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Exterior cladding makes a great impression, whether fitted on residential buildings or commercial properties. High-quality cladding installed by professionals sets your property apart, boosting the kerb appeal of residential homes and creating a positive company image for businesses of all sizes.
Cladding is commonly used to enhance many modern buildings, boosting their visual impact and carrying the added benefits of better insulation, protection from the elements, and improved soundproofing.
However, this only works if it's maintained and cleaned properly! Airborne pollutants, bird droppings, mould, mildew, moss and algae eventually make their mark, leaving your building looking grubby and unattractive. And in urban areas particularly, graffiti often ruins the look of commercial buildings, making the area feel run down and neglected.
As professional cladding cleaners, we help homes and businesses keep their cladding looking fresh and clean. If your cladding is in need of attention, the expert team from Wash Your Walls is waiting to spring into action.
Want to learn more about our cladding cleaning service?
Here's what you need to know...
Are you selling your home? Then you'll want to maximise your chances of a quick sale. If your cladding looks drab and grimy, buyers may be put off or will use this as leverage to lower their bid.
Wash Your Walls offers a cleaning service that leaves your exterior cladding looking spotless and beautiful, potentially raising its value in the eyes of estate agents and buyers.
Even if you're not selling up, you'll have a home to boast about to friends, family and neighbours! Even better, cleaning off all of that dirt and organic growth will protect your cladding against further damage.
Wash Your Walls cladding cleaning services will get your home looking as if it was installed only yesterday!
Commercial building cladding is on a much grander scale, covering huge properties like distribution centres, warehouses and factories. Keeping these clean is a major undertaking, requiring expertise and efficiency.
Neglecting your cladding panels is a big mistake; a build-up of grime and organic growth accumulates and will eventually damage the cladding surface, shortening its lifespan and costing you more in repairs or replacement.
Aside from this, the physical appearance of your building represents your image as a company. Clients, customers, partners and business associates, whether they realise it or not, will judge you on the state of your property. Spotlessly clean cladding presents an impression of a thriving, forward-thinking business that cares about its image, whereas grimy, badly-maintained cladding suggests a company with no vision or future: it's basic psychology!
Don't gamble on the future of your business when all it takes is a visit from Wash Your Walls commercial cladding cleaning services to spruce up your property.
The method we use will depend on the type of cladding you have and how dirty it is. It also depends on what kind of contamination we are dealing with, as heavy, ingrained soiling and algae may require more intensive work.
Once we have assessed all of the details, we will decide which is the best method, out of the following:
This is a powerful and effective method, but it isn't suitable for all types of cladding. For example, pressure washing can damage uPVC (vinyl), wooden or metal surfaces, including powder-coated metal panels.
It certainly has its uses and is effective at cleaning cladding when applied correctly, but there is a high risk of damage.
If jet washing or pressure is used, we gauge the amount of power required and set the nozzle to a fan spray.
This method uses a low-pressure washing technique combined with various cleaning agents, biocides and water. It is very effective in cleaning exterior surfaces contaminated with moss, algae, mould and mildew and is safe for wood, plastic and metal cladding cleaning.
The soft wash system has many advantages over jet washing and is preferred by many customers, although it takes training and skill to use properly.
Developed especially for heritage buildings* This is a technical piece of equipment that requires skill and training to use. The DOFF cleaning system is a form of steam cleaning, using superheated water to remove stains, grime, graffiti and all manner of dirt. It is immensely powerful and yet gentle at the same time, stripping away dirt without causing any damage!
The high temperature also destroys mould, algae and fungus spores along with bacteria, leaving cladding surfaces free from organic growth for much longer. This means there's no need for herbicides or fungicides, so this is the preferred method for those with ecological concerns.
DOFF washing is ideal for any cladding surfaces and is especially useful when you need to clean stone cladding with stubborn stains from algae, graffiti or pollution.
*English Heritage and the National Trust request this method for their buildings regularly.
Wash Your Walls fully understands that you want the best results as quickly as possible. You don't want your work schedule or daily routine to be interrupted too much by the cleaning process.
Our skilled team will cause minimal disruption while getting your cladding clean, following a schedule of work that's designed to be as efficient as possible.
Following an initial site assessment, we will set up any equipment necessary, such as scaffolding or mobile working platforms. These won't always be needed as we can use telescopic water-fed poles in some cases (these are especially effective for plastic cladding cleaning).
