Beautify and protect your home with a professional power wash from Pristine Clean

By Mitch Allen

The kids are home from school, vacations are cancelled, and amusement parks are unlikely options for a while yet. This spring and summer we are all going to be spending a lot more time at home.

And just like a freshly mopped, vacuumed and dusted home is more enjoyable on the inside, a sparkling clean exterior is more enjoyable, too. No mildew. No algae. No unsightly stains.

No worrisome microorganisms.

A couple of months ago when the novel coronavirus first arrived, Pristine Clean founder Ken Wilson voluntarily shut down his business.

“It was a difficult decision, but we felt like we had to,” he says. “There was so much uncertainty. We needed time to understand what was happening and to figure out how to keep our customers and employees safe. A week later we had a plan and, thankfully, we were declared an essential business. Since then, we’ve been having a record year. It was a crazy start to the season. We went from the lowest low—of not being able to work—to the highest high of having the ability to help so many people. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster.”

One reason Pristine Clean’s business is booming right now is because homeowners want to do something meaningful yet affordable to improve their homes.

“Everyone is concerned about the economy and their personal finances, but they want to do something,” Ken explains. “Power washing is the perfect answer. It makes a huge difference in the look of your home, but unlike many other expensive home improvement projects, it’s just a few hundred bucks.”

Ken is also hearing from customers how much they look forward to sitting outside again.

“People are telling us that they aren’t going to meetings and events,” he says. “They just want a clean home and a clean patio so they can sit outside with their neighbors—six feet apart—and reestablish friendships over a beer or a glass of wine. We’ve been alone for weeks now and people are ready to reengage in a safe way. That means relaxing on the patio, in the driveway, or on a deck—all areas that benefit from power washing.”

Of course, power washing is about more than aesthetics. It’s also about protecting your siding, roof and concrete surfaces. Let’s look at all three:

Protecting Your Siding
Without regular maintenance, important parts of your home break down and have to be replaced.

“Many homeowners are surprised to learn that vinyl siding is not completely maintenance-free, “Ken explains. “You don’t have to paint it, but you do have to clean it. Vinyl siding features a UV coating that prevents it from fading and cracking. Grime—that is, dirt, algae and bacteria—break down this coating causing your siding to fade and look chalky. It’s designed to be maintained, not with high-pressure blasting, but with soft pressure. We perform a soft-pressure wash using a mild mildew-cide, which helps remove the grime and kill the algae and bacteria.”

Ken says that the north- and east-facing sides of Northeast Ohio homes are particularly susceptible to mildew, moss, algae and grime. Those areas tend to be more shady and damp.

Protecting Your Roof
Those black streaks on your roof aren’t dirt, stains from tree debris, or even unsightly mildew. They are gloeocapsa magma, an ancient algae that breaks down your roof by feeding off of the limestone granules embedded in the shingles.

“Gloeocapsa magma can dramatically reduce the life of your roof,” Ken cautions. “If you see black streaks on your roof, give us a call. We offer a 100% guarantee to remove all of the algae. We use a soft wash here, too, to avoid damage to your roof. And when that algae comes off, people say, ‘Wow, it looks like a new roof.’”

Protecting Your Driveway
Northeast Ohio’s harsh winters chip away at our concrete sidewalks and driveways. That’s because concrete is porous, so when water penetrates your driveway then freezes, it creates cracking and flaking.

“The freeze-thaw cycle is especially damaging these days,” Ken says. “It doesn’t get cold and stay cold like it used to; it’s constantly freezing then warming up all winter, magnifying the traditional freeze-thaw cycle. It’s like a jack-hammer on your concrete.”

Pristine’s “Concrete Clean and Seal”—which protects concrete, brick, and paver surfaces—includes a pressure wash of your concrete with a walk-behind surface cleaner and the application of a biodegradable cleanser to gently lift and remove surface marks and contaminants. Then comes an application of a deep-penetrating, siloxane-based concrete sealant, which is absorbed into the concrete to protect the driveway and preserve its longevity. The side benefit is that the process leaves your surfaces free of ugly mildew and moss, particularly in shady areas.

Flat-Rate Pricing
Pristine Clean employs a flat-rate pricing policy so no one in its organization is motivated to do what so many home improvement companies do: quote you an inflated price then hope you don’t negotiate down.

“Forging trust with our customer is our top priority so we don’t rely on tricks or gimmicks. Educating the customer is key because the more you know about power washing, the more likely you are to choose us. We offer our best price to every customer up front, period.”

Headquartered in Berea, Pristine Clean beautifies homes throughout Northeast Ohio. They are consistent winners of the Angie’s List Super Service Award and are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau. Call 440-454-7041 to arrange for a free estimate, or visit PristineClean.com. All technicians are bonded, insured and certified by the Power Washers of North America.