House Washing in Portland, ME

House washing on the coast of Maine is mostly a fight against moisture. Long wet springs, foggy summer mornings and a damp fall give algae and mildew plenty of time to settle into the laps of clapboard and the grooves of cedar shingles, especially on north walls and anywhere shaded by trees. Close to the water, a fine salt film dulls windows and trim. A soft wash clears it: detergent misted on, a few minutes for it to work, then a low-force rinse from the eaves down.

Why we do not blast siding

A tight, high-pressure stream will clean siding fast, and it will also do damage you cannot undo. On painted wood it lifts paint at every weak spot and roughens the grain so the next coat looks fuzzy. On cedar shingles it splinters the soft surface and can tear shingles loose. On vinyl, aiming up under the laps pushes water behind the panels, into sheathing and sometimes into wall cavities. Low pressure plus the right solution gets the same clean result without those risks.

Matching the wash to the siding

• Painted clapboard: soft wash and low-pressure rinse, with loose or peeling paint noted before we start
• Cedar shingles (natural or stained): a mild solution suited to wood, rinsed gently so the shingles are not scarred
• Vinyl and aluminum: soft wash, with oxidized chalk on aluminum noted, since washing removes some but not all of it
• Fiber cement: low pressure, with care around butt joints and trim
• Brick or stone foundations: handled as masonry, at the lowest pressure that works

Older homes and lead paint

About half of the homes in the Portland area were built before 1950, and many still have old paint under newer coats. Maine's lead law lists uncontained high-pressure washing among activities that can release lead to the environment. On any house built before 1978 we look closely at the paint first. If it is sound, a soft wash at low pressure is appropriate. If it is peeling, flaking or alligatored, washing will knock more of it loose, and the house needs paint work rather than cleaning, so our advice is paint work, not a wash.

Protecting what is around the house

Before the solution goes on, we wet down foundation plantings or cover them, close windows, and check outdoor outlets, light fixtures, dryer vents and door sweeps. During the wash we keep application controlled and avoid overspray onto cars and neighboring property. Afterward we rinse plants again and walk the house with you.

Where the water ends up

During a siding wash, nearly all the rinse lands in the strip of soil along the foundation. On tight Portland lots, though, a driveway or walk often runs straight to the street, and some catch basins drain directly to Casco Bay. We plan the rinse so runoff soaks into lawn or beds instead of running to the curb, and set up containment where that is not possible.

Timing

A wash needs temperatures comfortably above freezing, both for the detergent to act and to keep steps and walks from icing. We book siding washes from roughly late May into October. Avoid scheduling a wash immediately before painting without allowing a few dry days, since painters want bare wood fully dry before primer goes on.