Either way, health and safety rules are followed throughout the cleaning work whether working at floor level or at height - we will not compromise the safety of our staff, customers or the public. To this end, all Wash Your Walls staff carry the necessary permits or licences to use the equipment required for each job, and they are fully trained and insured.
We can provide a full risk assessment of each project if required, for your peace of mind.
The team will respect the workspace and be courteous throughout their time on site. Where cleaning chemicals are used, every effort will be taken to minimise any run-off onto the surrounding surfaces. Any items likely to be affected by the work (plants, lawns, hedges, garden ornaments, garden furniture, etc.) will be removed or covered beforehand.
Our team will then get to work, using the best and most appropriate method for getting your cladding spotless.
This will depend on the type of cladding, whether it is heavily stained, and whether there is a lot of organic growth. Graffiti can usually be dealt with using the DOFF cleaning machine.
We will schedule the cleaning work to take place at a time that suits you, so there is no disruption to your daily routine and your customers aren't inconvenienced. The great thing about methods like soft washing or DOFF cleaning is that they aren't noisy or intrusive and can take place during the daytime if you prefer.
It is our express aim to leave your building looking in a better condition than when we arrived. This means that our team will give your cladding a thorough clean, and then tidy away all of the tools and equipment to leave the area looking clean and tidy.
The only fact you should be aware of when we leave the site is that your cladding is looking fantastic.
The cleaning methods we use will depend on what type of cladding you have and the materials it is made from.
There are several different cladding types and installation systems, including these:
External cladding is attached to the structural frame in large, prefabricated panels. The panels are usually extremely heavy and lifted into place using a crane.
A similar system to the above one, although a sub-frame or clip angles are commonly used. Glass and metal cladding are often installed this way, as well as lightweight prefab panels and natural stone cladding.
Lightweight and easy to install, they are fixed to the vertical and horizontal structural frame (usually between floors) and can incorporate architectural features like windows and arches.
And the types of cladding materials include:
Attractive, natural and available in a wide variety of pleasing finishes, wooden cladding is a very popular choice for residential properties. Cedar, pine and larch are a few of the best to choose from, and these are all sustainable, reusable and biodegradable.
As the most eco-friendly option, it is hard to beat, although some types can be vulnerable to rot or insect infestations. Keeping it clean and adding a wood preservative will help to prevent this.
Thin slices of stone are set together in panels to form a beautiful, natural surface that can be as sophisticated or rustic as you wish. The range of colours is also impressive - you don't have to only have grey!
Soft washing is probably the best system for cleaning cladding made with stone slices.
A great choice for the ecologically-minded, composite cladding is manufactured (often in three layers) using recycled wood fibre, plastic and bonding material (adhesives) along with colourants to produce a range of finishes. They are usually made to resemble wood, but they are much more durable and hard-wearing, with a long lifespan. They also require less maintenance than the wooden variety.
Composite cladding should withstand gentle pressure washing, but soft washing is better and will produce better and longer-lasting results.
Usually called brick slips, these are slices of brick that imitate the colour, texture and appearance of a brick wall. The advantage is that they are easier to install as they are lightweight, and they provide an attractive extra layer of insulation.
The soft wash system is definitely the best choice here, removing dirt and organic matter to leave the facade looking clean and fresh.
Fibre cement cladding is another form of composite cladding (cement reinforced with cellulose fibres) and potentially the most durable of them all; resistant to rot, water, bugs and UV rays, it's likely to last a good fifty years or longer!
The DOFF system and soft washing are recommended for fibre cladding cleaning.
Tempered glass is fixed to the wall (usually on aluminium frames) with a ventilated cavity between to provide improved insulation. It's tough and weatherproof and an effective and visually impressive choice.
In most cases, we would choose soft washing for glass.
uPVC cladding (also called PVC, plastic or vinyl cladding) is a popular choice because it is lightweight and relatively quick to install. Even so, you need to regularly clean uPVC cladding or it starts to look grimy, especially if it is white.
Again, we would probably suggest soft washing for this type of cladding.
More likely to be seen on agricultural or industrial buildings, metal cladding is an effective, low-maintenance option. Several sheets are fixed together and attached to the outer wall of the building. Zinc, steel, aluminium and copper are among the most commonly used materials.
Pressure washing can be used (with care!) although either DOFF or soft washing is preferred.
