House washing takes algae, mildew, pollen and road or field dust off the outside walls of a home. Rob, coming from his base in Woodstock with nobody else on the crew, washes houses in Union, IL, where the mix of older village homes, farmhouses and newer builds means siding type decides the method. There is no set price; Rob quotes once he has seen your pictures at (815) 451-0106.
Union is a small place, and its houses do not match. There are older homes on the village streets, farmhouses with additions and wings, and newer houses on rural parcels around them. Each one is clad in something different, and the right way to wash vinyl is wrong for old painted wood.
This page is organized by what the house is made of, because that determines everything: the cleaner, the pressure, the angle of the spray and the places Rob avoids. Unsure what your walls are? A picture usually answers it for him.
Vinyl siding on Union homes
Vinyl is lightweight and forgiving, but its panels are only hung, not sealed. Water forced upward behind lap joints can sit in the wall. Rob sprays at a downward angle, uses low pressure, and counts on the cleaner to loosen algae, so very little force is needed.
Green growth on the north side and gray oxidation on the south are the two common looks. Oxidation, the chalky film that sun leaves on old vinyl, usually rinses off. Fading is permanent. The mold and algae on siding guide shows how to tell them apart.
Painted wood on older village homes and farmhouses
Wood siding with decades of paint needs a lighter hand. Peeling paint, open joints and soft boards can all let water in during a wash. Rob checks the paint first by hand and by eye. If it is flaking badly, washing may pull more of it off, and he will tell you before starting.
Mildew on shaded wood washes off, but it returns quickly unless the paint is sound and trees are trimmed back. If a house is due for repainting, a wash is usually the right first step anyway, since paint will not stick to a dirty wall.
Fiber-cement, stucco and brick
Newer builds around Union sometimes use fiber-cement planks, which tolerate cleaning but can show scars if scrubbed or blasted. Stucco drinks water like a sponge, so it is washed lightly and given time to dry out. Brick and stone accents need care with the mortar joints, where strong pressure does damage.
Mixed-material houses are handled by section. Rob keeps notes on each wall as he works, so the stone base, the trim and the siding each get the treatment they need.
Well water, sprinklers and the stains they leave behind
A house on a private well often has orange or white marks where a hose bib or sprinkler hits the wall. Those are mineral stains, different from algae, and they may lighten under a wash without disappearing. Redirecting the spray is the surest long-term fix.
Rob studies the shape of the marks in your pictures and tells you which ones should fade. For the lower half of the wall, near the ground, he also checks for splash-back stains from dirt that bounces up during rain.
When to wash and when to pause
Mild, dry weather is best. Spring through early fall gives walls time to dry, and a calm morning beats a breezy afternoon. Cold snaps and heavy dew can leave siding damp long enough to ruin the finish, so Rob watches both. Very windy days are a problem on open lots, since overspray drifts and dust lands back on wet siding. Rob moves visits when the forecast threatens a clean result.
If gutters are overflowing and streaking the walls, fix them first. A gutter cleaning before a wash keeps new streaks from forming. For small areas such as a garage door or a patio wall, soft washing may be enough. A package with window cleaning makes sense since rinsing the walls can leave spots on glass.
House Washing through the year in Union
Spring
Pollen and winter grime sit on siding. A wash once the weather settles clears walls before summer humidity starts algae growth.
Summer
Watch north and east walls for green growth. Surfaces dry fast in sun, which helps results.
Early fall
The best window for a full wash before leaf litter, rain and cold arrive. Also good ahead of repainting.
Winter
No washing in freezing weather. Walk the house, photograph problem areas, and line up a spring date.
Getting a quote
Washing a house is one of those jobs where results show immediately, and the siding looks younger by the time the hose is coiled. Few other exterior tasks change the look of a property so quickly, and few cost so little effort once the walls are clear to reach. If walls in Union have gone green, gray or freckled with rust, send pictures to Rob at (815) 451-0106 and tell him what the siding is. He will answer with an honest read and a quote.