Vinyl siding

V

voertmgc1

New member
I am going to be cleaning two houses in the next couple of weeks and need some information. Both houses have oxidized and have algae and mold growing on them. I have a house cleaner I have used in the past that worked well, but those houses had not oxidized and did not have the amount of mold and algae growing on them that these two houses have. What is a good cleaner for the mold and algae? What about the oxidation? I have seen a couple of siding restoration products advertised but no reviews on them (Vinyl Renu and Vivillon). Has anyone tried products similar to these for restoring oxidized siding?

Thanks,

Glenn Voertman
Glenn's Pressure Washing Company
St. Louis, MO
314-852-4732
 
Good cleaner for mold and algae is a very basic part of an exterior cleaning service. Very easy to find that information. Not trying to be a jerk,.just may seem that way,..but that kind if knowledge shouldn't be given to you,..you have to search that one out yourself.

As far as the oxidation goes,..just wash over it,..once you disturb the oxidation you are gonna have a potential mess on your hands. House washing is removing the dirt and mold,..removing the oxidation properly is considered more of a restoration service,.and cannot be done half way. Like having a car buffed out,.you're gonna may more than simply having it washed.

Oxidation typically needs scrubbed off no matter which cleaner you choose.

There are some DS'able waxes out there,.you could try those to enhance the sidings appearance.


Jeff
 
Good info Jeff. Jeff you run into much oxidation up your way we have a ton of it down here.
 
Yea Jason,..I think it's everywhere. And vinyl siding,..like gutters,..some manufacturers are better quality than others. Some vinyl does it really bad in relation to age,..whereas others don't get as bad as quick,...But they are always gonna oxidize.

Jeff
 
CP Pressure Washing said:
i have run it to the oxidization on gutters on houses that i have cleaned resonantly. I now charge for a "gutter brighting service" to remove oxidization. Also now know what to look for on siding that can lead to more $$
Click to expand...
Great idea! Have you had good success on charging extra for gutter brightening? I was thinking of doing the same, but wondered how customers would react... meaning, I get the feeling that many customers just expect that as part of the house wash. Any tips on your sales/marketing of that would be helpful. By the way, I enjoy your posts/responses, you have good thoughts on all this stuff.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
 
Charging extra for gutter brightening would be like having a car wash and charging extra money to wash over the wheels. Customers who call for this service want you to evaluate what will give them a nice appearing home. So,.better to just charge the cost of the gutters in your evaluation and not break it down separately,..they just want a clean house,.and the gutters are a big part of that and don't want to feel like they are paying extra for what should be included.

Not to mention,.who wants to do a house wash and leave the gutters all streaked up and/or dirty and moldy,..gutter shouldn't be an "option" your house washing service offers.

A house wash is from the gutter line down to the base of the foundation. Excluding additions like decks and concrete patios,...everything in between should be included.

(Although if I see a concrete patio under roof and it's bad,..it's included in the job,..usually without cost even being added in,..depends on size of course. )

Jeff
 
You seem to contradict yourself here Jeff. Removing streaks on gutters or gutter brightening is usually removing a layer of oxidation.

814jeffw said:
Good cleaner for mold and algae is a very basic part of an exterior cleaning service. Very easy to find that information. Not trying to be a jerk,.just may seem that way,..but that kind if knowledge shouldn't be given to you,..you have to search that one out yourself.

As far as the oxidation goes,..just wash over it,..once you disturb the oxidation you are gonna have a potential mess on your hands. House washing is removing the dirt and mold,..removing the oxidation properly is considered more of a restoration service,.and cannot be done half way. Like having a car buffed out,.you're gonna may more than simply having it washed.

Oxidation typically needs scrubbed off no matter which cleaner you choose.

There are some DS'able waxes out there,.you could try those to enhance the sidings appearance.


Jeff
Click to expand...



