Author: admin

Updated on July 22^nd 2023

Making the most of your outside space has become more important than ever before in recent times, and decked areas have become uber-popular. They provide a versatile space that becomes a focal point of your life during the warmer weather. You can do everything there from entertaining family and friends, organizing romantic evening meals with your partner to disconnecting from your busy schedule with a good book and your favorite drink.

But like everything you add to your home, decking needs to be carefully maintained if it’s to remain a beautiful feature. Deck cleaning isn’t something you can just ignore, but it also has to be done right. We do a lot of deck cleaning in Long Island, and there are some definite do’s and don’ts that you need to be aware of before you start.

It’s true that some folks are worried about the damage pressure washing might do to the exterior of their home. We have plenty of customers in Long Island that said something similar before working with us, but the truth is, a pressure washer is only going to do damage in the wrong hands or when used incorrectly. And you could say exactly the same about a regular office stapler.

We’re obviously big advocates for the benefits that professional pressure washing provides, but even so, we always like to keep an open mind and encourage our customers to do the same. For that reason, we wanted to put together this article to outline some of the alternative methods that can be used to clean the exterior of the house, and talk about how they stack up vs. pressure washing.

Alternative Methods of Washing Outside the House

Washing the exterior of a home – even a “small home” – is a time-intensive task. Not something that is going to be done in an hour or two. But it is something that needs to be done periodically and can have a BIG impact on the appearance of your home and its curb appeal.

Here are a few ways it can be cleaned other than by pressure washing.

Hose Pipe

While many homeowners don’t have access to a pressure washer, most with outside space will own a hose pipe. And you can buy an attachment that will direct the water at exterior surfaces in a more concentrated jet.

This will do a decent enough job for any loose dirt, but for any baked-on stains, it’s not going to cut it. Those will be able to weather the storm and will have to be removed via an alternative method. Higher water pressure is needed to have success with those kinds of stains. Pressure washing is able to remove them, but a regular garden hose won’t be able to.

Scrubbing Brush and Bucket

Ahhhh the good old-fashioned scrubbing brush. It’s been around for such a long time as it genuinely works. When those bristles are passed over the target surface vigorously enough, it’ll remove most dirt and stains. The problem here is not the success rate, but the time and effort required.

Cleaning an entire home’s exterior in this way is tough. It’ll take you hours and hours – in fact, you probably won’t finish it in a day – and it’s extremely tiring. Most people don’t realize just how tiring a cleaning job like this is until they do it.

Pressure washing on the other hand takes a lot of the manual part out of the process. The concentrated jets of water do a lot of the work for you and can remove pretty much any kind of dirt or stain you’re likely to encounter.

Cleaning Wand Attachment

This is essentially a combination of the first two methods that we’ve talked about. It’s an attachment that connects to your hose pipe and has a scrubbing brush integrated into its design on the end of the wand. The main benefit of this is that it allows you to reach parts of your home’s exterior that are above head height, without the need for ladders.

But the issues we talked about for each of these options individually do not go away when they are combined. The water pressure is still not high enough to remove tougher dirt and grime, and it’s very physically tiring to clean an entire exterior in this manner.

Why Pressure Washing Helps to Protect Your Home

As we’ve already discussed, pressure washing is by far the most efficient and effective way to clean the exterior of your home. But what else can it do?

• Protect Your Home’s Structure – If you let the dirt and grime build-up and accumulate it will eventually cause irreversible damage and some very unsightly strains. Mold will feed on exterior coatings and eventually remove them, leaving your home exposed to Mother Nature year-round.
• Saves You Money in the Long Term – Repairing permanent damage can get costly. Preventing this damage from occurring in the first place is a drop in the ocean by comparison. Your home is the biggest single investment you’ll likely make, and you need to protect it. Pressure washing can do just that, and very effectively.
• Protects Your Family’s Health – Letting dirt, grime and mold thrive on the outside of your home won’t just lead to it doing your home harm, but also potentially your health. Mold is well known to have negative impacts on health, and built-up dirt and grime can trigger reactions in those that suffer from allergies.
• Your Home Could Be Worth More – Pressure washing could even be an investment that pays you back financially. Research has been done that shows that by improving the appearance of the exterior of your home, you can raise its value by between 2 and 5%.

