House Washing / Exterior Cleaning in Bonita Springs Done Right the First Time

Why Bonita Springs Homes Get Dirty Faster Than You Think

You may have cleaned your house last year or even just six months ago. So why does it already appear that the surface has not been cleaned in three years?

This is Bonita Springs. With its salt air, year-long humidity, and year-round warm temperatures, it's hard not to see biological growth on the exterior of your home. We're not just talking about a little dust; we're talking about algae, mildew and dark black lines that can grow overnight.

Here is what works against your home daily:

• Night-long humidity that rarely drops below 70%. Moisture settles into stucco, vinyl and painted surfaces, giving mold and mildew the perfect environment to thrive.
• Salt air from the Gulf of Mexico. With proximity to Barefoot Beach and proximity to the Imperial River, homes receive a constant accumulation of salt residue that traps dirt and causes darkening.
• Warm rain followed by high heat which promotes algae on north-facing walls and below the rooflines where shade keeps these areas wet.
• Debris and pollen dropped from oak trees or palms onto rooflines and into the gutters that breaks down into a dark, sticky film.

We see these issues almost daily, and what the homeowner thinks is a bad paint job or broken siding is usually an accumulation of biological material on the surface.

But here's the problem: What you're seeing isn't just aesthetically displeasing. As the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety states, moisture being retained by biological growth can actually lead to material breakdown over time. Given enough time, what begins as a cosmetic issue can become a real issue.

Because homes in Bonita Springs don't experience long periods where they can relax, there are no frost days to kill off the spores or dry months to stop the growth of mildew. The climate works continuously against you, and the best way to keep up is to have your house washed regularly.

When you start to see why it happens so fast, you realize that it's not a failure on your part. It's the Southwest Florida.

Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing Stucco And Painted Block

Most homes in Bonita Springs are stucco or painted block, and most of the issues we see from DIY home washing is one issue: pressure applied to the wrong surface.

Stucco is porous. It absorbs water, holds moisture and cracks from the high pressure that you might expect to work well. Painted block is a little different. If you use a high-pressure cleaner at 3,000 PSI you can blow paint right off the wall. It doesn't always feel that bad when we first arrive. We've seen homes all along the road in and around Worthington where someone called in a machine over a weekend and the whole front face is streaked, has bald spots and has gouged stucco.

Which is why we soft wash just about every exterior house we work on.

Soft washing is a low pressure and a cleaner that does the work. That cleaner works on algae, mold, mildew and those black streaks that accumulate during the humid climate of Southwest Florida. That rinse just washes the dirt. It's not blasting and it does not cause damage. This is the breakdown of those two systems on those different surfaces:

• Soft washing uses 100-500 PSI, and is gentle on stucco, painted block and screen enclosures
• Pressure washing uses 2,500-4,000 PSI, which works for concrete driveways and pavers, but is too strong for house walls
• Soft wash solutions kill the roots of organics, which extends the results beyond a pressure wash for months
• High pressure on stucco can drive water behind the stucco, possibly leading to future moisture issues within the wall.

I often get calls from homeowners who say the green streaks just came back a couple of weeks after cleaning their homes. They went about it the pressure way without the cleaner. They got the surface of the algae off but it came right back to life because we didn't kill the root system.

We do pressure wash certain parts of your home. Walkways, driveways, and the pool deck are all hard surfaces that can hold the force. But the walls, fascia, and soffits of your home get the soft wash treatment every time. It's not a hack, it's just the right job for a certain tool. We are fully licensed and insured and know exactly when to soften or pressure wash any part of the house.

How House Washing Goes, Step By Step

The question that comes up often is what does the house washing process really consist of? Fair enough, it's not magic and here's what the house cleaning process looks like.

1. Inspect the property. We walk the whole perimeter of the house, and examine every wall, every soffit, and every trim board before picking up the wand. We are looking for existing stucco damage, cracked caulk, open roof vents or damaged screens, anything water could infiltrate. We see more moisture damage around homes in and around the Imperial River, which usually requires us to move the plants to find damage behind the landscaping.
2. Protect the property. We cover any sensitive landscaping and move patio furniture away from the walls. All windows and doors get closed and we will cover any outdoor electronics or lighting fixtures you may have.
3. Apply the treatment. We use the soft wash process. Low pressure combined with a biodegradable cleaning mixture that penetrates and kills algae, mold and mildew roots. No blasting. The cleaner does the dirty work, not high pressure. Proper handling of cleaning solutions is an important safety consideration — the OSHA guide to cleaning industry hazards and solutions outlines best practices for chemical use and worker safety in professional cleaning operations.
4. Allow it to work. The cleaners need time, so we let them sit for several minutes. This is the step most DIY folks overlook when they try it themselves. The dwell time is what actually breaks down all that black streaking and green film you see on stucco and vinyl all over Bonita Springs.
5. Rinse everything down. We rinse the whole thing from top to bottom using controlled, low-pressure water. In this method, gravity is our friend. Every last bit of the dirt and cleaning solution runs off cleanly.
6. Final walkthrough. We walk around the entire home one more time. If there is a spot that needs more work, we hit it right then and there. You'll get a chance to see the results before we leave the site.

