House washing cleans the full exterior shell: siding, trim, soffits, fascia, porch ceilings and garage doors. In Harvard, IL it removes the field dust, pollen film, algae and mildew that collect on homes surrounded by open land. Rob Morales of Woodstock handles every job himself and does not put a number on house washing until a photo is in hand. To begin, text a picture of the house to (815) 451-0106.
A whole-house wash is different from cleaning one dirty wall. It covers every exterior surface the weather touches, in a sequence that keeps dirty water from running over areas already done. Done well, the result is even, with no clean patches next to dull ones, and the house looks closer to the way it did when new.
For Harvard homes, the job has a few local features. Farm-country dust is finer than city grime. Shade from mature trees makes some walls greener than others. And houses range from older frame homes with painted trim to newer builds with vinyl or composite siding. This page covers how Rob works through a house and what to know before you book.
Top to bottom: the order of a full-house wash
Rob starts by wetting plants and covering anything that should not get wet, such as outdoor outlets, light fixtures and delicate plantings. He then works from the highest surface down, applying solution to soffits and fascia, then walls, then lower trim and porch areas. Gravity does some of the work for him.
Each section is allowed to dwell, then rinsed thoroughly from the top down. A common sign of rushed work is streaking, where solution dries on the wall before it gets rinsed. Rob works in sections he can finish before they dry. The final step is a walk-around to catch missed spots, corners behind downspouts and the undersides of eaves.
How siding type changes the job
Vinyl siding is common and forgiving, though water driven upward can get behind the laps. Fiber-cement and painted wood clean differently, and aged paint can chalk or peel when washed. Aluminum can dent or oxidize. Brick and stone are sturdier but have mortar that deserves care.
This is why Rob needs a photo before he quotes. Seeing the material, the height and the vegetation helps him decide the method and the time involved. Most houses are cleaned with low pressure and a solution, a method explained in Mold and Algae on Siding: What It Is, Whether It Matters, and How to Clean It along with why it lasts longer than plain water.
Why a Harvard house goes gray faster than you expect
Open land lets dust travel. Spring tillage and fall harvest fill the air with fine particles, and those settle on vertical surfaces. Then dew, humidity and shade give algae something to grow on. Within a couple of seasons the siding can take on a dull, uneven gray-green cast that is hard to see until you clean a small patch and compare.
The color is not always on the same wall. North sides and spots under trees tend to be worse, while a south wall might be nearly clean. The mismatch is part of why a house looks tired. Washing the entire exterior evens it out.
Protecting what is around the house
Flower beds, shrubs, a vegetable garden and a pet's water bowl are the details people worry about. Rob pre-wets and rinses plants, keeps solution off the garden and asks you to move pet items and outdoor furniture out of reach. Windows and screens should be closed.
Runoff on a larger Harvard lot usually soaks into lawn, which helps. If your house sits near a drain, a ditch or a pond, tell Rob so he can control where rinse water goes. For more on this topic, see Soft-Wash Cleaning Solutions: Plants, Pets and Storm Drains.
Is a house wash the right move or is it time to paint?
If paint is peeling, bare wood shows or siding is cracked, washing will not fix those things. A wash is a good first step before painting since paint adheres better to a clean wall, and it can show how much work the paint really needs. If walls are sound but dull, a wash alone may be all you need.
Rob will give an honest opinion. He may also suggest pairing the job with gutter cleaning or a driveway wash so the whole property looks consistent. There is no price on this page because every house differs. The quote comes after Rob sees a photo.
House Washing through the year in Harvard
Spring
Wash after the worst pollen has dropped, usually mid to late May. Walls look best going into summer gatherings and Milk Days weekend.
Summer
Workable early in the day. Rob avoids washing dark siding in hot direct sun, where solution can dry too fast.
Early fall
Washing once harvest dust has settled and before leaves drop keeps walls clean going into winter.
Winter
House washing waits. Use the time to photograph the north and shaded walls, then plan spring.
Getting a quote
A house wash can change how a whole property reads from the road, and it often costs less than people assume. The only way to find out is to show Rob the house. Shoot a wide photo from the street and a close one of the dirtiest wall, then text both to (815) 451-0106. Back comes a description of the job and a quote you can accept or decline.