814jeffw said:
Charging extra for gutter brightening would be like having a car wash and charging extra money to wash over the wheels. Customers who call for this service want you to evaluate what will give them a nice appearing home. So,.better to just charge the cost of the gutters in your evaluation and not break it down separately,..they just want a clean house,.and the gutters are a big part of that and don't want to feel like they are paying extra for what should be included.

Not to mention,.who wants to do a house wash and leave the gutters all streaked up and/or dirty and moldy,..gutter shouldn't be an "option" your house washing service offers.

A house wash is from the gutter line down to the base of the foundation. Excluding additions like decks and concrete patios,...everything in between should be included.

(Although if I see a concrete patio under roof and it's bad,..it's included in the job,..usually without cost even being added in,..depends on size of course. )

Jeff
Click to expand...
 
No Ralph,,..if you would have read the entire thread instead of just my posts,..you'd have seen that my first response you quoted was in response to the first post in this thread,....I was talking about washing vinyl siding as that's what this thread started about,.and hence the title "Vinyl Siding: The second post of mine you quoted was in response to charging extra for gutter brightening which was mentioned by another poster on a different topic.

Jeff
 
HogwashPressureW said:
Great idea! Have you had good success on charging extra for gutter brightening? I was thinking of doing the same, but wondered how customers would react... meaning, I get the feeling that many customers just expect that as part of the house wash. Any tips on your sales/marketing of that would be helpful. By the way, I enjoy your posts/responses, you have good thoughts on all this stuff.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Hog Wash fill out your signature please...thanks
 
814jeffw said:
G

As far as the oxidation goes,..just wash over it,..once you disturb the oxidation you are gonna have a potential mess on your hands. House washing is removing the dirt and mold,..removing the oxidation properly is considered more of a restoration service,.and cannot be done half way. Like having a car buffed out,.you're gonna may more than simply having it washed.

Oxidation typically needs scrubbed off no matter which cleaner you choose.
Jeff
Click to expand...

But wouldn't scrubbing the gutters be considered a restoration? I am not trying to argue or anything because I include the gutters in my house washes. If house washing is removing dirt and mold, which it is, using a different chemical that removes oxidation and breaking out a scrub brush seems to be an add on. Again I can see where some guys are coming from. Down here there are minimal gutters so I don't have to scrub 200 feet of gutters. Usually it is about 12 feet in the front, if that. so including it in my house wash quote is a no brainer for me.
 
Ralph,..gutters are gutters and siding is siding,..all part of a house wash yes,...,..But although they are both part of a house wash,..siding material and the overall square footage makes it totally different than scrubbing narrow painted gutters where you aren't gonna make a mess of them,..like what can happen once you begin to remove oxidation from vinyl siding.

When you have a while side of a two story house to remove oxidation from and make it even,..that is ALOT of work and still may not end up exactly proper. The larger the area the more likely it is to see uneven-ness in the siding,. totally different with,..something like gutters that are narrow and easy to make look right.

Oxidation on gutters is removed by default more than on purpose,..meaning,.the nature of removing gutter streaks and the product(s) used will remove oxidized paint as well. Gutters in many cases can not be cleaned the way siding can,..so even cleaning gutter is a different scenario,.but still part of a house wash and should be evaluated by the contractor and added to the total cost,.but not separately,..When I see people charging separately I feel like they would rather not do them,..even at the cost of a crappy looking job,..simply because the homeowner didn't want to pay "extra",..even though the customer would pay the price had it not even been mentioned.


Breaking out a scrub brush isn't an add on,.it's part of the job,..just like lifting window screens and properly cleaning the inside of the sill, and brushing over the windows,...which I know many don't do.

Do we start charging if we have to use a ladder? Maybe some do I guess.

