Residential Pressure Washing FAQ’s
ALL SERVICES INCLUDE ROUTINE CLEANING
All services are quoted as a Routine Cleaning, unless otherwise requested or recommended. Routine cleaning includes removal of surface debris including salt, dirt, mold and mildew, tree debris and bug debris.
NON- ROUTINE CLEANING REQUIRES ADDITIONAL METHODS AND COST
Non-Routine cleaning, stain removal and restoration efforts are quoted additionally as they require methods and products above and beyond everyday cleaning operations and typically fall into one of the two categories:
Organic Stains or Deposits require Non- Routine cleaning applications for removal and include (but are not limited to) tree pitch, tar, oil, grease, black vertical stains from air contaminates, efflorescence, hard water build up and artillery and other fungus. These require additional methods above and beyond regular routine cleaning methods.
Inorganic Stains or Deposits (usually associated with construction activities) require Non Routine cleaning applications and include (but are not limited to) silicone, paint drippings, concrete/mortar splatter, chalk/ pencil marks, factory stickers or film and other types of construction or non-organic debris.
A+ Pro Services default description for our House Wash service includes a top to bottom, solution based, LOW Pressure cleaning of a residential home that removes dirt, mildew and other debris considered as part of a Routine Cleaning (above). AKA “Soft Washing”. We include all attached surfaces of a home; fascia, soffits, siding, dormers, trim, windows/ doors, screened porches, decking, railings, patios, outdoor furniture, outdoor showers and additional structures within 20’ like arbors/trellis and out buildings. Our House Wash always offers a clean rinse to remove our cleaning solution from house, windows and shrubbery. A House wash is considered a ROUTINE CLEANING process that removes dirt, mildew and other surface debris. It brightens all surfaces with a clean rinse.
Not Included in House Wash: pressure washing driveways/walkways, gutter clean out/ roof blowing, roofing cleaning (including decorative metal hip roofing) and fencing that extends more than 20’ from the home are all priced additionally.
We clean rinse everything. Our process includes wetting plantings with clean water prior to applying our house wash solution, then returning to rinsed plants BEFORE sun or heat has dried the solution on the plants. By pre-wetting, using a diluted solution and rinsing before drying we safeguard plants. IF the plant has a tender foliar leaf (like Japanese Maple) we may cover plant but will only do so if not located in direct sun’s heat of summer months. Covering plants in the heat can cause as much damage as improper house washing practices. We ask that you will trust our process and experience.
What goes up, must come down. When spraying upwards with the solution, we must clean rinse the dirt and debris DOWN AND AWAY from your house. This is all using LOW PRESSURE. If you siding is brick it simply gets a clean rinse.
BRICK STEPS AND FOUNDATIONS- often brick entrance steps and low sun areas like brick foundations behind shrubbery will become black or green with mildew or mold. These areas will be cleaned with moderate pressure, without damage. Mortar joints will be assessed to ensure integral prior to this process.
Benefit to washing the entire house- remember, dormers, window trim, shutters, railings, porch floors and outdoor furniture all benefit from the total house wash. If we didn’t clean all of these areas, we would not be offering a professional service.
House Washing will brighten the gutters nicely. Our house wash product, however, is made for removing mildew and brightening surfaces. If the stains on the face of your gutters appear as black vertical stains, these appear from contaminants in the rain and through condensation and will not be removed by the House Wash (though they will look better in appearance overall).
GUTTER WHITENING is the process of removing the black vertical stains on your gutters. An additional charge due it being an additional process. We do it by hand with a polishing compound that does not degrade the integrity of the factory paint. like other degreasing and acid products will. Most of our clients do not request gutter whitening once the house wash is completed due to overall improved appearance. If whitening is requested, it is an add on service, priced per hour, and must include the entire “seamless” area of gutter for uniform results.
A+ Pro offers LOW PRESSURE (SOFT WASH) cleaning on painted surfaces. In fact, our house wash process will keep your paint in good condition by removing dirt, mildew and oxidation (chalking due to sun and salt damage). Most importantly, CLEAN RINSING solutions from painted surfaces is guaranteed.
IF PAINT IS COMPROMISED ALREADY- Loose and peeling paint is washed gently with low pressure unless a “Paint Ready Wash” is requested. Loose and peeling paint can still come off even under low pressure cleaning conditions. A+ Pro services cannot be responsible for remediation of any compromised painted surface including aluminum, hardy, wood, vinyl or concrete surfaces.
