Powerwashing for houses not recommended

[John T 744]

Check out this company's that is close by to me. There webwsite is www.housebrightinc.com They advertise that they "Gently Hand Wash" houses etc.

Hows these companies survive I'll never know. I would imagine that there prices are alot higher then most because of all the wasted labor involved scrubbing houses etc.

Modern technology is here and in our field x-jets,CHEMICALS & POWERWASHERS should be on top of anyones list who wants to get in this business.

I'll have to check this company out to see what there angle is.

[RyanH 14]

This looks like a company that started out with the inability to afford pressure washing equipment. It is entirely possible to wash a vinyl house with a bleach/water solution without a bleach solution......I tell my customers that the primary reason for using a pressure washer on vinyl siding is to get the water and chemical onto the house in the first place (high volume in a short time and no ladders). It is interesting to note that they will not even touch upon the issue of washing tough surfaces (like brick, stucco, masonite, etc.). Looks to me like they used many applications of bleach on the concrete surfaces.....pressure washing on a pool deck surface should make the surface uniform in appearance; this looks splotchy.

They do use a particularly effective, albeit fallacious, form of advertisement. The customers' perceptions will be that they will receive a safe and effective washing because it is hand-washed (like people associate hand-built with being better than mass-produced). The idea is put into their minds that "powerwashing" is dangerous and evil (similar to the way the democraps scare the elderly, ignorant, and uninformed with their tripe pertaining to taxes and social issues). A good pressure (power) washing contractor should be able to point out the misleading points in their advertising to potential customers and reclaim the business.

[Paul B. 523]

It's an angle to promote handwashing. Handwashing requires very low O/H

(very basic equipment and minimum knowledge).

It's also using all of the bad things unprofessional P/W have left behind for the PRO P/W to have to deal with.

It's like anything else - improper use of tools and chemicals can and will cause damage in the hands of an untrained person.

Looks like they are/were using child labor to clean the siding. I would hardly call it professional. It's in violation of child labor laws. The kids are also not wearing eye protection. The state, OSHA and workers comp. would like to hear about these practices.

I'm curious if they also clean concrete with a garden hose.

Even a so called experienced handyman can give the P/W business a bad name and also provide inaccurate information.

Let me quote you just a couple of things from Glenn Haege' who claims to be America's Master Handyman with 30 years experience in home improvement:

Dear Glenn: The aluminum siding is beginning to look stained and old. Should I have it powerwashed, or is there something else I can do to make it look good for spring?

-- Grace, Almont

Dear Grace: Aluminum and vinyl siding is supposed to be washed every year. Power washing is not necessary. In fact, it can strip the finish and make it necessary to paint or replace the siding before its time.

Go to the Hardware Store and buy some Power or Nice and Easy Aluminum Siding Cleaner by Alumin-Nu (800) 899-7097. They also make a vinyl siding cleaner.

Dear Glenn: Last fall, a highly recommended power washer company gouged my cedar deck and destroyed the finish on some very expensive imported lacquered vinyl chairs. I know I can never make them like new again, but how do I make them look good enough to use this spring?

-- Alice, Dexter

Dear Alice: Both the cedar deck and vinyl furniture are very soft. Pressure over 800 p.s.i. (pounds per square inch) will dig into the cedar and vinyl. The problem is that even residential power washers are 1,200 p.s.i. and commercial power washers are usually 2,000 to 2,500 p.s.i. When this equipment is used on soft materials the result can be disastrous.

If your deck is severely gouged, the best way to have it fixed would be to sand it smooth with a circular buffing machine. Use medium and fine grit sanding screens only. When the surface is smooth, apply Penofin Ultra, (800) 736-6346.

You are in luck with the vinyl furniture because you can make it smooth as new. Take it over to the Strip It Co. in Clinton Township, (810) 792-7705, and have it bead-blasted smooth. Once the vinyl furniture is smooth, take it to any good auto collision shop and have them recoat it with automotive acrylic lacquer. In the future, clean the furniture with Soft Scrub without bleach.

