Cajun Cleanin

After losing my Dad to cancer I can relate.I will pray for your sister and your family.

Beautiful place man,Looks like the hard work does pay off.

Hakuna matata my friend. I think what you had was what I call a discounter some of them want the discount before the work and some of them like her think that once the job is done they can raise heck and complain enough that you "cut em a break" to make them happy and they will refer you to their other cheap friends. You had your stuff together and she obviously couldn't buffalo you into doing it and that is when she got mad because she coulnd't get the discount.Like someone else said lawyers are horse traders they never want to pay for anything.So pat yourself on the back because by doing the upfront stuff you covered your flank for her end around.

It is oxidation. I don't think you can bleach paint that was applied 2 years ago and is an exterior paint,but I've never tried it but I have gotten roof mix on a painted dormer and never had an issue and roof mix SHOULD be way stronger than anything your spraying siding with. In two years it shouldn't have oxidized that much,unless the paint was sprayed to thin. If you check the side of the house that doesn't get much sun and it is oxidized than I would say cheap paint.Rub your hand on the dry siding and see if it comes off in a chalk.

I don't think a house wash mix will clean the roof unless your apply 4 to 6% bleach to the walls with your mix. I've washed alot of dormers and my mix won't cut the stuff on a roof. With that being said you need to be careful and test your mix it may need to be adjusted.I think I put 1 to 2 % bleach to the wall in my mix depending on the soil and mildew level.

Bleach is used in every house and restuarant in america in some form or another,its used in Hospitals and assisted living facilities its everywhere.I would bet it is used more than almost any other chemical in the world. The people that question whether to clean their house with it are the same people that drink it and take showers in it.Sodium hypochlorite is electrified salt water basically thats how its made. Splenda is basically Chlorinated sugar,chlorine is everywhere and will be here for ever. In the right hands it as a safe and enviromentally friendly tool.

I don't think you cleaned it.Either low strength chems or not enough dwell time.Try it again.

It seems like a mighty big tank just dedicated to roof cleaning, I only use about 50 to 60 gls on a roof.If you have the room on your rig go for it if not get a smaller tank for the sauce. If you do use it I like the pipe from the top instead of the side.

I use a basic manhour charge I charge for every hour on the job and all the equipment is included. If I'm there so is all my equipment whether I use it or not so I charge per hour for everything I do,on moving stuff its a different rate for the laborers but it is still a set rate based on what I see it taking as far as time. I think you can make estimates so complicated that you are always second guessing yourself and trying to spend to much time to squeeze every penny out of a job you may or may not get.My .02 (based on time to write reply lol)

The air to fuel ratio is never going to be optimum on a deck or on siding. To have fire you have to have the ratio right for ignition it could be to weak or to rich to burn.The rags are ignitied by the decompositon of the solvents in the stain and when they are balled up or stuffed in a can the air to fuel ratio will be more controlled than in the open space on a deck.

It is wand marks from what I see.You have washed the oxidized paint off where the wand got to close.I would try to blend it with a low pressure tip 700 or less and I would also show the homeowner how his paint has failed and it is time to repaint.I do a lot of paint prep for 2 big painting contractors and if the paint has failed completely ther isn't anything to do but wash it off or leave it alone.Are you sure its paint and not a tinted stain?

I would have done it for free too,but the ole brother would be right there beside me.I would have even paid for the gas and chems.If he wouldn't help mew then I would have charged him like any other customer.

Does anyone else use the fogged up or cloudy double pane windows that you find from time to time on homes when you're giving a bid? I tell them when I find them for two reasons 1)I don't want to be responsible for them and 2) I tell them that they could have been caused by an inexperienced person with a power washer putting to much pressure on the outside pane causing the inert gas to be pushed out and air pulled in when the pressure is removed from the glass. If you have another sales pitch that use use regarding these cloudy panes I would like to hear them,if you want to share part of your sales pitch that is.

I think some ask to find out if you can do it in 2 hrs and it costs $400.00.Then surly they can do it in 4 hrs and just buy their own machine.I had this happen before.When I explain that we will not be up on a ladder 30 ft from the ground washing their eaves like they will be.that turns some of em around.I also explain the cost of doing business and if we break something we fix it.

What would everyone recommend to clean a house that has cypress siding and eaves. I will try and post some pics later.The painter that called me is going to stain it when i"m done and I seem to be getting morre of these calls,so i'm trying to get educated as to the ways of the "wood".

I've used fliers before and the close rate is real low,like 1 in a hundred,but the neighborhoods were high end and the word of mouth and referrals were great. I covered one area with fliers,close to 400 houses in the neighborhood and spent the whole month in there working. I only do it in areas where the homes are $300,000 and up because of the costs involved.