House washing · Lacey, WA
House Washing in Lacey
That green on your siding is alive. We kill it with a soft wash and rinse it off. Your paint and your vinyl stay exactly where they are.
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The north wall goes first
When Lacey became a city in 1966 it had 8,860 residents. The 2020 census counted 53,526. Most of the houses went up in between, a neighborhood at a time, and a street of houses built together gets dirty together.
The north wall gets no direct sun, so it never dries out. Algae settles in as a green film. Mildew shows up as black streaks under the eaves and around the windows. In Lacey you can walk a street in Meridian Campus or Horizon Pointe and pick out the north side of every house.
It isn't only ugly. Growth holds moisture against the siding and the trim, and wet trim rots.
How we wash it
We start with a look around the house. Then a biodegradable cleaning solution goes on at low pressure and breaks down the algae and mildew. A clean-water rinse finishes it.
Could we do it faster with a pressure washer? Sure. We'd also risk cracked vinyl and water behind your siding. We use soft washing all the time in Lacey because it works, and it keeps the siding intact.
What high pressure does to each kind of siding
- Vinyl
- It isn't a sealed wall. The panels overlap and hang a little loose so they can move with the heat, and there are small drain holes along the bottom edges. Spray upward and the water goes right behind them, where it can't dry.
- Fiber cement
- If you have Hardie siding, the manufacturer doesn't leave much room for debate. Its maintenance guidance says a pressure washer can damage the surface and tells owners to use a garden hose and a soft brush.
- Wood and cedar
- Wood is soft. High pressure tears up the surface fibers and leaves it fuzzy, and it takes paint and stain off in strips. You can see every pass of the wand afterward.
- Older painted siding
- Run your hand across it. If it comes away chalky, the surface is breaking down from years of sun. Pressure cleans it in stripes, and the stripes stay.
Then there's everything fixed to the wall: window seals, caulk lines, light fixtures, dryer vents. None of it was built to take a direct blast.
Signs it's time
- Green film spreading across one side of the house
- Black streaks under the eaves
- Dirty marks below the windows and gutters
- A chalky feel when you run your hand over the siding
Notice it's usually one side? That's the north wall, or the one facing the trees. It gets the least sun, so it dries last.
Why it stays clean longer
The green on your siding is alive. Pressure knocks the top layer off and leaves the rest to grow back. A cleaning mix kills it, so the wall stays clean longer.
Listing your Lacey house? Wash it before the photographer comes. Buyers judge the outside first.
House washing in Lacey: questions
Every one to two years. Homes with heavy tree cover or a shaded north side need it more often.
Two to four hours for a standard house, depending on its size and how dirty it is.
No. The low pressure is the whole point. The cleaning solution does the work, so nothing gets blasted.
It removes dirt, mold, mildew and algae. Oil and rust stains are different and need their own treatment. We'll tell you up front if we see any.
You can, carefully. Start with a garden hose and a soft brush, because a lot of dirt comes off with that alone. Never aim upward. Stay off the ladder with a wand in your hand. Test a spot nobody will see first.
Vinyl siding, brick, stucco and wood. Each one gets the technique and the cleaning solution that suits it.
Yes. It takes mold, pollen and dust off the outside of the house, and that's less of it around your doors and windows.
Military, medical or first responder?
You get 10% off. Lacey has a lot of all three, and we're glad to say thanks.