Signs A Commercial Property Needs Roof Repair
Should You Pressure Wash Your Commercial
Building Exterior In Bergen County, NJ?
Tips For Maintaining Your Exterior
A Bergen County, NJ skylight contractor or exterior contractor can help you keep the outside of your commercial, retail, industrial, or multi-family residential building clean and looking its best. However, with regular maintenance, you can often safely take care of this task yourself. For best results, follow the cleaning suggestions below.
Annual cleaning provides the best results. Failure to do so can cause the structure to look grimy, ill-kept, and unimpressive. You will lose the opportunity to make a good first impression on clients, partners, suppliers, and other first-time visitors.
In the following sections, the experts at 1 Call Restore explain how to pressure wash your building’s exterior features.
Wash Your Bergen County Building From Bottom
Up To Avoid The Need For a Skylight Contractor
When you use a pressure washer to clean your brick cladding and exterior features, start cleaning at the bottom of the building. Then, work your way upward.
For instance, begin with the foundation and remove dirt and grime from the brick or concrete. Then, gradually work your way upward to the siding, windows, gutters, and roof. This gives the detergent more time to work on the lowest portions of the building, which are closer to the ground and easier for visitors to see.
However, it is important to note that using a pressure washer on certain exterior features can cause significant damage and void your warranty. You’ll want to ensure you’re using the utmost care when using a pressure washer, keeping it on the lowest setting, and when in doubt, defer to a professional exterior restoration contractor.
Rinse Your North Jersey Building From Top
Down to Avoid Hiring A Skylight Contractor
Once you have pressure washed the building in the proper order, be sure to rinse off the detergent so it doesn’t dry and leave streaks. However, this time, work downward from the top instead of upward from the bottom. In other words, start by rinsing the roof and gradually work through the siding and to the foundation.
The reason for this is that the detergent will have had time to loosen dirt and grime. This may have been collected in nooks and crannies. By rinsing downward, you ensure you’re flushing away dirt that may have washed below from above. It results in a cleaner surface and fewer streaks.
Wash In Sections Like a Skylight Contractor Would
Instead of trying to tackle the whole building in one go, work in sections. This is how a professional skylight contractor or exterior maintenance company does it. It makes the job feel like it is proceeding more quickly, and it minimizes streaking and hasty drying.
For instance, choose one section of the building—such as from the corner to the first set of windows, and spot clean, pressure wash, and rinse that section before you move on to washing and rinsing the next segment. Keep the sections you work on small, convenient, and easy to finish in 20 minutes or less.
Use A Gentle Detergent Like Those
Chosen By Skylight Contractors
Choose a gentle detergent that does not contain harsh chemicals. You don’t want to bleach the paint on your building, cause it to peel, or otherwise damage the finishing. Moreover, harsh chemicals can wreak havoc on the environment. They can kill your landscaping, cause lawns to turn brown, or enter the groundwater and kill local fauna.
Deer may drink from local streams, and fish occupy area ponds. Toxic chemicals from your pressure washing project could cause them to sicken or die. Instead of using harsh detergents, choose instead a mild dish soap or natural household cleaner. These often work just as well without having the dangerous results of toxic bleach or ammonia.
Do Not Pressure Wash Skylights – Let A
Skylight Contractor Clean Them
Skylights should not be cleaned with a pressure washer. This can lead to leaks and might damage the glass. Instead, they should be cleaned with a mild detergent and a clean cloth or sponge. Your best option is often to hire a skylight contractor to tackle this since they are usually hard to reach. Do not risk climbing on a sloped roof.
Also, be careful around windows, gutters, and siding. Pressure washers can do considerable damage if not used properly. Hold the nozzle well away from delicate features and use a wide stream. Additionally, roofing materials are susceptible to significant damage caused by pressure washers.
Hire A Bergen County, NJ Skylight Contractor
If you do not have the time or resources to pressure wash your building’s exterior, contact a North Jersey skylight contractor to do it for you. Professionals cost a bit more, but they save you considerable time, effort, and hassle. They do the job right and let you focus on your business’s core competencies.
For instance, you don’t have to assign workers who may be needed elsewhere. You don’t have to put off other maintenance. You can continue collecting rent and finding tenants instead of cleaning the outside of your building.
Not to mention, you’ll know the job is being completed correctly without risk to the exterior of your building.
