Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

San Ramon gutter cleaning free safety tips and tricks

Gutter cleaning is an important, albeit tiresome and mundane process for home maintenance. Fall is generally the time when people get the gutters cleaned out to prepare for the snowy or rainy season ahead. If there’s no proper flow of rainwater through the gutter, it could lead to the pooling of water, thus damaging the roof, gutter, ceiling, walls, resulting in costly repairs.

It is the safest option to employ a professional gutter cleaning service such as ourselves. However, if you do decide to do it yourself, listed below are some important safety tips for this tedious task.

Ladder Safety is Paramount

Use the buddy system to the fullest wherein you have someone to stabilize the bottom of the ladder in case of any mishap. At the very least, always inform someone when you use the ladder for gutter cleaning. A safe and sturdy ladder goes a long way. Also, preferably opt for one with a small shelf strong enough to securely hold a five-gallon bucket for collecting gutter debris.

While an extension ladder is an excellent choice for a two-story or taller structure, a four-legged step ladder works well for single storied structures. An orchard ladder only has three legs for support and is prone to losing balance, making it a less than ideal choice. A wooden ladder is not recommended as well because of its tendency to get wobbly. Fiberglass ladders may be the sturdiest, but they are also the heaviest. This may not seem like an issue in the beginning but after hours of gutter cleaning, moving heavy ladders can cause muscle fatigue.

Before climbing, inspect your ladder thoroughly for loose screws or bolts, or any defects. If you are using a step ladder, ensure that the extension-hinge arms fully extended and lock in place.

Use a Garden Hose (Gutter Cleaning)

Utilize a garden hose with a pistol-grip trigger spray nozzle. It allows you to adjust water pressure by using just one hand. Handling the aforementioned nozzle is easy when you are moving the ladder or using a gutter scoop. It can be hung over the front edge of the gutter, and you can find it at any hardware store.

Get a Gutter Scoop

The best overall method for gutter cleaning is probably to scoop out the leafy debris. Plastic scooping tools are an excellent choice. They have a thin front scooping edge and form themselves to the bottom of the gutter trough, making scooping out of the toughest debris easier in any gutter system.

Metal scooping tools aren’t recommended because they can damage and scratch the bottom of the gutter and seams.

Protect Your Hands (Gutter Cleaning)

Protect your hands from dirty and rotting leaf debris, often containing bird droppings, by using gloves. Gloves can also protect you from unwelcome cuts from torn metal shards of an old gutter.

Cotton gloves soak up dirty water which exposes the skin to bacteria. Leather gloves tend to shrivel up after being cleaned and dried. Additionally, they aren’t very flexible. Rubber gloves aren’t recommended as they can be torn by the metal shards. The best choice is thick, suede gloves which are superior to any other material for gutter cleaning.

Protect Your Eyes

You never know what might fly out of the downspout during gutter cleaning, making eye protection essential. Industrial glasses or masks may the right choice to avoid an eye injury because of rats, frogs, wasps, and bees clearing out at high speeds.

Clean Off The Roof First (Gutter Cleaning)

Make sure that the roof is clear off all the debris. This will protect you from falling debris if the wind stirs up. Additionally, if the roof isn’t cleaned, the next rain may wash all the debris into the gutter, leading to clogging again.

Be Careful Of Power Line Hazards

Before gutter cleaning around a power line cable, visually inspect the electric cable where it connects to the roof first. Ensure that the protective wire insulation hasn’t rubbed off. If the cable seems to be damaged, get it fixed by a professional. Do not clean gutters with an electrical wire problem especially if it’s raining, as water is a conductor of electricity.

Conclusion

Scheduling semi-annual gutter cleaning, during Spring and Fall, is a great choice to prevent blockage, and for easier cleaning. It eliminates the risk of water damage from rainwater runoff. It also decreases the possibility of rust corrosion.

For gutter cleaning in San Ramon, employ our professional services to save you the hassle of cleaning gutters, and to protect yourself from the possible hazards.

Posted on

Soft Washing Is The Preferred Method To Clean But Not Damage The Surface

House soft wash

Soft washing is an underrated method for secure surface cleaning. People tend to gravitate towards two extremes: DIY methods and Pressure Washing.

DIY methods are far less effective and safe than a professional power washing.

 For certain surfaces, they may work. But the professional results are undeniably superior and long-lasting.

On the other hand, pressure washing is effective but far from the ideal method as it might severely damage the surface if not done correctly. Additionally, the high pressure used here poses a threat to safety.

Soft washing incorporates the use of special low-pressure nozzles and a chemical cleaning agent. 

The biodegradable chemicals are used to break down dirt and biological elements such as mold, algae, moss, etc. The nozzle used for soft washing drops the pressure point by widening the spray.

Why Is Soft Washing The Best Alternative

1. It Protects Your Property

As mentioned above, the low-pressure nozzle enables a thorough clean without damaging surfaces like patios, roofs, etc.

When you need your walls or fences cleaned, soft washing is the way to go as it doesn’t let your wood. And plants erode or break by high pressure. 

In the case of surfaces like pavers, it effectively removes mold, mildew, algae, etc. while protecting them.

The cherry on top is the use of biodegradable solutions for soft washing. These solutions are environmentally-friendly and don’t affect the grass or landscaping. 

The use of solutions with no alcohol or ammonia prevents acidic damage, protecting fabrics and flooring.

2. It Allows A More Effective Clean

Unlike high pressure, appropriate cleaning solutions eradicate algae, mold, mildew, etc. completely instead of just stripping it.

Also, while pressure washing removes discoloration and unwanted growth from surfaces. It doesn’t always sterilize the surface. In contrast, soft washing sterilizes and prevents new growth of harmful substances. Naturally, this proves to last much longer than pressure washing.

3. It Increases The Longevity Of Surfaces

Algae, mold, and mildew are notorious for breaking down materials on various surfaces, including roofs. Soft washing doesn’t damage your roof. It only removes and kills these biological elements allowing your roof to last longer.

With ugly and damaging buildup, your roof will be safe for years to come. Our professional roof soft washing services in San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Blackhawk, etc. will ensure a deep clean without damaging your roof’s integrity.

4. It Saves Money

You don’t require complex algebraic calculations to conclude that effective, long-lasting soft washing evidently saves money.

As the results of soft washing generally last 4-6 times longer than a pressure washing. You don’t need to employ professional cleaning services often. A fewer number of cleanings indicate lesser money spent on maintenance.

In addition to this, soft washing is safer, which implies reduced expenses of repairing damaged surfaces. The prevention of damaging biological elements buildup suggested decreased spendings on replacements.

Needless to say, that’s an offer no homeowner and business owner can refuse.

When To Choose Soft Washing?

Although the effectiveness and value-for-money of soft washing are undeniable. It wouldn’t be appropriate to disregard pressure washing completely.

Pressure washing is usually ideal for solid, hard surfaces such as concrete, etc. It may also be a good tool to remove a stubborn stain and grime.

 However, this is applicable when pressure washing is handled by trained and experienced professionals like us.

Soft washing is the perfect choice for many surfaces, especially those that may not withstand high pressures. Due to the less robust PSI of a soft washer nozzle.

 It’s more aligned with a garden hose integrated with specialized cleaning solutions. Hence, it’s highly recommended for surfaces such as aluminum, vinyl, brick, masonry, etc.