JeffW

I have been washing houses for ten years now,.....yet I am still uncertain what causes the perfectly spaced black streaks on rain gutters.Could someone enlighten me.I have seen this on gutters that are only a year old or less.I can clean them easily(as long as it's warm enough),... but would still like to know what causes them.Thanks for any and all positive responses.

Ridiculous,...Yes. Profitable for the company seeling it,....guaranteed.The general public is very easily sold on these type of products.

It is getting cooler here in Central Pa.The house washing gets a little tougher this time of year; especially trying to get the black streaks off gutters.I use a butyl based cleaner and it works very,...at least until the weather turns cool.I was wondering if there is anything I can use that works a little better in cooler weather.I usually go to work later in the day when it warms up a little,...use the cleaner a little stronger,...and let it dwell a little longer, but anything easier would be of great help.Thanks!

I had a lady call me yesterday and ask what I could do to get rid of the smell of a skunk that she hit with her car.Is there anything that I can spray on the car to help get rid of the odor.I was thinking bleach would kill the bacteria that is causing the smell.(sounds good anyhow).Thanks!

Turkey hunting is fun because it poses somewhat of a challenge.Turkeys have superb hearing and a great sense of awareness.I live in Central Pa. where the outdoors are a part of life,...and I hope it stays that way here.

The bleach sprayed on the outside and the candles burned on the inside got rid of the smell........until they drove the car.Then they could smell the odor coming through the vents.So it may be just a time thing.For now though the husband is driving the car and she is driving his truck.Although I may stop by and try the vinegar.Thanks for everyones help!

Thanks for all of the ideas,I did the job Friday morning before I got a chance to check out all of these responses.I used straight 6% household bleach on the outside and I burned candles in the inside for about twenty minutes.By the time I left the smell was gone.I thought maybe my sense of smell acclamated to the odor,...so I left to do a roof job and came back later and the smell was still gone.I have'nt yet talked to the customer to see what her nose thought.I'll let you all know when I find out.If the smell is still there I'll try some of the ideas you guys had .Thanks alot!

Actually,my customers do not have the final say,I do. Because I am the proffessional on the job I feel it is my duty to ensure quality work.The customer doesn't always know what to look for in this business.I've had customers tell me not to bother with the gutters because the black streaks on the gutters would not come off.Now I could easily say ok and not do them and the customer would be just as happy but I would'nt be.If I'm happy with the way a job turns out I know the customer is happy.Alot of customers do not even know what to expect out of this service,..so to say they have the final say is'nt exactly correct.

Ladders will not cause damage at all if they are used properly,..set at proper angles and the use of a stabilizer.There is no reason a ladder should ever be resting on gutters.Yes if you lean a ladder against a gutter without a stabilizer you will scratch it and risk the chance of the ladder moving when you are on it, but the simple use of a stabilizer solves this problem.I'm glad my customers are comfortable with my ability whether I'm using a ladder or a trampoline.

Contractors who are afraid of ladders?What do people who don't use ladders do when they run into a bees nest in the peak area of a house?Without going up a ladder and picking this stuff out it is almost impoossible to do it from the ground without risking alot of water under the soffit.Bee glue is really tough.Using ladders is part of being a contracter.If I had A contracter come to my house and say he was afraid of ladders I would wonder if he was a serious contractor or just kinda messing around.How can you do quality work without the use of a ladder.

Accidents are not usually caused by inanimate objects like a ladder.In fact most "accidents" are the result of user error.

If I was afraid to work off of a ladder I would be in a different line of work.That would be like being a tree trimmer and being afraid of a saw, because you know it can cut you.But I will say this to anyone who is afraid of a ladder,...don't use one because it's those who are afraid that will fall.

Go buy yourself a dual lance adjustable wand at your nearest supplier.And you can use pretty much any of the fan pattern nozzles for most rinsing.Make sure it is the right GPM nozzle for your machine though.Also, where your hose couples to the trigger get a high pressure swivel.This is easier on you and your hoses.Dultmeirs has the best prices on these that I have found.

Probably not the issue here but the water quality can also play a big role in rinsing.(Well water with heavy mineral content opposed to treated city water) Just thought I'd throw this out there.

I do one house a day, 3-4 days a week. The other days I do decks and roofs.I do not work on Sunday.If I would try and do two houses a day it would make the next day come to soon.I got into business to make life easier, not harder.I'm usually back in the driveway by noon.I use the rest of the day to look at work and/or get ready for the next job.And after that I may go fishing or just do nothing at all.

