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.    

A Myrtle Beach Gutter Cleaner Meets All Kinds of Interesting Creatures...

At Caretaker Services, we provide several services for the home--- pressure washing, roof cleaning, deck and patio cleaning, window cleaning, and gutter cleaning.  Sometimes, when I am pressure washing or cleaning gutters, I have the distict opportunity to meet some interesting creatures face to face.  Now, for those who are faint at heart or suffer from Ophidiophobia, you may want to plug your ears and sing "LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA" when I tell you that I have encountered many snakes!  Normally, one would need to call upon the Snake Chaser to call upon these feared animals, but sometimes, encounters with snakes or rodents are just part of the daily perils that face a professional pressure washer like me.  Right now, the leaves are just starting to fall and branches from overhanging trees are clogging gutters, and it is the perfect season for gutter cleaning.  It's also the perfect time to come across a wolf spider.  Why, just the other day, I was greeted at a client's front patio by a giant mama wolf spider with all one hundred or so babies on her back!  And, as I am up close and personal with the nooks, crannies, siding, and outside corners of your home, I am often looking "eye to eyes" with a brown or black widow.  So, if running across these types of outdoor wildlife is not your forte', yet your home is falling victim to seasonal mold, mildew, or clogged gutters, just give me a call at Caretaker Services!  I meet and greet the little fellas while I take care of your home's exterior cleanliness!  It's all in a day's work!

Myrtle Beach Pressure Washer: The View From Up Here

I get to see your home from a completely different perspective.  When it comes to pressure washing, I see your home from every angle—back, front, and sides.  As a Roof Cleaner, I have the opportunity to see the world from way up there…on the roof!  You know how when you buy a car, and all of sudden, it seems like everyone is driving the same car?  Well, when you are a pressure washer or external house cleaner, you look at people’s homes in a different way… and, all of a sudden, it’s easy to spot streaks… and mold… and dirt.  You may not even notice the gradual buildup of these things, but being a pressure washer, I see the potential shine in the exterior of your home just waiting to be set free!  You may think your deck or patio is supposed to have that green tone… but, underneath, I know it will shine up like a new penny.  Those black streaks on your roof…? Over time, they can cause damage, limiting the lifespan of your roof.  Your Myrtle Beach Pressure Washer is the perfect person to give you a different perspective of your home… and that’s exactly who we are and what we do at Caretaker Services… we unleash the potential of your home’s beauty and longevity!  Visit http://www.caretakersoftwash.com/ and see what we can do for your home!