How do you wash a 3- or 4-storey beach house?
From the ground wherever possible. Soft-wash systems deliver the cleaning solution and the rinse to upper walls through long, low-pressure lines, which is safer for the crew and kinder to the house than ladders leaning on siding and gutters.
Height also changes the rinse. Water and cleaner run down several floors, so we wash from the top down, keep lower walls wet while we work, and finish with a full rinse at the base so nothing dries in streaks on the first floor.
What does the wind on the dunes do to a house?
The community takes its name from the blue lupine flowers that grow on its dunes, and those high dunes put homes straight into the onshore wind. That wind carries salt and fine sand onto every elevation, including the upper floors that most owners never see up close.
Sand and salt together act like a light abrasive on paint and screens. Rinsing them off before cleaning — and washing every 6 to 9 months on the Gulf side — keeps them from wearing the finish down. Dune walkovers and long stairs get the same treatment, cleaned with a surface cleaner that follows the boards.
- Upper floors — low-pressure soft wash from the ground
- Gulf-facing elevations — salt and sand rinsed first
- Dune walkovers and stairs — surface cleaner along the boards
- Decks and railings — cleaned before the walls below them
How long does a tall house take?
A 3-storey home with decks is usually 5 to 7 hours of work, and larger rentals can take a full day. We plan the order so decks are cleaned before the walls beneath them, which means nothing drips onto a surface that is already done.
For homes without a close neighbour on the Gulf side, we also check the upper-floor window seals and vents before washing and keep the spray clear of them.