I never said I rinse from a ladder.When you scrub a house you only need to rinse off the soap.You can spray the house with low pressure and let the water carry the soap and dirt off the siding.Water getting underneath the siding is minimal if any at all.I rinse from the ground with a long extension added to my wand.

Ladders are as safe as the user.And just because it may look clean from the ground does'nt mean that it is clean."Cleaner than it was" is not acceptable for me.For you guys who spray and rinse,....when you're done with your next house get a ladder and go up and see how well you did especially the window area.Like I said earlier, if I used cleaner strong enough to clean without brushing I would be doing alot of aluminum trim painting.

I'm glad loight has been shed on this subject because I see so much talk about x-jetting on here I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one who scrubbed every house from "head to toe". I have been doing houses this way since I started ten years ago, no matter the degree of dirtiness of the house.Back in August I mentioned the use of a commpressed air sprayer for applying my cleaner.I have a stationary cleaner tank on my trailer and a hose reel connected to it.I take the cleaner wand and the brush up the ladder with me,spray the on the cleaner, hang the wand over a rung and scrub,then come down and rinse.It's actually quite fast and definetly thorough.I always wondered how you x-jetters get the window shelf clean,because if you ever go up and look you'll see that quite a bit of dirt will lay there and build up in some cases.If I used chemicals strong enough to clean without scrubbing I would probably be doing alot of repainting of aluminum trim.On an average two story house it takes me around 3-4 hours.I job this size will pay me $275.00-$350.00.I work by myself.I feel like I'm doing alright by hand scrubbing at this rate.A typical rancher will pay me $200.00-$250.00 and takes around 2-2.5 hours.And I'll also tell you this,the customer loves to see you working for your money.I actually think that I have set the standard for the house washing business in this area because people call me over the guys who only spray on and spray off.Actually there are'nt to many others because no one wants to do the work properly and they are'nt in business very long.I get alot of work because I hand wash.When I leave a job I know it's clean,...couldn't and wouldn't think of doing it any other way.

I've been washing houses for ten years now and I'll tell you this,....everyone on here will give you the good advice you need but there is still nothing like experience in the field.Just work through the problems as they come up and try not to get to frustrated or down on yourself because it's going to take some learning until you're completely comfortable with your work.As far as the staining is concerned,....there are things you can do to help minimize the chance of it happening but I've found that some houses do it and some don't.The next time you do a house try to watch as it's drying and if you see the problem coming lightly mist the problem area before it dries,this will help disperse it.Easier to deal with this problem while it's still wet.You'll soon learn to spot areas that may be a problem.As far as the bug crap,....it would be nice to see a picture of this because I agree with Jeff about the possibilty of artillery fungus.If you're talking about the staining that is left behind after you have removed the bug crap, simple bleach and water sprayed on these ares will make them disappear,makes the difference between a good job and a great job.Hope this helps.

Does anyone here have a membership for one of the many sites on the internet for downloading movies and tv shows?Just curios about these sites and whether they're legitimate and how extensive of a library they have.They seem to range from $25.00-$40.00 a year.Just looking for a little input and/or personal experiences.Thanks!

I'm learning way more than I ever wanted to know about right and wrong.....And still no "Alice".

When I started this thread I was looking to download the t.v. show "Alice".I have purchased other old t.v. shows like "Barney Miller" and "Green Acres"at Wal-Mart.But "Alice" is not available on DVD or VHS.It has never been on the market.I see a few different sites that offer t.v. show downloads and these are what I was referring to.I could care less about movies.Buy the way,are the music downloads at Wal-Mart illeagal?Thanks!

Yesterday a guy called me about a price I had quoted him on washing his house.I told him $250.00 and he told me yesterday that another guy told him $170.00.I said "well maybe thats who you want to call then because I don't dicker on prices".But he said he still wanted me to do the job because I sounded more knowledgable.Had this happen a couple other times over 10 years and I sometimes don't think there is "another guy", I believe people just try to get you to come down in price by threatening you with another contracters price.

One of the major employers in my area has just sold and the new owners are sending alot of the work overseas,which will leave some of my friends and alot of others out of a job.Not alot of quality work in this area to turn to.My point is you're not alone.

Does anyone know what kind of spider this is? No one around here has ever seen this type before.We have seen two now this year.I live in central Pa.