Pool areas that are directly adjacent to a residential home ARE INCLUDED unless otherwise requested. Pool cleanings includes slip free walking surfaces, pool furniture (if present at pool) and surrounding fencing. Best efforts are made to keep dirt from entering pools but a pool cleaning is recommended afterwards.
Non- Glass Porch Enclosures (EZE Breeze Vinyl Windows) have been in our care since 1999. We provide hand cleaning of them as well as perform low pressure cleaning around them. We ask that you trust our process, which guarantees no bleach will remain long enough on the vinyl material long enough to do harm. To achieve cleaning of the above soffits and surrounding aluminum framing, we must apply our house wash solution. This solution is rinsed quickly and thoroughly, resulting in no damage. If you do accept this process, then we can still wash all other areas of the home and simply use water around the porch enclosure. Disclaimer: clean water rinsing will remove surface dirt and bug debris, however mildew will still reside.
Concrete Driveways are priced additional to a house wash because it is a separate process altogether. It includes all surfaces of your driveway, attached walkways, roadway skirting near driveway entrance and always a nice clean rinse. Using high pressure and high gallon per minute machines with a surface cleaner (that works just like a lawn mower cleaning passes up to 32” in diameter), this process uniformly cleans all surfaces of the concrete hardscape. Stain removal (like iron/irrigation, oil and tree pitch are considered non-routine and priced additionally).
Algae Removal is a soft washing process that usually requires a safety evaluation and work plan. Considered a Non-Routine Cleaning Method due to liability, roof cleaning removes algae via a process recommended by the American Asphalt Roofing Association. We must also follow OSHA’s Working Walking Surfaces safety rule. An additional estimate or item will be provided by request or added to an estimate. NO ROOFING, METAL OR SHINGLE COMPOSITION, DECORATIVE OR STRUCTURAL IS EVER INCLUDED IN A HOUSE WASH.
Screen porches that are accessible from the exterior are always included in a house wash unless requested otherwise. Screen porches that can only be accessed from the interior are never included in a house wash. We can provide the latter service, however additional efforts are required to remove screen from framing and replace. We NEVER run hoses through a home interior.
We ask clients to remove decorative, breakable, irreplaceable and non-outdoor type of items before washing. Leave the outdoor furniture in place. We use a low pressure, soft wash process to bleach and rinse ceilings, walls, floors and furniture. Outdoor style rugs may or may not be included. When complete, we dry either with a blower or floor squeegee (if necessary).
It is common for window and doors to leak, even when in a closed and locked position. We do not force high pressure around window and door openings. It is recommended that a visual inspection of all windows and doors is performed after a house wash. especially where wood flooring is present. Any windows and doors that leak should be inspected by a contractor. Technicians will make best efforts to report any windows and doors that leak, however A+ Pro Services cannot be responsible for this occurrence or any damage resulting from improperly hung windows and doors.
Wood and fiberglass doors that are stained require upkeep including reapplication of a sealer every year to two years. If your door has not received regular maintenance our cleaning solution may discolor the door. Doors that have received good maintenance will not discolor. We are not responsible for repairing doors where sealers and stains have not been applied. We can either cover the door with plastic or avoid the door altogether by offering hand cleaning around the door area. This may add additional time considerations related to cost.
Water will be obtained from the house being cleaned via the outdoor spigots. You may request an irrigation spigot be used but it will not rinse as clear as treated county water. Please ensure water is turned on for the service date. A standard house wash uses an average of 2500 gallons of water. We have never had a complaint about high water bills after our wash by clients. In the event that water is not attainable, A+ Pro Services maintains a permit from Brunswick County Public Water Utility to access fire hydrants OR if outside its jurisdiction, can obtain a permit from the applicable Town to access fire hydrants. There is an additional “water access charge” to do this averaging $65 per visit.
Flood lights, outdoor fans and electrical outlets are all intended to get wet. It’s when their protective parts (including caulking) are compromised or missing that water can cause damage. Even though we are not blasting your house and fixtures with high pressure, our machines put out a high volume of water which (if not protected by integral seals, gaskets and covers) will flood receptacles. Our wash can mimic a hurricane type intake of water. If electrical is exposed, water can produce an arc and even cause fire. Issues from electrical failure have been reported such as water inside flood light bulbs, circuits tripping, loss of power, fans not working and so fourth. Electrical issues are not limited to the above mentioned. Prevention includes:
• Ensuring flood lights have a non-cracked and in-place rubber collar
• Ensuring all outdoor electrical outlets have a closed cover and integral seal around them, especially if a brick home
• Ensuring outdoor fans and lighting is rated for outdoor use and mounted flush to ceiling and walls
• Ensuring outdoor receptacles are GFI capable
Troubleshooting Includes:
• Allow all electrical to dry out for at least 24 hours before determining it has failed or needs replaced.