Wash Your Walls offer cladding cleaning services to all, whatever size your building. We can clean cladding on distribution centres or garden sheds - no project is too large or too trivial!
Of course, the price of each project depends on the scale, as well as the types of cladding involved.
As such, it's not easy to say what the costs might be without knowing these details. We would invite you to speak with us directly so that our team can assess your needs and provide you with an accurate quote.
It's impossible to overstate how important it is to keep cladding clean.
Your cladding is constantly under attack from wind, time and weather, as pollution and other contaminants accumulate. After a while, these will damage the surface and your cladding will be less effective as a result. Organic matter anchors itself to the cladding surface, causing it to break down. Moisture can find its way in and this can freeze in winter, causing cracks to appear.
This will look unappealing, it won't provide as much insulation, and the panels will probably need replacing before long.
In addition, you need to consider any warranty requirements: many cladding manufacturers stipulate that regular cleaning is part of the agreement.
Also, having your cladding cleaned on a regular basis gives you the opportunity to check its overall condition and take any necessary action. It's always best to catch any problems early on as the damage - along with the costs - will become greater.
There are several reasons why you would want to choose us over any other cleaning company.
First, you need a reliable and professional cladding cleaner that you can trust one hundred percent. Too many home and business owners have been let down by contractors who - if they arrive on time, or at all - don't do a very good job, leaving your cladding looking almost as grimy as when they arrived. Worse still, some contractors will turn up with a pressure washer and attempt to blast away the dirt, regardless of the type of cladding installed.
High-pressure washing will cut into the surface of some forms of cladding, causing irreparable damage. Unscrupulous contractors are unlikely to care too much about this, and if they damage panels that aren't easily accessible (and therefore unseen by others) they won't be in a hurry to tell you.
All you get for your money is a bad attitude, poor performance, and the stress, hassle and expense of getting damaged panels repaired.
Wash Your Walls is the cladding cleaning company you've been waiting for. We tailor our methods to suit each project, carefully assessing the best approach to ensure perfect results.
Our staff work conscientiously at all times and will observe necessary health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of all. They are taught to be respectful of the environment and the people they encounter whilst working.
Finally, we employ effective techniques combined with professional knowledge and extensive training to shift stubborn stains and leave your cladding in great condition.
The best way to protect cladding and keep your property looking fresh is to arrange a regular cladding cleaning schedule.
When commercial and residential buildings are washed regularly, it stops the dirt and organic growth from damaging your cladding.
Manufacturers recommend that you have your cladding cleaned at least once or twice a year to keep it looking good and to prolong its lifespan. Wash Your Walls can visit your site every six months or annually to freshen up your cladding.
We would highly recommend a bi-annual visit, but this is entirely your choice and we will fit in with your schedule, whatever you decide. The main thing is that you have your building cladding cleaned professionally every year or so to prevent the dirt from accumulating.
Doing so will protect cladding from further damage due to moss, algae and mould.
As mentioned previously, annual cleaning also allows us to inspect your cladding thoroughly to assess its condition. Any problems can be remedied immediately, ensuring that your building remains protected from the weather and that your entire cladding system presents the appearance and image that you desire.
When you need your cladding cleaned, don't risk employing an unskilled or inexperienced contractor. Using the wrong methods can easily damage cladding, and an unprofessional cladding cleaning company will invariably produce poor results.
Using a trusted name like Wash Your Walls ensures that you get the best service for your money. And in a time of financial uncertainty, every penny you spend is important. Cladding cleaning should be seen as a necessary investment, and it has to be done correctly!
For cost-effective residential and commercial cladding cleaning services, contact Wash Your Walls today for a free quote and expert advice, and to give your property a new lease of life.
The suggested frequency for cladding cleaning varies according to the location, climate, and material of the building, but in general, it should be done every 1-2 years to maintain appearance and avoid damage.
We use a variety of cleaning techniques, including pressure washing, steam cleaning, and soft washing, DOFF, depending on the cladding material, degree of dirt, and any special requirements.
Yes, after cleaning the cladding, we can apply protective treatments or coatings like sealants or anti-graffiti coatings to extend the cladding's lifespan and keep its appearance.
Using specialised cleaning agents and methods tailored to the specific type of stain and cladding material, our cladding cleaning services can remove stubborn stains such as graffiti and algae.
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