We’ve cleaned thousands of homes over the years. Here are some useful spray tips to help keep a beautiful exterior!
Below is an ongoing compiled spray tips list of the most common things we see on customer homes.
1. Skip splurging on outdoor decor like fancy lights, ceiling fans, or door hardware. The Florida sun, rain, and humidity will turn them into dull relics quicker than you can say “beach day.”
2. Huge time saver spray tip! Want to know how to clean all your interior window panes in 15 to 20 minutes? Don’t waste hours of time spraying glass cleaner and using up an entire roll of paper towels when cleaning your windows. You are just going to leave streaks and smudges everywhere. Simply take a window squeegee and bucket of clean water with a micro fiber window scrubber to clean your interior (or exterior windows). Place an old bath towel along the window sill (interior side) to catch any water that drips down during the scrubbing or squeegee process. After using this method I guarantee you will never go back to spray glass cleaner and paper towels again!
3. Never plant palm trees close to your hardscapes, (ie., driveways, walkways, patios & pool decks). Palm seeds leave oil based stains! Oil stains rarely come out with pressure washing and degreasers as it is. If you have started to notice a few of these seed stains on your concrete we highly recommend moving it or else.
4. Water your grass not your pavers. Frequently check your irrigation spray heads to ensure they are pointed to spray in your yard and not onto your pavers. Excessive calcium build up is often concentrated to the lower apron of a paver driveway. When your paver joints get to this stage unfortunately it’s too late to successfully remove all the calcium carbonate that has built up. It does not take long for your pavers to start looking just like the ones in the image below. Learn more about Calcified Pavers
5. Rubber material mats often leave unsightly stains on concrete and painted concrete. Heat, moisture, combined with prolonged contact cause the rubber to leach into the surface.
6. Cut those shrubs back away from your exterior walls. Key points to remember:
For optimal health and to prevent damage to your home, it’s recommended to keep shrubs at least 2 -3 feet away from your exterior walls. Always plant shrubs based on their full grown size, not just how they look when initially planted.
Prevents Moisture issues: Keeping shrubs away from walls allows for proper air circulation and prevents excess moisture buildup which in Florida leads to excessive mold and mildew.
Root damage: Roots from large shrubs can damage foundation
walls if planted too close. Pest control: Spacing shrubs away from the house also helps to deter pests from easily accessing. Most importantly for us Floridians we have termites and for those of you who don’t knowtermites love moist conditions.
Pest control: Spacing shrubs away from the house also helps to deter pests from easily accessing. Most importantly for us Floridians we have termites and for those of you who don’t know
termites love moist conditions.
7. Gutter guards sound like the perfect solution—no more climbing ladders or hiring someone to scoop out leaves, sticks, and pine cones, right? Well, here’s the catch—if you don’t keep those guards clear, all that debris just piles up on top, turning into a compost heap that eventually oozes down your gutters, making them dirtier even faster! Before gutter guards, at least the mess stayed inside the gutters. Now, not only do you still have to clean them, but you also get the bonus task of scrubbing the gutter faces. So… remind me again, what was the point of these things?
8. I really dislike this weed. Prostate (Sandmat) Spurge weeds in-between my paver joints. This weed doesn’t care if your pavers are sealed or not. The tap root can grow down into a hole the diameter of a needle. Pesty plant hard to control? YES! Sexuality: Male and Female on the same plant. This weed will follow your sloping pavers from the top of your driveway down to the bottom. Be sure to check around the planter beds/potted plants at the top of your driveway especially if you have rain gutter downspouts that discharge at the top of your driveway on either side of your garage door opening.
9. When it’s time to sell your home, every detail counts. From the fresh mulch in the flowerbeds to the smell of clean air inside, potential buyers notice everything. One area often overlooked is the exterior. 1st impressions stick. Don’t skip these exterior cleaning tips.
- Softwash the siding.
- Roof cleaning to remove dark stains.
- Window cleaning for light and clarity (exterior window pane squeegee included w/ house wash)
- Clean Driveway, Curbs, Walkway, and Patios
- Screens & Vinyl Fencing cleaned of GREEN algae
Prepping your home for sale isn’t just about tidy countertops or a pristine fridge. Buyers notice everthing…except maybe your sock drawer. But your exterior? It’s the VIP guest of first impressions—make it shine before it steals the show for all the wrong reasons.