You have probably already learned that “power” is synonymous with “pressure” when searching for information about high-pressure cleaning equipment and services.  What you may not know is that one of these terms is more commonly used than the other.  This can be relevant to businesses for their online marketing campaigns and to consumers in their search for information.

On average, in the United States, the term “pressure washer” is approximately three times more likely to be searched for on the internet than “power washer”.  So, if your business is only using the term “power” on its website, blog, online store, and pay-per-click program, it is likely missing out on 75% of searchers and potential buyers.  Companies wanting to reach the majority of these people with a minimum amount of work should market their cleaning equipment and services using the term “pressure”.   Ideally though, the optimal marketing campaign would target both terms to ensure the organization is reaching all consumers searching for pressure (or power) related cleaning services and supplies.

While this is right of the national average, companies should also research and consider the regional differences in how people search in each market.  In  several Southeastern states, for instance, people use the term “pressure washer” nearly exclusively, with only about 1 in 10 searchers looking for a “power washer”.  Conversely, in some Midwestern and Northern states, the ratio of “pressure” to “power” is nearly even, with roughly 6 of 10 searchers seeking “pressure washing” as opposed to 4 of 10 looking for “power washing”.  In places like Phoenix, Arizona where there is a melting pot of people from all over the nation, the ratios are more consistent with the national averages of one search for “power washers” to every 3 searches for “pressure washers”.

For more information about power washing services or to see photos of industrial steam pressure washers in action, visit http://www.acmepowerwash.com.

For many people purchasing a home is a huge investment. Like any investment, proper monitoring and maintenance must be performed to ensure overall longevity and success. Cleaning the gutters, the roof, and exterior are essential to ensuring your residence is well sustained and will prevent you from spending thousands of dollars in the future.  

What is one of the first things people notice when walking up to or driving by your home? The condition of the home’s exterior. The outside of your house can start to look darker and appear older because dirt, mold, and water stains have accumulated. This can be caused by many sources such as water from sprinklers spraying the house, grass and debris hitting your home from mowing the yard, heavy rains, high winds, and snow. Cleaning off the grime that builds up on your house is very vital because not only will it make your home look cleaner but it will prevent contaminants from damaging your gorgeous home.

Keeping gutters free of leaves, small twigs, and other debris is an vital part of proper home maintenance. Having clogged gutters can lead to a variety of larger problems such as expensive repairs and an overall reduction in the property value of the home. When gutters are clogged water can not properly drain from the roof, leading to water pooling. Water buildup causes any surrounding wood to rot since standing or stagnant water will decompose wood, this causes leaking and water hurt.

Another concern with congested gutters is what occurs during the winter when temperatures drop below freezing. Any water that can not drain will freeze and turn into ice. The ice expands and hurts the gutter system, walls, and roof. Additionally when water freezes it prevents any further water or ice that has melted from draining off the roof, resulting in a larger accumulation of water.

The roof of a home serves as a barrier between harsh weather conditions outside and a nice cozy home inside. Appropriate measures are required to ensure that a roof remains well intact and protects the family from the four seasons. Moisture and weather exposure sets the foundation for moss, mildew, and algae growth. When they start to grow the roof can start to appear green or black. This makes the home unattractive and sets the groundwork for roof deterioration.

Many of the same problems occur on the siding and exterior walls of a home. Without adequate cleaning the outside walls of your home will start to look faded and will weaken over time. To avoid having problems with your roof, gutters, and exterior clean them before you end up having to pay for a groundbreaking new roof, gutter system, or replace large parts of your home.

How often you get them cleaned depends on many factors such as: how close trees are to your home, the climate conditions in which you live, the amount of sunlight that reaches your home, and how much debris is being blown around. Try to closely monitor your home, especially after the fall season when leaves tend to clog your gutters and after a hard rain to ensure everything is functioning properly and water is flowing freely.

Consider having a professional clean your home because they have the proper tools, equipment, and knowledge required. Using a high powered pressure washer to clean the outside of your house can strip the paint right off, forcing you to spend your hard earned money and time repainting. Professionals use specialized methods to ensure the job gets done without causing any unnecessary hurt, they can also guarantee their work. So remember to closely examine your home and get it cleaned, before you get cleaned out because of high-priced repairs.

There are three common methods to clean your flat roof. But, all of them have their pros and cons and accordingly you should find out which method is more suitable for your flat roof. Most of the roofs are stained by algae and require regular cleaning to keep them looking excellent. Your worries would have been multiplied with a roof with shingles. But as flat roofs mostly do not have shingles, there is no need to worry about them.

