Will the colour come back?

If the original finish is sound, the colour underneath is usually still there and comes back with the growth removed.

Do you clean conservatory roofs?

Yes, and they go before the wall above them so nothing lands back on clean glazing.

Do you offer a maintenance visit?

A lighter top-up treatment every couple of years is much less work than leaving it until it is heavy again.

Is thin-coat render different from sand and cement?

Yes, and it is more sensitive. Thin-coat systems get a weaker mix and a longer dwell rather than more pressure.

What about the smell for neighbours?

Mild and short-lived, and we avoid boundary elevations when someone next door has washing out.

Should the gutters be done at the same time?

Usually. Overflow is behind a large share of wall staining, so clearing it protects the work.

Is there any risk to the guttering?

No. It sits in the same spray path and gets wiped as part of the pass.

Can you do it while I am at work?

Yes, as long as gates are unlocked and we can reach the elevations.

TQ7 - Devon - 17.1 miles from PL3

Treating growth on cob and painted render in Malborough Village

Where a Malborough Village wall has gone patchy rather than evenly dirty, the cause is nearly always local: a downpipe, a hedge, a shaded corner. That is where we look first.

Quote for a Malborough Village property

Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm

What helps before we arrive

Let us know if scaffold or a tower is already up for other work.
Say if a conservatory or lean-to abuts the elevation, so glazing can be sheeted.
Point out any window that does not seal properly, so it gets sheeted rather than sprayed near.
Say if the elevation is overlooked by a neighbouring window that should stay shut.
Tell us about any previous treatment that came back quickly, and how quickly.
Tell us if there is a low wall or a step at the base of the elevation that gets slippery.
Trim back anything that has grown tight against the wall, or ask us to work around it.
Say where the outside tap is, and whether it runs at any pressure.

Wall build-ups common in TQ7

Thin-coat systems are thinner than people assume, and a jet held still in one place leaves a permanent shadow.
Coloured through-render fades gradually, so what looks like dirt on an older wall is sometimes age in the finish.
Painted masonry can be cleaned, though a paint film that has already lost adhesion will lift where it was going to fail anyway.
Gloss-painted details like cills are wiped rather than sprayed.
Cracks in a cob wall are structural information, not cosmetic, and are reported rather than cleaned.
Any rinse on cob is minimal and directed downwards, never held on the surface.

Diagnosis before treatment

01The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
02The ground level relative to the damp course is checked before the base of a wall is treated.
03Weep holes are counted and checked for blockage while the wall is being read.
04A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
05Anything that cannot be explained by water is treated with more caution, not less.
06Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
07A damp meter reading inside a stained corner separates a cleaning job from a building problem.
08Whether the property is exposed or sheltered is judged on the day, not from a map.

Damp, airflow and what feeds growth

Guttering that has dropped at one end holds standing water and drips continuously at the low point.
The first sign is usually a faint grey cast rather than green, and grey is easier to ignore.
Cold bridging at a lintel can keep a narrow band of render damper than everything around it.
A downpipe discharging onto a hard surface next to the wall sends the water straight back at the brickwork.
A wall under a mature hedge takes both shade and constant leaf litter, which is the worst pairing there is.
Render that has lost its water repellency absorbs and holds surface water instead of shedding it.
Rain shadow works both ways: the sheltered face stays dry of rain but also of the washing that rain provides.
North and east elevations dry last and green first, in that order, on nearly every property.
Tree canopy overhead drips long after the rain has stopped and drops organic debris onto the wall face.

Order of work, top down

Conservatory roofs go before the wall above them, then get a final rinse afterwards.

Block paving cannot be re-sanded until it is dry, which decides the running order in a wet week.

Where scaffolding is going up for other work, the wall clean is easier and safer while it is standing.

Small repairs to pointing are best done after cleaning, when what needs doing is visible.

How a softwash visit runs

1.Applications are kept off hot surfaces in direct sun, because a mix that flashes off has no dwell time at all.
2.Ridge and verge debris that has landed on the wall head is brushed off dry before anything wet goes on.
3.Curtains and blinds behind a treated elevation are best left closed, and we say so before starting rather than afterwards.
4.Cable clips, aerial brackets and old fixings are noted, and loose ones are left rather than pushed further.
5.Where a wall meets a conservatory or lean-to, the roof glazing is sheeted before anything is applied above it.
6.Where growth has spread onto a UPVC panel or door surround, it is wiped rather than sprayed.
7.Weep holes above openings are left clear so the wall can drain the way it was designed to.
8.Everything is packed down before the last inspection, so the wall is judged clear of kit.
9.Anything found broken before we arrived is photographed before work starts, not after.
10.Any surface that will be walked on afterwards is left rinsed rather than left with residue.

Before you get in touch

Will the colour come back?: If the original finish is sound, the colour underneath is usually still there and comes back with the growth removed.
Do you clean conservatory roofs?: Yes, and they go before the wall above them so nothing lands back on clean glazing.
Do you offer a maintenance visit?: A lighter top-up treatment every couple of years is much less work than leaving it until it is heavy again.
Is thin-coat render different from sand and cement?: Yes, and it is more sensitive. Thin-coat systems get a weaker mix and a longer dwell rather than more pressure.
What about the smell for neighbours?: Mild and short-lived, and we avoid boundary elevations when someone next door has washing out.
Should the gutters be done at the same time?: Usually. Overflow is behind a large share of wall staining, so clearing it protects the work.
Is there any risk to the guttering?: No. It sits in the same spray path and gets wiped as part of the pass.
Can you do it while I am at work?: Yes, as long as gates are unlocked and we can reach the elevations.

Read a little further

Where Malborough Village sits on our round

Recorded character: village. Church-and-square heart of Malborough parish.
Typical wall finish here is cob and painted render, which sets the cleaning method.
Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
Malborough sits about 4.3 miles from Malborough Village on our round, so visits are often shared.
TQ7 covers 7 town hubs and 29 villages or districts in our radius.

See everywhere we cover in TQ7

Also covered near TQ7

Send the postcode and finish type

Those two things get you a written price without a site visit in most cases.

Send the details 07830 242403

The short version

Small jobs get the same sequence as large ones, just fewer elevations. The safest method is the one set by the weakest material on the wall, not the strongest. If a previous clean did not last, the cause was probably never dealt with. Monday to Saturday, 8am to 7pm.