Dear Glenn: I'm purchasing a home that has lots of trees in the yard. The shingles on the house exhibit some moss growth. Is there anything I can do to the shingles to deter this growth besides having the trees trimmed?

-- Paul, Harper Woods

Dear Paul: If you can get up on the roof, use an aluminum snow shovel to scrape off the majority of the moss. Remove the remainder by applying Moss & Mildew Remover by Security Products, (888) 241-9547.

To keep the moss from coming back, get zinc strips called Shingle Shield by Chicago Metallic, (800) 323-7164, and attach them to the roof.

What do you think?

[PSI Phil 12]

That has got to be the most retarded thing I have ever seen, hand washing a house?

As far as the child labor laws being broken...I doubt it, the photos are date stamped in 1994, so they are probably well out of college by now,lol

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

There is a window company in our area that does it - hand washing houses - no joke, but then neither is their price tag.

Beth

[Aplus 525]

Paul,

I emailed Glenn once regarding some questionable (Read: wrong) advice he dispensed. I offered to discuss it with him via email or phone, but he would not return a message to me.

Glenn is merely an author who sells books and newspaper columns, and in my mind he doesn't know alot about what it really takes to perform certain tasks.

Apparently the vendors do a good job of supplying him with sales baloney.

[Paul B. 523]

Paul,

Glenn is merely an author who sells books and newspaper columns, and in my mind he doesn't know alot about what it really takes to perform certain tasks.

Apparently the vendors do a good job of supplying him with sales baloney.

Tony,

I agree with your statements.

That is the trouble with being titled as an EXPERT.

To me the bottom line is to do the homework for ones self and

by cross checking the information you should be able find fact

vs. fiction (most of the time).

Another note for the consumer is to be weary of anyone that only

gives negatives or only positives of a product or process.

That's a flag raiser to me right away!

[James 624]

I have a company in CT. thats ben doing that for years. They brush everything. If you read it ? It says they brush everything by hand and rinse.One company also uses rotary brushes. Awning equipment can be used with a hose. It can be done just more labor intensive. Large houses and the heat and steaking would be some of the problems.

[Aplus 525]

There's a company here that hand washes houses. One of my customers watched a house across the street from him get washed.....4 guys for a day and a half! They worked off some pretty high ladders too. I wonder how much they charged.

[John T 744]

Tony,

So your saying this business by you that hand washes houses they are employing 4 guys. It would be great if you could find out how much that homeowner paid for that service. Also how did the house come out after it was cleaned??

[Guest rfitz]

It would be fairly eay to put up a website, bashing this idiot, and telling people he is full of you know what... He probably went to Home depot on a weekend rented a power washer, was told by the yahoo's that work there how to wash a deck, he then went home, destroyed his deck, and whatever else he could blast with 3000 PSI, and now thinks all PW is bad... You cant believe what these poor folks are told by the workers at local hardware stores on how to power wash their decks, they should be liable for a deck that is destroyed by an inexperienced homeowner, who was given wrong instructions

... then the homeowner calls us after they have put 4-5 products on their decks over a 10 year period that we now have to strip, briten, sand etc.. and they wonder why in the hell our price is so hi...? That is why the process has to be explained in person, otherwise, they are clueless

[Everett Abrams 501]

It isn't just homeowners that do this. There are a bunch of contractors that do the same thing with the pressure washer. The industry is being hurt more my the "so-called" professional. This is one reason hmeowners are trying to do this on there own.

One reason is usually money and the other is that they got shafted in the past. I have heard many times that "they" could do as good a job or better than the people they hired. Many times they are right(I know, "you get what you pay for"). There is a perception here to manage. This is not the last time you will hear this. I am aware of other organizations recommending not using a pressure washer.

I may not agree with this company or what they are saying but, I give them credit for thinking out of the box. Just my opinions here.

[Cleveland Mobile 14]

I have to laugh at these people who think that a pressure washer is going to dent aluminum. But hey.....they have to have an angle to get work i guess. The Sparkle Wash franchise in my area is good at hiring the most incompetent people and send them out to clean houses. But their work gives me more business....so i say...keep the weekend warriors and bad employees coming......they are free advertisement.

Andy