• RESET all GFI outlets in home. This includes all or any outlets usually found outdoors, in garages, kitchens and bathrooms.
• Check breaker box for a tripped breaker. Reset breaker.
• Remove water filled flood light bulbs, install a new black rubber collar with new bulb.
EZE BREEZE WINDOW CLEANING FAQ’s
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR RESIDENTIAL EZE BREEZE PORCH ENCLOSURE WINDOW CLEANING
All services are quoted as a Routine Cleaning, unless otherwise requested or recommended. Routine Cleaning includes removal of surface debris including salt, dirt, mold and mildew, tree debris and bug debris.
The soft vinyl material is not conducive for Non- Routine Cleaning which includes removal of hard water stains, removing haze from vinyl panels, removal of paint or deck stain overspray (for example). We recommend replacement of the vinyl material when these conditions become present. You can call your porch conversion installer for more information on replacement.
We use Murphy’s Oil Soap as recommended by the fabricator. Since it is oil based it will never dry your vinyl windows, but keep them supple and extend the life of the vinyl.
We have a cleaning procedure that has been developed since the first room we cleaned in 1999. Our process includes cleaning the aluminum framing, screen inside and out, panel tracks, sills and of course the vinyl panels. We remove and replace them in order.
The plastic thumb latches are compressed to release the pins that hold the panel into the frame. These latches dry rot and become brittle with age. Our technicians are using the thumb latches as intended to remove the panel for cleaning. Because they break so frequently, we keep them on hand and replace them as necessary. This saves you the hassle of calling your installer for new ones and installing them yourself. We charge a small fee for each one replaced that will be itemized on your invoice above and beyond your quoted price. You can decline thumb latch replacement at any time.
Caulk is used to seal the aluminum framing during installation of your porch enclosure. Because caulking is a rubber-like material, it is soft and porous. When humidity increases in the room, mildew sets deep into the caulking making it impossible to remove. The best results we have found include running a bead of gel toilet bowl cleaner with bleach onto the caulking which allows it to remain on the surfaces for an extended period of time. This will result in a brighter caulk line, but still will not completely remove the mildew set in. To achieve a bright white and mildew free caulk bead, it must be removed and reglazed.
Typically, this is due to irrigation overspray or landscape shrubbery directly adjacent to the panels. When the water makes contact with vinyl in droplets and dries, it leaves behind the minerals in the water creating a “scale”. We cannot use the same restoration processes on the soft vinyl that we can on glass windows therefore we have not found a non damaging process for removing hard water.
PGT recommends cleaning your vinyl windows twice per year, however, most of our clients wash them once per year with good results. Our clients that have committed to cleaning their porch enclosures at minimum once per year have experienced great performance, appearance and longevity of the product. If you live near the coast or have an overhanging tree canopy, you should consider cleaning twice per year.
WINDOW CLEANING FAQ’s
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR RESIDENTIAL WINDOW CLEANING
ALL SERVICES INCLUDE ROUTINE CLEANING
We ask that you remove any items that you consider valuable or irreplaceable before we come. Otherwise we are full service and can move and replace almost anything that would be in our way of cleaning your windows.
Our cleaning process includes glass, tracks, frames, screens and sills. If you have screens on your windows we will remove, clean, and replace them as part of your window cleaning service.
Window cleaning inside and out includes opening all windows and doors. When open,they are brushed, sprayed and wiped. Frames and sills should be clean to the touch. Stains on caulking, weather stripping, frames and sills are not included unless a Non-Routine waiver is signed due to the requirement of additional cleaning products and methods.
Windows and Screens get extreme wear and tear from sun UV rays as well as oxidation from the salt air in our coastal environment. Plastic dry rots easily and metal parts oxidize. Our technicians are manipulating windows and screens the way they are intended; opening/closing, locking/unlocking, tilting up/down and removing screens in/out of the frame. Therefore, if parts break or tear, A+ Pro cannot be responsible unless there is proof or admittance of negligence.
A+ Pro Services trains our employees about various glass surfaces, window tint and before and after market coatings. Window cleaning falls into two different service types; Routine and Non-Routine.
Routine window cleaning includes the removal of normal surface dirt and debris and includes the use of a mop washer, non-abrasive yellow scrub pad, soap and water. Unless there is damaging debris deposits on the glass surface, routine cleaning will not produce any damage to glass. It is often that there is damage already present that is now noticeable after the windows are professionally cleaned. Routine window cleaning is the default cleaning method scheduled unless the client requests otherwise.
