House Washing In Melbourne

House washing is quoted on the building, not the block, so the figure comes from the number of storeys, the total wall area and perimeter, the material, the access around the property and how heavy the growth is. A single-storey brick or render home with clear side access is the straightforward end. A double-storey with narrow side paths, balconies or heavy shaded mould takes longer and needs more solution and dwell time. Eaves, soffits, garage doors and separate outbuildings are quoted as part of the scope rather than added later. Send photos of each elevation to 0430 392 100 and you will get one written figure that covers the agreed work.

Yes, and it is the only method that is. Soft washing applies the cleaning solution at low pressure and rinses at roughly garden-hose pressure, so the coating is never subjected to the force that causes damage. What ruins render and paint is high pressure: it blows out the acrylic coat, drives water into the porous base underneath and leaves the wall holding moisture, which then feeds more growth. If your render or paint is already failing, with flaking, bubbling or hairline cracking, we will point it out before starting, because a wash will reveal existing damage even though it did not cause it.

A typical single-storey home takes around half a day once set-up, protection of plants and fittings, application, dwell time and the top-down rinse are all accounted for. A double-storey, or a home with heavy growth needing a second application, generally runs a full day. The dwell stage is deliberately unhurried, because giving the solution time to kill the mould and lichen biologically is what makes the result last beyond a few weeks. If we are also doing the roof, gutters or windows in the same visit, we schedule the whole property as a day rather than squeezing it. You will be given a time window when the job is booked.

Not when the job is done properly. Garden beds, lawn, shrubs and anything planted against the wall are thoroughly wet down before any solution is applied, which stops the solution being absorbed, and everything is rinsed again afterwards to dilute whatever run-off reached the soil. Sensitive plantings directly under a wall can also be covered for the duration. Where run-off has to go somewhere, it is directed away from planted beds and toward appropriate drainage rather than allowed to pool. Tell us at quoting stage if you have anything particularly precious, a vegetable patch, new plantings or a pond, and we will plan the wash around it.

Across Melbourne's south east, a full house wash every 18 months to two years keeps most homes ahead of the growth. Aspect drives the variation more than anything else, so it is completely normal for a shaded southern or eastern elevation to need washing while the sunny northern side still looks fine. Homes under heavy tree canopy through Frankston South, Langwarrin, Mount Eliza and Somerville tend toward the shorter end. Coastal properties at Aspendale, Seaford, Sandringham and Beaumaris often want more frequent attention on glass, frames and metal, where salt film builds within months. Washing on a rhythm is cheaper per visit than waiting until the growth is established.

Yes, and removing them properly is the entire point of soft washing rather than pressure washing a wall. Mould, algae and lichen are living organisms rooted into the surface, so knocking the visible layer off with water only clears what you can see while leaving the root structure in place to regrow. The soft wash solution is applied and given dwell time so it kills the organism biologically, then the dead matter is rinsed away top down. Heavy lichen on porous brick or old render sometimes needs a second application, which we will tell you about at quoting rather than after. The result is a wall that stays clean through the following wet season.