Call Our Experienced Long Island Power Washing Pros Today

Power washing offers an amazing number of benefits. If you want to experience them and give your home a facelift, give our team a call today. We have over two decades of experience and know exactly how to get the best results on every type of surface, from exterior walls to decking and paving.

Contact our pressure washing team today on (631) 421-2295 to get an estimate and arrange an appointment.

We’ve been offering pressure washing and power washing services to homeowners and businesses in and around the Long Island area for over two decades. While we’ve put all our time and energy into improving our skills and growing our business, there are unfortunately some companies that have appeared (and then disappeared) that didn’t have such good intentions. That’s right, we’re talking about scams and we’re going to talk about some of the most common ones in this article.

Common Pressure Washing Scams to Be Aware Of

Avoiding scams is all about looking out for red flags that may indicate that something is not quite right. Remember though, these are not iron-clad rules written into “The Pressure Washing Bible”, so a perfectly legitimate company may do some of the following things. But if enough of these red flags are displayed, it’ll likely be apparent that the contractor pitching to you is up to no good. Listen to your gut!

Pricing That Is Unbelievably Low

No one can pressure wash an entire home exterior for $50 and make any money. It’s just not doable. It’s true that some newer pressure washing companies do offer low rates initially to try and gain some traction, but it’s also a very common tactic used by scammers.

They draw you in with a very low price – everyone loves a great deal – and once you’ve agreed to hire them, they may either ask for a deposit and then disappear, or they may cut corners and complete the job well below the standard that you expect.

The question you have to ask yourself is “why is this pressure washing company offering such a good rate?” If they aren’t a new contractor trying desperately to build a client base, it is really quite suspicious. Never base your decision on price alone!

Contractors offering very low prices will likely not have the proper insurance or equipment (or both), and will not invest the necessary time into the work you’ve asked them to do.

Door to Door Sales

Now we’re not condemning all companies that go door to door trying to drum up some sales as scammers. Many companies do this when starting out, as it’s a very quick and affordable way to market their services to their target market. But it is often a tactic that scammers like to use. They can put you on the spot, and it’s often much easier to talk someone into hiring a service in this situation than it is via phone or email. So be on your guard.

If you do let them examine the areas that you would like pressure washing, be wary if they quote a higher price because of the presence of algae or difficult to remove stains. This is a common tactic that is used to bump up the estimate, but in reality, no extra work is required.

If you’re not sure whether what they’re saying is true, get some quotes from other contractors before committing.

Using “Special” Cleaning Solutions

Like with the “difficult stains” this is another gimmick that you shouldn’t fall for. These days, the biodegradable or eco-friendly card is often used to bump up the price of products and services. In some cases, it’s justified. But this is not one of those times. The truth is that most of the cleaning solutions manufacturers recommend are not getting any more biodegradable than they already are. If a contractor is using this ploy to try and bump up your bill, they don’t really have your best interests at heart. It’s not a cut-and-run scam, but they’re still intentionally massaging the truth to extract more of your hard-earned money from you, without providing anything additional in return.

Insisting On Payment Upfront and In Cash

The payment terms that are requested are sometimes an indicator as to how likely it is that the contractor is a scammer. The biggest red flag is if the only form of payment they accept is cash, and they’re asking for the full amount to be paid upfront. If you comply, there’s a good chance that you’ll never see them again.

Never pay the full amount in advance. You only pay once the work has been done. Reputable contractors may sometimes ask for a small deposit upfront, depending on the size of the job, but never the full amount.

The Best Way to Avoid Being Scammed?

The absolute best way to avoid being scammed is to do your homework before you commit to working with any pressure washing contractor, us included. Here are a few things that you can do to have more of an idea of whether a particular company is reputable or not:

• Look at Online Reviews – Any company that has been operating for a few years will have some online reviews. Angie’s List is a good place to start. It’s better to check 3rd party platforms as opposed to profiles that the company has control over (like on their own site or Facebook). Also, it’s better if they are “Verified” reviews. Reputation is everything.
• How Long Have They Been In Business? – Try to find out how long the company has been in business. The longer they’ve been up and running, the more you have to think that they must be fulfilling their commitments. That’s not to say all new companies are dishonest, but they’re a blank canvas currently, and you can’t draw much information from a blank canvas.

