Practical guidance for scoping and budgeting exterior cleaning

Pressure washing uses high water pressure to remove soiling mechanically. It is correct for hard, durable surfaces: concrete, masonry paving, industrial slabs, dock aprons and most parking structures.

Soft washing uses low pressure and cleaning solutions to break down organic growth chemically. It is correct for painted surfaces, stucco, EIFS, dryvit, wood, vinyl and composite siding, and for any facade where high pressure would drive water behind the cladding or strip the finish.

Using pressure where soft washing belongs is the single most common cause of exterior cleaning damage on commercial buildings. A qualified scope will say which method applies to which surface before the work is awarded.

Two properties with identical square footage can differ in price by a wide margin. What drives that difference is substrate condition, the type of soiling present, water availability, drainage constraints, access limitations, elevation and how much of the site can be worked at one time.

A pad with three years of grease takes several times longer than one on a monthly cycle. A garage where water cannot be discharged to the storm system requires containment and recovery. A property that can only be worked between 11pm and 5am produces a different production rate than one available all day.

This is why site assessments exist, and why a number given over the phone without one is a guess that gets revised.

Recovery cleanings — properties that have gone years without service — cost substantially more per square foot than maintenance cleanings, because the soiling has bonded and requires more dwell time, more heat and more passes.

Property teams that budget a recurring cycle spend less over a three-year horizon than teams that wait for a complaint, an inspection or a lease-up deadline to force the work. It also spreads the cost across fiscal periods instead of landing as one large unplanned expense.

The practical approach is to identify the two or three areas that actually generate complaints, put those on a frequent cycle, and handle the rest annually.

Spring brings pollen, which coats every horizontal surface and makes entrances and outdoor seating unusable-looking within days. Many properties schedule a post-pollen cleaning in late spring for exactly this reason.

Summer humidity accelerates algae and mildew on shaded elevations and north-facing walls. Fall brings leaf tannin staining on walkways and plaza concrete. Winter is generally workable in Georgia, though freezing conditions occasionally shift a night schedule.

Schools are the clearest case: summer break is the only window where a full campus can be cleaned without working around occupancy.

Confirm current general liability insurance with limits appropriate to your property, and require a certificate naming the owner and management company as needed. Confirm workers' compensation coverage.

Ask which surfaces will be soft washed rather than pressure washed, and how they intend to protect landscaping, light fixtures, signage and finished surfaces adjacent to the work.

Ask how water and runoff will be handled, particularly on garages, dumpster pads and any area draining to a storm inlet.

Ask for references on properties comparable in type and size to yours — multifamily experience does not automatically translate to structured parking, and vice versa.