach neutralizer. Each of these are used for different cleaning applications.

As you have probably figured out by now is that a blend manifold has plenty of benefits. Another largely overlooked benefit is the material cost savings. Being able to dial-in the exact amount of necessary cleaner saves a few dollars on every single job. That adds up over time and contributes to you company’s profitability.

Since it saves you money in the long run, the investment isn’t that bad if you purchase the parts separately and build a custom unit for your application. The metering valves are the most expensive part followed by the check valves. The rest of the blend manifold is nothing more than Banjo brand fittings that I source mostly from Zoro.

blend manifold metering valve

Blend Manifold Parts and Resources

Chemline Metering Valves

Banjo Fittings

Cleansol BC Spec Sheet

One-Way Check Valve

Click here if you’re interested in starting your own pressure washing business.