Non-routine cleaning requires that a liability waiver is signed prior to engaging in non-routine services. Non-routine window cleaning employs more aggressive cleaning methods due to accumulations of various types of debris that have either deposited, stained or etched the glass. Non-routine cleaning can cause damage to the glass for a number of different reasons, though it is not the intention of A+ Pro to damage the glass, rather clear the glass of harmful debris. A liability waiver is a customer’s acknowledgment of such possibility and agreement that A+ Pro is not liable for repairs or replacement.
Post construction window cleaning is a non-routine service. Non- routine cleaning is an additional line item on your invoice and charged at a higher man hour rate than routine window cleaning.
A+ Pro has what we call a “Rainy Day Guarantee!” If it rains within 5 days of your appointment, we will come back and touch up any windows that the rain made a mess of. All we ask is that your invoice is paid in full prior to our Rainy Day Guarantee visit!
Hard water droplets accumulate on exterior windows as a result from condensation (air conditioning and heat outside), irrigation overspray or simply from lack of cleaning. A+ Pro Services can remove the hard water stains/deposits but it is considered a non-routine cleaning as it involves additional methods of polishing compounds or mechanical polishing equipment when the stains/deposits do not come off during normal routine cleaning. Non-routine cleaning is an additional line item on your invoice and charged at a higher man hour rate than routine window cleaning.
Failed IG Units – IG or Insulating Glass units are multiple panes of glass connected through a framework that creates a “dead air” gap between the interior and exterior of the building. During manufacturing, IG units are sealed airtight so as to insure the highest insulation factor possible, given the high degree of thermal conductivity that glass presents.
While the dead air is isolated from the surrounding environment, exposure to high thermal variation will, over time, lead to micro expansion and contraction of the air trapped within the IG unit. Over time, this can cause the airtight seal to fail and allow atmospheric air into the space. Depending on relative humidity, air contaminants and other factors present in the surrounding atmosphere can lead to the accumulation of dust, debris or condensation within the dead air space in the glazing. Failed IG units most often present as condensation between the panels and will obscure the view through the pane. Once an IG unit has failed, there is no way to fix the unit short of dismantling the glazing, cleaning and then reassembling the IG unit. As such, this should be treated as a fatal condition that will
require a glass contractor to replace the unit.
CLEANING EXPECTATIONS:
Deposits are normal accumulations of dirt and debris on the glass surface that is removed via routine window cleaning procedures. In some cases, non-abrasive scrub pads are used to remove more stubborn deposits on glass.
Clients can expect up to a 95% clearing of deposits depending on the condition. Stains are accumulations of debris or other contaminants that have allowed to reside on the glass surface for extended periods of time. Stains require non-routine methods for removal.
Clients can expect up to a 90% clearing of the stain depending on the condition. Etching occurs when chemicals or other materials (not limited to) acids, bleach, concrete splatter or tile splatter come into contact with and penetrate the glass surface. This causes damage below the surface of the glass. Etching requires more aggressive, non-routine methods like mechanical polishing. Clients can expect up to an 80% clearing of the etch depending on the condition.
GUTTER CLEANING FAQ’s
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR GUTTER CLEANING
Gutter Cleaning services include manually removing debris from gutters, corners, roof and valleys. Downspouts are checked for clogging to ground level. Debris is bagged and hauled away. We blow lower surfaces.
Gutter cleaning is charged or estimated by the man hour. Man hour rate applied factors in ladder heights required and safety considerations.
In some cases, when debris is clean and matches landscape bed material (pine straw), we may scatter gutter material in landscape beds in an effort to reduce labor and only when we feel it will benefit the client.
Even when gutter guards are in place, maintenance is still required to remove debris, preventing decayed material from falling through the perforated material. We may do this by using a blower or manually removing material by hand. If gutter guards have not been maintained and gutters are full of decayed material (beneath the guards) our technicians will make a recommendation to remove guards and clean out gutters. This always results in additional man hours and cost. The only gutter Guards that are not affected by the above include GUTTER HELMETS or similar NON PERFORATED gutter guards.
Usually, overflowing downspouts result when downspouts are connected to underground drainage systems. Our gutter cleaning can trouble shoot clogging just beneath ground level only. If clogging is suspect under ground, our recommendation is to detach and install above ground drainage products OR have a landscape technician reset drainage to proper grade with new material.
All ladders employed by us are equipped with a “stand off” accessory that places the ladder above the gutter, alleviating contact with your gutter.