The largest problem with flat roof is of stagnant water after rainfall. Though most of the flat roofs are slightly slanted, which is of course not noticeable, yet water stagnates and becomes the cause of growth of moss and algae on it. If the moss or algae infected parts of your roof do not receive sunlight early in the morning then this algae does not die, instead it grows with the help of morning dew that has settled on your roof, further aggravating your problem of an unclean roof.

As said earlier, there are three ways in which you can clean your flat roof. A very common method is pressure cleaning. You can use a gasoline powered pressure washer. It delivers 2.4 gallons of water per minute and as a result releases a pressure of 2,500 pounds per square inch! You can equip the spray wand of the pressure washer with a 25-degree tip as used for general purpose cleaning. You can get astonishing results with this method of cleaning your flat roof.

All the dust, algae, moss and lichens that have covered your roof over a period of time will be removed. But, one thing to be kept in mind while using this method is that you should keep the spray wand tip close to the area to be cleaned, something like 6 inches from the surface. It is a very environment friendly way of cleaning your flat roof. It also saves you from investing your money in chemicals as required in other ways of cleaning your flat roof like chlorine solutions or sodium hydroxide base solutions.

Another way to clean your flat roof is with the help of chlorine solution washes. This procedure takes shorter duration to clean your flat roof. It requires much lesser time to rinse as compared to the other two methods. As a result the roof is saved from a lot of wear and tear due to prolonged hours of washing and cleaning. But, chlorine is toxic for some people and some plants as well. So care should be taken to keep them away when you are carrying out this procedure to save them from spray runoffs.

Another method of cleaning your roof is based on Sodium Hydroxide. Cleaners that have a base of Sodium Hydroxide are very effective as degreasers, but they need to be rinsed a lot as compared to chlorine solutions. This is not only time consuming but also involves a greater risk for your roof to be hurt. Sodium oxide is also toxic and should be kept away from coming in contact with property or persons. Plants should be especially kept away from Sodium Hydroxide. This chemical is also caustic and cause irreversible hurt to your roof if used in high levels.

Anyone with older aluminum siding is well aware of the paint chalking problem. Just rub your hand along the ancient siding and the chalky ancient paint will be all over your palm. Trying to get paint to stick to this could be a real problem. This is due to oxidation of the paint. Siding manufacturers originally referred to this problem as a benefit. They called it, self cleaning, as the paint literally washed off the house.

Older vinyl siding is also a problem. UV light fades vinyl siding over time and the siding becomes very unsightly.

Many unfortunate homeowners and contractors have experienced the dismay, when they repainted their homes, only to find the new paint peeling off a few months later. Both problems with older aluminum and vinyl siding can be overcome with proper cleaning, surface preparation and re-painting.

Cleaning ,you will need to rent a powerful pressure washer with at least 3000 psi. You will want a pressure washer powerful enough to remove most of the ancient chalky paint off the aluminum siding or, to remove any dirt buildup on the ancient vinyl siding.

Start at the top course of siding and work your way down. You will need to keep the pressure wand honestly close to the siding surface to effectively remove the ancient paint. In some areas, you may find that the paint comes off to the bare metal. Be careful near windows, corners, soffits and doorways. The water under pressure, can be forced behind these areas causing hurt. You can add TSP or other cleaning solutions to the reservoir for mildew, algae or other grime built up. If you do use a cleaning solution, be sure to completely rinse it off with your pressure washer. You should allow your home to dry for several days in dry, sunny weather before proceeding to the painting process.

If you are repainting vinyl siding or vinyl coated aluminum siding, you may need a surface de-glosser. This is a solvent type product used to remove any shine on the surface and to help your first coat to adhere better. You will have no distress finding a excellent de-glosser at your local paint supply store.

Application, i like a commercial type airless sprayer. It will draw the paint directly out of your 5 gallon paint pails, through the hose and into your spray gun. These are available to rent at many tool rental locations and even some paint supply stores that supply contractors. If your paint is real high quality latex, it will be thicker than regular latex paint and will require a more powerful airless sprayer.

Priming, this step is equally as critical as the step above. Really, the cleaning and surface preparation phases will make or break the results of your project.

I like a latex paint additive called emulsa-bond for the first coat. Emulsa-bond is a bonding agent you will add to the first coat of paint or primer, to help it to bond to the ancient siding.

I buy the best grade exterior latex paint, rather than oil or other solvent based paint. Latex paint seems to keep up with the expansion and contraction of the siding very well. The high quality latex paint I buy needs no primer. I add the bonding agent directly into the first color coat. Check with your paint supplier whether or not to use a primer. The rule of thumb is, when in doubt, use a primer. If you use a primer, add the bonding agent into it before applying. There are also bonding agents available for oil or other solvent based paints. One type is called penetrol. These are usually available at a painting contractor supply store.