Unless you spend all day sleeping or you live underground, your windows are probably a very important part of your home. They are responsible for allowing light to filter through into your home’s interior and they offer you a view of the outdoors. Both such simple things, but oh so important too.

But did you know that windows – while such an important element in any home – are typically one of the most overlooked parts of the home when it comes to cleaning. Floors, worktops and furniture are all top priorities for most homeowners, but windows are often left to gather dust.

But it shouldn’t be that way. There are lots of important reasons for ensuring window cleaning is a task that is done regularly.

Six Reasons Why Regular Window Cleaning is a Must

“A bit of dirt never hurt anyone”. That’s what you might think, but dirty windows can have more negative impacts than you probably imagine. Here are a few of the more important ones.

Less Light Gets into Your Home

Depending on the orientation of the room, it’s possible that very little light might make its way into the room to start with. Combine that with a layer of dirt and it may be reduced to next to no light. Letting dirt buildup is like having a film attached to the window that blocks the light. Window washing and cleaning ensure that this film isn’t allowed to form.

It Spoils Your View of the Outdoors

Have you ever worn a pair of glasses or sunglasses that are absolutely filthy? It gets annoying pretty quickly, right? The dirt and dust obscure your view of the outside world. But at least with glasses, you can just take them off and…problem solved. But when it comes to your windows, your vision is obscured all of the time. Until you clean them, that is.

Dirt Accelerates Wear and Tear

You don’t need me to tell you that your windows are one of the most expensive elements of your home. They cost a small fortune to replace when the time finally comes. And if it comes at the wrong time, may even force you to take out a loan. So it makes sense to do everything within your power to ensure they last as long as possible.

It might seem insignificant, but dirt and grit can be abrasive and when blown about by the wind can result in more wear and tear on your windows, shortening their lifespan. Window cleaning slows that process right down!

Dirty Windows Seriously Dent Curb Appeal

Failing to keep your windows clean can seriously dent the curb appeal of your home. This may not impact your day-to-day living, but it can greatly impact what others think about your home. And if you plan on selling your home, this becomes super important. When potential buyers come to view your property, they need to be able to imagine themselves living there. Dirty windows do not help to bridge the gap between their current reality and the new home they have in their imagination. It’s an instant turn-off and reduces your chances of success when it comes to selling.

Leads to Poorer Air Quality

Windows and natural light are important for your mental health and wellbeing. Ask anyone that lives in a country located in the extremes of the northern hemisphere, where they live in almost complete darkness during the winter period. Rates of depression in these countries are higher, and it’s no coincidence. As we said, that natural light is super important!

But you maybe didn’t realize that clean windows are also much better for your physical health too. If window cleaning is not done regularly, windows are a real magnet for dirt and dust, and that lowers the air quality in your home. This is bad for anyone, but particularly for people that have a respiratory condition. If windows are not cleaned, it may also lead to mold growth. Which again, is not good for your physical health.

Heating Costs May Increase in the Winter

We’ve already talked about how dirty windows can block out the sunlight. But it’s not just the light that they’re blocking out. As you know, sunlight also provides heat and in winter this heat can be very useful in helping to bring down your heating costs. If you allow sunlight to filter in during the daytime, you can then use drapes to retain this heat and you won’t need to have your heating system on for so long.

However, when windows are dirty, sunlight is blocked and this heat energy doesn’t enter the interior of your home. So you can see that window cleaning is an investment that can provide a noticeable financial return.

Don’t Want to Do It Yourself? Call the Long Island Window Cleaning Pros

We understand very well that window cleaning and washing can be a real time suck for lots of Long Island homeowners, and it’s not something that most people enjoy. If that accurately describes your situation, why not let us handle it instead? We have over 20 years of experience and can whip even the dirtiest windows into shape in next to no time for a very reasonable fee.

To enjoy looking through windows that look as clean as the day you had them installed, contact our window cleaning team by calling (631) 421-2295.

