For Brick or Vinyl Homes, a Softwash is Best!

You might think that all pressure washing companies in Myrtle Beach are created equally.  You might think that pressure washing a home or business is pretty straightforward... Apply pressurized water, and Voila!  Job Done.  Not so.

Efflorescence on Brick

Efflorescence on Concrete

    











Caretaker Services, LLC uses a technique called softwashing.  The difference between how we pressure wash a home, and how another company does it might mean the difference in the life of your home's exterior beauty.  Take brick homes, for example... you can use pressure on brick, but you have to be careful not to use too much pressure, which can cause efflorescence (see pictures above).  Efflorescence is the white, powdery substance that appears on the surface of masonry, concrete, or stucco products.  This substance comes from the salts contained in many of these surfaces.  When too much water pressure is applied, it can cause these salts to evaporate to the surface, causing efflorescence.  Knowing the correct pressures and the correct distances in which you should be while washing your surfaces is the difference between a professional pressure washing company and a homeowner who just happens to own a pressure washer.  Sometimes, certain cleaners can be used safely and effectively on masonry and concrete surfaces to restore years of natural pollution.  Stucco also requires very specific cleaniing products and low pressure cleaning, as stucco surfaces are softer than other surfaces.
     Many homes in South Carolina are built with vinyl siding.  Low pressure only is required on vinyl, so as not to get water behind the siding material or cause oxidation of the vinyl to occur.  If your siding has a chalky residue, you are looking at oxidation.  Pressure washing too close can produce the effect of wand marks all over the oxidized siding.  Sometimes, we have to hand-scrub badly oxidized homes, and that requires an upcharge.
  So, what are the bottom-line benefits to softwashing?

• It keeps screens from tears and rips
• Keeps water from being blown into cracks, holes, siding laps, windows and doors
• Reduces the need for ladders and keeps costs down and injuries on the job to a minimum
• Does not mark up siding like high pressure
• Allows work to get done faster and more effectively
• Kills all mold and mildew instead of just blowing off the top layer that you see

Caretaker Services uses a Pressure Pro 8 Gallon-Per-Minute pressure washer.  We use different tips and guns to make pressure range anywhere from 300 to 900 PSI, depending on the surface and the condition of the surface.
   So, if you think you might be saving money by DIY or hiring just any company, think again.  Longer lasting beauty and adding years to the life of your home come with hiring a company that knows the difference between too much and not enough pressure.