Many contractors will spot prime areas, especially where bare metal is exposed. I dont like spot priming because it can lead to an uneven looking top coat. When I place a primer coat on, I prime the entire home. This gives a uniform surface end later on.

End Coat, your top coat will be color only. You should check with your paint manufacturer to see if you need one or two top coats after the base coat. Like I mentioned above, buy the highest quality exterior paint.

In Conclusion, proper cleaning and surface preparation are the two main ingredients to a successful painting job. A bonding agent in the first coat is also very critical to avoid paint peeling off later on. Using these techniques, Ive re-painted homes that have lasted far longer than the original factory applied end.

DATELINE: PEABODY, MA…

 

According to Drysdale’s Total Floor Care Owner Mark Dullea, many homeowners hasten the demise of their decks without realizing it.  Through the use of chlorine bleach and amped-up power washers, they are harming the very materials they are trying to maintain.

 

“The front or back deck can be a very well loved place to entertain family and friends. So, homeowners naturally want to take care of it. Unfortunately, the high-powered pressure washers used by most service companies can cause several problems. They can ruin the wood’s lignin, causing the surface to burr, which limits the ability of a sealant or stain to penetrate into the wood far enough to offer much protection from the elements.  If the nozzle is held too close to the surface of the wood, the sharp, powerful water spray can leave unattractive visible marks in the wood.  Splintering of the surface can also result,” said Dullea.

 

As an alternative, Drysdale’s new deck cleaning service employs a random orbital high RPM floor machine to clean and strip wood decks. Although it’s a high RPM machine, the orbital machine cleans much like a floor buffer, the polar opposite of high-pressure power washers that can hurt the wood by the force of the water.

 

In addition to a kinder, gentler cleaning machine, Drysdale’s uses oxygenated cleaning products to clean decks. These are environmentally friendly and also kill mold and mildew.

 

“Besides power washers, a lot of people will clean their decks with chlorinated bleach. That also burrs the wood surface, making it less absorptive for the sealant. That means you’re not getting the full benefit of sealing your deck,” said Dullea. “We’ve made our mark as a rug and carpet cleaning company by using a near chemical-free process to clean floors, so why stop there? By using the oxygenated products, it not only is friendly to the environment but does a better job of really cleaning the wood.”

 

Adds Dullea, “Household bleach is really a poor quality cleaner.  It does kill mold, but it also tends to dull the appearance of the wood by over-whitening it.  It strips away the wood’s natural color.””

 

A greener way to clean is something Dullea knows a small bit about. Drysdale’s All-Natural Carpet Care’s combination of superior customer service AND its cleaning of carpeting and rugs without chemicals has earned them a listing in the National Green Pages (the only carpet cleaning business in New England) and most recently inclusion in the McGraw-Hill book Build a Green Small Business. Drysdale’s has also received a “Best of Boston” award from Boston Magazine and an A rating on AngiesList.

 

For an estimate on Drysdale’s deck cleaning services, please contact Mark Dullea at 617-242-9657 or markd@cybercom.net.

 

For the complete rundown on all Drysdale’s Total Floor Care services, you can visit www.drysdales123.com. If you’re interested in possibly owning and running your own green, carpet cleaning business, please visit www.carpet-cleaning-business.com.

 

About Drysdale’s Total Floor Care

Drysdale’s Total Floor Care has been cleaning carpeting and rugs the chemical-free way since way back when Kermit the Frog was just a tadpole. In addition to cleaning all types of carpeting and rugs via a unique odorless, low-moisture, natural process, Drysdale’s also offers a variety of other services ranging from upholstery cleaning to sterilizing mattresses; cleaning tile & grout floors to polishing/refinishing of natural stone floors.

 

Drysdale’s has been recognized by several reputable publications and organizations. That includes being a “Best of Boston” selection in BOSTON Magazine, maintaining a straight “A” rating on AngiesList and being the only carpet cleaning company in New England to be listed in the NATIONAL GREEN PAGES (a nonprofit) published by CoopAmerica (http://www.coopamerica.org). Most recently, Drysdales was highlighted in the McGraw-Hill book BUILD A GREEN SMALL BUSINESS, by Scott Cooney, as a national leader in more healthy home services.

 

For more information on Drysdale’s Total Floor Care, visit (http://www.drysdales123.com). For details on the business opportunity presented by Drysdale’s All-Natural Carpet Care, please visit www.carpet-cleaning-business.com or contact Mark Dullea at 617-242-9657 or markd@cybercom.net.