Baton Rouge pressure washing questions, answered

Tell us when you call whether you plan to be home. Some owners like to walk the yard with us at the start; others let the crew in through the gate and go about their day. The last walk-around happens with whoever is home, and we go through what every wash covers so the order is clear before anything starts.

Tell us where the outside spigot is and whether it works when you call, so we know where the water comes from on the day of the wash. If the spigot is cracked, leaking or weak on pressure, say so early. A longer hose run from the back of the house to the far side of the yard sometimes comes up. The same spigot usually supplies both the walls and the drive, so one setup covers a house wash and a driveway and walks wash when both are on the list.

The quick list is cars, grills, patio furniture, cushions, planters and anything else on the ground within a few feet of the walls or the drive. Hanging baskets, open window screens, loose weatherstripping and a window AC unit are worth a second look. The crew covers outlets, light fixtures, meters, panels and the compressor on the way through, and the walking order on a full house wash goes wall by wall. Say so when you call if something is heavy or breakable, and bring pets inside before the wash starts.

Plants, pots, flower beds, hanging baskets and anything living near the walls get talked through on the look, before the wash starts. Pets go inside, in a crate or in a room away from the walls being washed. The dog can hear the equipment well before the gate opens, so a cool room with water and the ceiling fan on is easier on everyone. The low-pressure method uses less water pressure around siding and plants than a concrete wash does, which is one of the reasons it fits most house walls.

The surface decides. Vinyl, fiber cement, painted wood, stucco and shingle roofs take low pressure. Concrete, broom-finished walks and most brick pavers take more. For a longer tour, soft or pressure, surface by surface walks through it.

Yes, from the ground, at low pressure. Nobody on our crew gets up on the shingles, and the method on second-story walls is the same. Roof cleaning from the ground is the longer version, with the shingle checks we make from the yard.

Yes. Flat concrete gets washed in even overlapping passes so the slab dries one color. Brick pavers and herringbone patios get the joints looked at before the wand goes to work, because loose joint sand may need to be topped up after. Pool decks are washed with the pump, pool light and salt chlorinator covered or steered clear of. A broom-finished walk and a smoother slab in the garage apron hold dirt differently, so the pass is set to the finish. The method is the same across concrete, pavers and the pool surround.

No. Some stains lift and some stay. Old oil often sits in the concrete and does not lift. Rust rings around the spigot can lighten but not disappear. Tire marks, cold-tar sealer that has tracked across the drive, and paint drops are case by case. We look first and tell you what we expect to see go, so a slab that comes out mostly even is not a surprise. Stains on wood behave differently, which deck and fence washing gets into: a wand brightens the top layer, but a stain that has soaked into open grain goes with the grain and does not always lift.

Roof repair, coatings and sealers go to a roofer. Painting, paint stripping, sealing or staining a deck go to a painter. Indoor mold work and anything inside the house go to the trades that handle them. Gutter cleaning on the inside of the gutter is a separate job, tree trimming and moss up in trees go to tree work, pest work goes to pest control, and window cleaning is a different service. The full list of what we leave to other trades sits on the services page.

By what the walls, roof and slab actually are. The main drivers are the siding type and condition, the house's size (one story or two, how much of the roof shows from the ground, the gutter run), what the drive looks like, and whether walks, patio, pool deck, deck or fence are on the list. How much growth is on a wall moves the price too. The price factors in detail is the longer read.

A number over the phone would be made up. One two-story vinyl house on a shady lot and another with sun on three sides are not the same wash. The look before the price is when the number lines up with the surfaces as they stand, and it is also when we talk through what to cover, where the water comes from and what the hard parts of the job are. A yard with brittle rail, a cracked gutter miter or a soft board on the deck changes what the crew does, and those are things somebody has to see.

Not into the street gutter or the storm drain. The City-Parish asks residents to sweep driveways and sidewalks and dispose of waste, and lists soaps, household chemicals and even products advertised as "non-toxic" or "biodegradable" among the contaminants to keep out of storm drains. Driveway washing is the surface closest to the drain, so sweeping the slab first and keeping debris out of the gutter matters most there.

No. Harmful substances or contaminants that enter storm drains are not treated at a wastewater treatment plant and flow directly to streams, rivers, and lakes, which is why the City-Parish asks that the storm drain stay "just for rain".

You call (225) 635-8356 and tell us what needs washing: the surfaces, one story or two, the roof, plants and pets, the yard gate and the outside spigot, and what has been bothering you most about the way the place looks. We get back to you to set a look. The crew walks the house with you on that look, outside, and the price is set from the surfaces as they actually are rather than from a square footage number. Nothing on the house moves until you say yes. The last walk-around at the end is the one place where anything we spotted on the walls, the beds or the ground gets talked through.

What needs washing (siding, the roof, the drive, the walks, the deck, the fence, the gutter fronts), what it is made of, one story or two, plants and pets, and the outside spigot. If you have had a wash before and know what did or did not come off last time, that is worth saying. The list is the same whether you call or leave a number, and the full set of surfaces we handle sits on the everything we wash page.

Yes. There is a short callback form below the phone number on every page. Give us your name, your number, what needs washing and a good time to reach you. The callback form sends the same information a call does, so the next step is the same either way.

If a question is still not answered, call (225) 635-8356 and tell us what you want to know. If it is easier, leave your number in the callback form below the phone, and we get back to you with the same answer.