Wall softwash for Woodford homes
Woodford, Devon - PL7
If the walls on your Woodford property have gone patchy or green, the finish itself is usually sound. Modern estate around Woodford Junior School, and growth on brick and light render sits on the surface rather than in the structure.
Quote for a Woodford property
Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm
How the work is actually carried out
- 1.Sheeting comes off from the top down so nothing collected on it lands on cleaned work.
- 2.Waste water is directed to a soakaway or drain that can take it rather than allowed to pond on a lawn.
- 3.Where a pond or water feature sits below an elevation, it is covered and the run-off diverted well away from it.
- 4.Where the growth sits mostly in the lower metre, that band is treated twice and the rest once.
- 5.Where two different finishes meet on one elevation, they are treated as two jobs on one wall.
- 6.Reach is taken from the ground with a telescopic lance wherever the elevation allows, which keeps ladders off soft render.
- 7.A wall backing onto a public pavement is worked at times that keep the spray arc away from passers-by.
- 8.Growth in a shaded return is treated on the same visit even when only the front was asked about, if access allows.
- 9.Anything that has to be moved - bins, planters, a bike - goes back exactly where it was found.
- 10.Where a lean-to gutter runs at wall height, it is cleared first so it does not overflow mid-visit.
Reading the finish on a Woodford elevation
- Modern render, whether sand and cement or a thin-coat system, has a slightly porous face that holds airborne spores.
- Render cleans up well at low pressure and badly at high pressure, because pressure removes the finish along with the growth.
- Efflorescence on brick is salt, not growth, and it is left to weather rather than treated.
- Lichen on brick roots into the mortar first because mortar is the more alkaline surface.
The reasons behind the staining
- Where a wall carries a heavy climbing plant, the fabric behind it is nearly always damper than the rest.
- Where a gutter joint weeps rather than pours, the stain is thin, vertical and very persistent.
- Ivy pulled off a wall leaves suckers and a shaded, damp face that greens quickly afterwards.
- A wall that faces a large expanse of glass on another building gets less sun than its aspect suggests.
- Low winter sun never reaches the bottom third of a wall behind a fence, and it shows.
- The first sign is usually a faint grey cast rather than green, and grey is easier to ignore.
- Growth that appears in a neat rectangle usually marks something that was leaning against the wall.
- Roof debris shed from a mossy slope lands on the same band of wall year after year.
- Rain shadow works both ways: the sheltered face stays dry of rain but also of the washing that rain provides.
Practical points to sort first
- Say if the elevation is overlooked by a neighbouring window that should stay shut.
- Say if a conservatory or lean-to abuts the elevation, so glazing can be sheeted.
- Note any external socket or garden power run near the base of the wall.
- If a security light or camera covers the elevation, tell us so it can be isolated.
- Tell us about any previous treatment that came back quickly, and how quickly.
- Say if any part of the wall has been jet washed before, and roughly when.
- Point out any window that does not seal properly, so it gets sheeted rather than sprayed near.
- Note where the electricity meter and consumer unit sit relative to the wall.
How the wall is read first
- 01The presence of moss rather than algae suggests standing water rather than damp air.
- 02Any staining that continues below ground level is a drainage question, not a cleaning one.
- 03Nearby properties with the same finish are a useful reference for what is normal on that street.
- 04The first question is whether the staining sits on the surface or has gone into the material, because only one of those cleans off.
- 05Efflorescence is distinguished from lichen before anything is applied, since one is salt and one is alive.
- 06Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
- 07A wall that is warmer than its neighbours on a cold morning is likely holding moisture.
- 08Where paint is peeling in flakes rather than powdering, adhesion has already gone.
Before you get in touch
- Will it damage the pointing?
- No. That is exactly what pressure does and softwash avoids.
- Can you deal with black spotting on white render?
- That is usually a fungal spot rather than algae. It responds to treatment but often needs a second lighter pass.
- Can you treat one elevation only?
- Yes, and it is common. Often only the shaded side has a problem and the rest of the house needs nothing.
- Is it worth cleaning a wall in winter?
- Yes. Cool damp conditions suit the method, and heavy rain during application is the only real obstacle.
- Do you need my electricity?
- No. Kit runs off the van.
- Do you work on flats and shared buildings?
- Yes, with permission from whoever is responsible for the elevation.
- Do you clean render above a flat roof?
- Yes, with the roof covering sheeted and the drip detail checked.
- Do you need a parking space?
- Somewhere within hose reach of the elevation is enough.
Woodford in plain facts
- Postcode district: PL7. County: Devon. Approx 4.9 miles from the PL3 base.
- Typical wall finish here is brick and light render, which sets the cleaning method.
- Typical roof covering here is concrete tile, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
- Access is usually via A38 and A374.
- Plympton sits about 0.3 miles from Woodford on our round, so visits are often shared.
Also covered near PL7
Ask what we would leave alone
Some things are better untouched. We will tell you which parts of your wall those are.
The short version
If a wall is greening in one strip, the answer is usually plumbing rather than cleaning. A maintenance pass is far lighter work than a first clean, and it stays that way. The mortar is the weakest link on most walls, so the mortar sets the pressure.