Pressure washing is great. Of course, our professional pressure washing team isn’t exactly unbiased, but it is. It’s a super-effective way to clean a wide variety of different surfaces that would otherwise require hours of manual scrubbing. But that doesn’t mean that you should power wash everything. In fact, there are some things that it would be downright dangerous to pressure wash.

In this post, we’re going to talk about a number of different things that you shouldn’t even think about pressure washing.

In no particular order, here are a number of things commonly found at residences around Long Island and the rest of the country that you wouldn’t want to pressure wash. If you did, the results could be disastrous.

Don’t Pressure Wash Asphalt Shingles

There are many roofs around America lined with asphalt shingles and if you’ve ever looked at them closely, you’ll notice that they’re lined with little granules. While they’re small and easy to miss, they are in fact very important in protecting the roof against damage. And they’re also the reason why pressure washing and asphalt roofs don’t mix. It’d remove these all-important granules.

Pressure washing up a ladder also isn’t the best idea…

Don’t Pressure Wash Electric Panels or Meters

Even though these things are always (or should be) encased in some pretty heavy-duty protective coverings, the fact is that they’re not designed to withstand the kind of water pressure they’d face if a pressure washer was aimed at them. So don’t do it! Pressure washing electric meters and the like could result in water getting inside, causing damage that is costly to repair.

Don’t Pressure Wash Walls with Old Mortar

You might think that you can point a pressure washer at any wall and it’d be fine. But that’s not the case. Older walls that are held together by old mortar can be seriously damaged by a pressure washer. You’re more likely to blow parts of the wall away than you are to clean it. And then you’ll have an unexpected repair cost to deal with.

Don’t Pressure Wash Porches or Other Painted Surfaces

Using a pressure washer on porches and other painted surfaces around the outside of your home can potentially be a bad idea. If the pressure is set too high, it will quite likely strip the paint right off your porch. And I’m sure that’s not the way you had planned on getting your porch to look clean. If you absolutely must use a pressure washer on these kinds of surfaces, make sure to set it to a lower pressure setting.

Don’t Pressure Wash Stained Wood

If you have some outdoor furniture sitting in your backyard, there’s a good chance that this one may apply to you. Wooden garden furniture needs to be stained to protect the wood from weather and pests – it’s very important for the preservation of your furniture. The problem with using a pressure washer on stained wood is that it will not be stained afterward. Water sprayed at high pressure will take the stain right off.

Don’t Pressure Wash Surfaces Coated in Lead Paint

If you have recently bought or live in an older property, it’s quite possible that the property may contain one or more walls that is covered in lead paint. Before 1970, it was widely used, but has subsequently been found to be highly toxic and can have a severe impact on your health. For that reason, it’s important that once lead paint is found, it is carefully removed, contained and then disposed of. Pressure washing doesn’t fit the bill! It’ll send fragments flying in all directions and it will then be very difficult to ensure you remove all traces of the lead paint.

Don’t Pressure Wash Guttering

Come on. Don’t be lazy. I know most of us like to take the easy option, but sometimes it can really come back to bite you! And this is likely to be the case when it comes to cleaning out guttering with a pressure washer. Yes, it’ll blow all of the debris out of there much quicker than you could remove it by hand, but it’ll also probably pull the gutter right off the house, possibly damaging your downspouts in the process. Not to forget, as mentioned earlier, that using a pressure washer while standing on a ladder is seriously dangerous!

Don’t Pressure Wash Your Garden Lights

I think you’ve probably spotted a recurring theme by now. Pressure washing and sensitive objects are not a good mix! It’s common sense when you think about it, but many do not find this out until it’s too late. Next time you’re tempted to give your outdoor light fixtures a “quick clean” think about broken glass, as that’s what happens next.

Call the Pressure and Power Washing Experts of Long Island

With over 20 years of industry experience, the pros at Majestic know exactly what can and cannot be cleaned with a pressure washer, and we know how to get the best results too. So forget worrying about the damage this type of cleaning might do to your property, and revel in the benefits. Our service will completely rejuvenate the outside of your home, boosting curb appeal and increasing your enjoyment of your personal space.

We offer a service that is completely tailored to your needs. To find out more or to book an appointment, contact our team by calling (631) 421-2295.