How long does exterior cleaning take?

Gutters

Clearing gutters from the ground with a vacuum pole is fast because there is no ladder to move along every run. Most gutter jobs are done in under an hour. Long runs, several storeys, conservatory gutters, or downpipes that need flushing add time, and so does very compacted silt that has sat for years. The camera check on every run, and before and after photos of each section, are part of the visit.

This guide sits under our Gutter Cleaning & Clearing work, covering 20-mile radius of Plymouth.

Driveways and patios

An average driveway takes about half a day; larger drives or full patios take a full day. The sequence is biocide pre-treatment, rotary cleaning, then re-sanding the joints with kiln-dried sand. Sealing, if you choose it, is an extra stage that needs the surface dry first, so it can extend the job. Natural stone is cleaned more carefully at lower pressure, which takes longer per metre than concrete or block.

Windows

A regular water-fed pole clean of an ordinary house is a short visit, because the pole reaches upper floors from the ground and there are no ladders to move. A first clean after a long gap takes longer than routine visits, since frames and sills carry more build-up. Adding a conservatory roof adds time.

Walls

A render or wall softwash is usually done in one visit, but the time depends on how many elevations need treating, their height, how much protection windows and planting need, and whether the product is left to dwell before rinsing. A detached house with four rendered sides is a longer day than a terrace front. The visible result also keeps improving for weeks, since black algae and lichen release gradually.

Roofs

Roof cleaning has the widest range. Manual moss removal is physical work done by hand, so a steep roof with thick moss takes far longer than a shallow roof with a thin covering. Access set-up with roof ladders, bagging the moss, treating the whole roof, and clearing what falls into the gutters all form part of the job. We plan the access before the day so the time on site is predictable.

Drying and when you can use things

Drying depends on the surface, shade and the weather. Glass is dry almost at once. Paving in sun dries quickly, while a shaded patio or a treated wall takes longer. We explain any access precautions before leaving, for example keeping pets off a freshly treated area until it has been rinsed and dried.

Weather

We work Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm. Light rain does not stop most jobs, but some treatments need a dry spell to work, and heavy rain or high wind means we rearrange rather than do a poor job. Booking outside the wettest weeks makes timings more predictable.

How to make the visit quicker

Leave side gates unlocked, move cars off the drive, bring pots and garden furniture in from the edges of the patio, and make sure the outside tap works. Tell us in advance about pets, a conservatory under a gutter, or anything fragile at the foot of a wall. Small things like these save real time on the day, and they mean the time goes into cleaning rather than setting up and moving things out of the way.