I’ve owned Power Play since 2002. That’s over 24 years of washing homes, and I’m still out in the field. Between me and Rick, our top two techs, there’s more than 45 years of combined experience. With over 400 five-star reviews, we’re proud of the work we do across Lebanon, Lancaster, Dauphin and Berks counties.
But perfection doesn’t exist in this or any other trade. Do we make mistakes once in a while? Sure, it happens. When it does, I’m quick to respond and make it right.
There are also a few things that come up with house washing that are mostly out of our hands. That doesn’t mean I won’t talk about them or try to improve them. It just means these 3 common imperfections have shown up over my 24+ years and they’ll keep showing up now and then. Before we get to them, here’s how we actually wash a home, because it explains a lot.
How Power Play Washes a House
Soft wash, not high pressure. High pressure is NOT the right way to wash a home. There’s a huge difference between 500 psi and 3,500 psi. Blasting siding with high pressure can force water behind it, damage vinyl, etch wood and stucco, and strip paint. It also knocks off the visible mold while spreading the invisible spores all over. We use a low pressure, high flow soft wash process instead. The cleaning solution does the work, not the pressure.
Cleaning solutions that kill, not just remove. We use custom soap mixes that release dirt and kill mold, mildew and algae at the root. When the organic growth is actually killed, it has to start from scratch, and that means a much longer-lasting clean. Even on maintenance washes, we treat the whole surface so we’re killing spores whether they’re showing yet or not.
Surface-specific treatment. Vinyl, brick, stone, stucco and painted wood don’t all get the same treatment. We adjust our mix and approach for each surface and follow manufacturer specs.
Plant and property care. Our products are biodegradable and plant-safe when used with our process, and we rinse thoroughly so no soap is left behind on your siding, landscaping, windows or trim.
The right gear. We bring top-of-the-line equipment, ready for any situation, carried on board our trucks: a professional power washer, dedicated pumps, a window cleaning system, soft wash equipment and more.
What you can expect. We show up with everything we need, wash the home top to bottom, rinse thoroughly, and look over our work before we leave. Want the full rundown on the service? Check out our House Pressure Washing page.
Now, the 3 common imperfections:
- Vinyl Oxidation
- Weep Hole Dripping
- Water Spots on Windows
1. Vinyl Oxidation
Vinyl oxidation is common and mostly happens on the sunny sides of a house from UV exposure. The siding breaks down into a chalky surface that washing alone won’t fully restore. There’s a lot to cover here, so I wrote a whole article on it: https://powerplaywashing.com/2020/09/10/vinyl-siding-oxidation-what-is-it/
2. Weep Hole Dripping
This one isn’t as common, but we do see it. We wash the home like always, everything goes smoothly, and the house looks great. But vinyl siding has weep holes built in, plus overlapping joints. As the house dries, it can pull a little dirt out of those spots and leave brown run marks. It looks like we did a poor job, and we hate that. We look over our work carefully, but this can happen hours after we leave.
The good news: this dirt is not staining and will run right off the next time it rains. Keep in mind our main goal with a house wash is killing the organic growth, and that work is done whether or not a few drips show up afterward.
3. Water Spots on Windows
This one is random. We have no way to know ahead of time if windows will spot as they dry. A lot of customers think it’s soap residue. What we’ve learned is that it mostly happens in hard water areas. It’s just like washing your car with water from the spigot and letting it air dry. The minerals stay behind.
Because this came up so often, we invested in a pure water, water-fed pole window cleaning system. After washing the home, we come back around with purified water pumped through a brush head, scrub and rinse the windows, and they dry spot-free. It’s the main way windows are cleaned in Europe and it’s caught on here too. We offer it at a great price, either on its own or added to your house wash, so many customers add it while we’re there.
We Don’t Like These Issues Either
Thanks for reading. We want every customer to know we don’t like running into these issues. We wish every home cleaned up perfectly with no oxidation, weep hole run-out or spotted windows. We do everything in our power to give you the best job possible. If you’ve had any of these issues, reach out to me.
Ready for a free quote on your house wash? Call Nate at 717-314-2360.
PA HIC #PA062176