As I said,.customers in this service want a professional to evaluate their home and give them a cost to make it look nice,..they don't want to hear,.."It's this much for this and this much for that where the main body of the house is concerned"

Jeff
 
814jeffw said:
Ralph,..gutters are gutters and siding is siding,..all part of a house wash yes,...,..But although they are both part of a house wash,..siding material and the overall square footage makes it totally different than scrubbing narrow painted gutters where you aren't gonna make a mess of them,..like what can happen once you begin to remove oxidation from vinyl siding.

When you have a while side of a two story house to remove oxidation from and make it even,..that is ALOT of work and still may not end up exactly proper. The larger the area the more likely it is to see uneven-ness in the siding,. totally different with,..something like gutters that are narrow and easy to make look right.

Oxidation on gutters is removed by default more than on purpose,..meaning,.the nature of removing gutter streaks and the product(s) used will remove oxidized paint as well. Gutters in many cases can not be cleaned the way siding can,..so even cleaning gutter is a different scenario,.but still part of a house wash and should be evaluated by the contractor and added to the total cost,.but not separately,..When I see people charging separately I feel like they would rather not do them,..even at the cost of a crappy looking job,..simply because the homeowner didn't want to pay "extra",..even though the customer would pay the price had it not even been mentioned.


Breaking out a scrub brush isn't an add on,.it's part of the job,..just like lifting window screens and properly cleaning the inside of the sill, and brushing over the windows,...which I know many don't do.

Do we start charging if we have to use a ladder? Maybe some do I guess.

As I said,.customers in this service want a professional to evaluate their home and give them a cost to make it look nice,..they don't want to hear,.."It's this much for this and this much for that where the main body of the house is concerned"

Jeff
Click to expand...

Jeff,

My helper hates scrubbing gutters but hey its part of the house wash. I also break out the Mr long arm to wash gable end vents when I have to. I don't want to just spray water on them for 5 minutes

But out of curiosity I need to ask, Do you lift the screens to every window? second and third floor windows alike? what about when you cannot lift the screens, you know, when they are locked from the inside?
 
Ones that are not removable are left in place,.although I do let the customer decide if they want to remove them before we get there. As for the others,.yes,.we always lift window screens,..and fortunately VERY rarely run into 3 story windows,..but yes we will do them the same. From a ladder and use a brush on them as well.

I've seen to much debris and dirt that needs brushed off or even a melamine sponge gone over it to make clean.

I mean,.I guess it's all in what you sell the customer,..and I guess I shouldn't knock anyone for what they and the customer are in agreement to,..

*Maybe if I ran into 3 story windows more often I'd change my tune on them,Ha,Ha,..

Jeff
 
what about second story houses, just plain ol two story home ? Am i to assume that you pull out the ladder and wash out all of those? if so how do you do it, do carry a bucket and sponge?, do you use your hose? or do you just wipe them? norwood2.jpg I ask them to remove the screen before I get there.
 
Last edited:
Most of the homes I wash are 2-1/2 to 3 full floors out of the ground. I give the customer their choice of what they would prefer and most remove any 3rd floor screens a day or so before the work begins. Thankfully a lot of the customers leave the high windows un-screened.

I do the same with sliding screens. Using a pole, gently push up on the frame so I can get the sills. I also use a window mop on the poles and scrub the outside of the windows as the final rinsing is being completed. Makes a huge difference when the windows dry.

Mike
 
junker1 said:
what about second story houses, just plain ol two story home ? View attachment 30284 I ask them to remove the screen before I get there.
Click to expand...


Steve,

That's fine too. As for customers I have which have health issues, I make sure we are lined up so they will be home when I get there so I can remove the screens for them.

Mike
 
I personally do not think its fair to the customer to include the price of gutter scrubbing in the house wash price. Reasons

1. It does not work all the time, so if it does not work and you have included it do you give them a refund?

2. Sometimes it is simply not needed, what then give them money back?

3. Some people do not want it, as sooner or later it speeds up the process of deterioration on the gutter finish.

4. Giving them the choice is the only fair thing to do IMO

I think of it as person painting a bedroom, if the person only wants the walls painted you do not paint the trim as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top