Pressure Washing Newtown Square, Broomall and Media PA

Newtown Square PA is a township located in Western Delaware County outside the city of Philadelphia. It borders on Media and Broomall PA. Pressure washing services are provided here by PressurePros of Havertown and a few other local companies. For someone seeking house washing in Broomall or any power washing services in Media, PA a call to any of the local cleaning and maintenance services will get you action. Be sure to always check the credentials of the contractor performing the work. Insurance is mandatory. Also be sure to ask about cleaning technique. The use of high pressure can cause damage to your house’s siding or windows.

 

Your best bet is to always go with a professional pressure washing company. It will save you money in the long run. Companies like Pressure Pros are members of Pressure Washing Business Associations like the UAMCC.

Pressure Washing Business Organizations

One way for a professional cleaning company to achieve recognition is to join an organization. The UAMCC (United Association of Mobile Cleaning Contractors) is a pressure washing association that helps both new companies as well as established contractors gain access to a host of resources. Whether your company performs residential, commercial or industrial work, you can stand to benefit from the power of unity. This exciting new organization is currently governed by a transition team comprised of nine talents from the pressure washing industry. The UAMCC is slated for opening its doors to contractors in Spring of 2009.

Deck Cleaner Info for Ipe and other hardwood species

If you are lucky enough to own an ipe deck or any of the hardwood species of decks then you may already be aware that these woods require maintenance like any other wooden deck. Hardwood deck cleaning is not that much more difficult than cleaning any other type of deck with a few caveats.

1) Though the term hardwood is used often and certainly applies, this does not mean the wood is impervious to damage. Always use low pressure and even washing strokes.
2) Hardwood decks can have mold spores carried with them from their place of origin. Mold strains from a rain forest in Brazil are very hearty and must be removed prior to finishing.

Choose a deck cleaning product that contains sodium percarbonate. This cleaning compound will bubble up dirt and mold from below the surface. Deck cleaning on hardwoods like ipe should be performed whether the wood has been outside for awhile or if it is new construction. Apply the deck cleaner via a pump up sprayer. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Use a deck brush or pressure washer to agitate the mixture and then rinse methodically. Do not use high pressure. Keep your pressure washing wand far from the surface and walk the entire length of each board without stopping. This will prevent any lap marks and give you a clean surface to stain and seal.

Deck Cleaners The Myths and Truths

Deck cleaning is surrounded by myth. The big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s cater to a mass market. The deck cleaners that are sold in these stores almost always contain sodium hypochlorite better known by its common name, household bleach. There is a problem that arises when using sodium hypochlorite. When wood decks are constantly exposed to bleach, they degrade. The lignin in the wood gets broken down and is washed away. In addition, this type of deck cleaner leaves an unnatural whitening to the wood’s surface. If you apply a stain or pigmented sealer after cleaning you can end up with a blotchy finish.

A true professional deck contractor will use deck cleaning products that contain sodium percarbonate. This mild chemical agent is the precursor to sodium hydroxide and is contained in the brand name product OxyClean™. OxyClean by itself is not a perfect wood cleaner. It contains too many fillers and byproducts. Products that contain sodium percarbonate will effectively kill mold spores. The oxygenating power of the chemical will bring dirt to the surface. Percarbonate is also an good emulsifier of oil based stains.

After the deck cleaning process is complete a wood professional will usually pH balance the deck with a brightener. Brighteners are acidic and help to bring the wood back to its natural balance. This also creates an uninhabitable environment for mold re-growth. Stain finishes will now get a better “bite” and will last longer.

Pressure Washing Companies.. what sets them apart

A true cleaning contractor specializes in exterior cleaning and sealing. Owning a pressure washer does not make one a professional any more than a person that owns a hammer and table saw can automatically be called a carpenter. The pressure washer is a single tool in the arsenal of a pressure washing company.

Because every surface requires unique cleaners and technique,  pressure washing companies must be equipped with tools like surface cleaners, various orifice nozzles and have a host of experience to determine the proper course of cleaning without causing damage. Specialty cleaning and restoration can require the use of dangerous acids and highly caustic chemicals. A company truly dedicated to cleaning exterior surfaces will carry a large amount of liability insurance and be trained in OSHA safety techniques. There is absolutely a difference between serious, full time cleaning companies and the handyman that uses a pressure washer.

Deck Cleaning The Right Way

You look out the window and there it is. That extension of your home that has been in a love hate battle with you for years. Every spring you spend a few weekends on your wood deck trying to restore its beauty into something you and your family enjoy. When its finished, you step back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Come the following spring, there it sits. The beast that once again demands your attention. Every year the deck cleaning and staining can become cumbersome. There is some light at the end of the tunnel. You can make deck stain last much longer by using quality products to clean  and seal it.

Like any good finish, the final results depend upon the prep work you do first. An interior paint job looks good when you first clean the walls, sand the imperfections, apply the primer and use a high quality paint. The same process holds true for deck refinishing. The key is to use the right deck cleaner first. Most products on the market contain bleach. Bleach damages lignin causing the wood to age prematurely. The best prep involves using a two step deck cleaning process. The first step should be to use a sodium percarbonate based product. This will rid the wood of mold, dirt and grayed out fibers. The second step is equally important. This step involves the use of an acidic cleaner to pH balance the deck. This second step helps open the pores of the wood and allows deck stains and sealers to “grab hold” for longer lasting durability. There is a product called Restore-A-Deck that comes in a kit with both of these steps. The nicest part about using a specilaty deck cleaning kit like this one is that you can get away with just a light scrubbing instead of having to pressure wash the deck and risk damage. That’s not to say you cannot or shouldn’t pressure wash a deck, you just have to know what you are doing and educate yourself on technique.