Typically the entire process takes only a couple hours for an average-sized home. The worst dirt is usually found on the north and west sides, where shade keeps things damp longer.

This one is a good one to keep in mind: A soft wash doesn't just clean your home, it actually kills whatever organisms are growing on your home's walls. That is a major reason why a good house wash can last for months longer than your basic water-hose rinse.

We are fully licensed and insured for all our services. Your home is in good hands from our first walkthrough until the very last rinse cycle.

HOA Appearance Standards and Exterior Cleaning Deadlines

That letter you got from the HOA is not merely a suggestion. It is a countdown.

We receive calls every week from homeowners in Bonita Springs who have just received a notice about algae streaking, dark staining on their fascia, or green buildup on their lanai screens. Most HOA violation letters have 30 days to remedy the issue. Some Bonita Bay communities have even less. Once the clock starts, you don't want to be scrambling to find someone who can come out right now.

This one thing happens repeatedly. A homeowner drives past their home on their way to work every day and it gradually starts building up. It happens so slowly that the homeowner never really notices. Then the HOA's property inspector drives up the street, and suddenly you have an official letter from the HOA in your mailbox. Black streaking on barrel tile, green algae growing up the stucco, or mildew darkening the gutters and soffits... it is all the same.

Common HOA Violation Triggers

• Algae or mold staining that is visible from the street on walls, roofs, or driveways
• Dirty or green discoloration on lanai enclosures and frame screens
• Dirty gutters, fascia, or garage doors that do not meet the appearance requirements of the community
• Buildup on mailbox posts, front paths, or entry columns

One exterior cleaning trip covers all of that. We follow up on every item in your violation letter so that nothing gets missed. You give us the violation letter, and we make sure the HOA inspector sees that every area they marked has been cleaned before your deadline.

Don't wait until you get a letter, though, if you can help it. Most HOAs in Bonita Springs do quarterly property inspections. Some services do monthly during the wet season from June to October, when the Southwest Florida humidity makes a north facing wall a breeding ground for algae. Cleaning your home before the inspection season begins eliminates any anxiety that comes with that. We are licensed and insured. Your HOA manager can confirm our license if their bylaws state they need contractor credentials. Some HOAs do. Our team will help get that info to them. When you receive a first-time HOA notice, and you do not know where to go from there, call us today at (239) 219-4701 for a same-day quote and get your home back in good standing immediately.

After Exterior Cleaning, Here is What to Expect

The results are visible right away. You pull into the driveway and ask if the house has been freshly painted. That drastic is the difference it makes. Colors come back to what they were intended to be. Your stucco or siding is its original hue, not the faded, grey-green shade you have grown accustomed to over the years. You will often hear Bonita Springs homeowners say that when their home was freshly cleaned, they forgot what their house looked like. That brownish hue was not the result of old paint, it was a build up of algae, salt and pollutants from the Florida sun.

What to Notice After a Fresh Clean

Your gutters will be new. The boards along your gutter line, the fascia, the window lines will not have those dark tracks that run down from your window frames. The house, and by proxy the entire front yard, will look better, as well. Just cleaning your yard does not create the same effect as when you clean the house. Here is a list of things you should expect during the first 24 hours after your cleaning:

• If it is a little dark on the surface, it is wet and it will look right within 24 hours
• There may be a clean, fresh scent in the treatment area, due to our biodegradable solutions
• Any dead organics we treated will remain on the home for the time being, however, they will break down and wash off naturally with the next precipitation event
• Landscaping we wetted and protected will thrive in its new environment

How long does it last? For the most part, 12 to 18 months for most homes in this part of the state. Salt air homes that are near areas such as Barefoot Beach, will accumulate residue faster. Homes with heavy tree coverage will see algae growth sooner on north walls. There is just no escaping nature down here. We always take the time to walk the home with you when we are done. We correct any problem areas that are present at that time and do not have to wait to come back to finish the job. Oh, the bonus is that your home will have more of a resale value, per the Appraisal Institute. So in a way, there is actually an investment to be had when you spend this type of money on your home. It makes sense and it is worth every dollar.

Frequently Asked Questions