We believe in helping our community — even if it means giving you the tools to tackle some projects yourself. Below are practical tips for maintaining your property's exterior between professional cleanings. We'll also let you know when it's time to call in a pro, because some jobs require the right equipment, chemicals, and experience to do safely and effectively.

Maintaining Your Driveway Between Cleanings

What you can do: Keep your driveway clear of leaves, dirt, and debris with regular leaf-blower sessions — this prevents organic material from breaking down and staining the concrete. For small spot stains from oil or grease, apply a degreaser (available at any hardware store), scrub with a stiff-bristle brush, and rinse with a garden hose. For minor rust spots from irrigation overshoot, you can try a consumer-grade rust remover like Iron Out, but follow the label directions carefully and rinse thoroughly.

When to call a pro: If your entire driveway is covered in algae, ground-in dirt, or widespread rust staining, a garden hose and scrub brush won't cut it. Professional surface cleaners and hot or high-pressure water are needed to restore the surface evenly without leaving streaks or lap marks. And for heavy rust treatment, professional-grade oxalic acid products deliver significantly better results than consumer alternatives.

Keeping Your House Exterior Clean

What you can do: Rinse the exterior of your house with a garden hose every few months to knock off loose dirt and pollen. Focus on areas under eaves and around windows where spider webs and dirt accumulate. A soft-bristle car wash brush on an extension pole can help with light buildup on siding you can safely reach from the ground.

When to call a pro: If you're seeing green or black algae, mold, or mildew growing on your siding, stucco, or painted surfaces, it requires a soft-wash chemical treatment—not just water. Using a pressure washer on stucco or painted surfaces can cause serious damage, including cracking, chipping, and water intrusion behind the wall. A professional soft wash kills the growth at the root and provides longer-lasting results.

Roof Maintenance

What you can do: Keep your gutters clean and your roof free of debris, such as branches and leaf buildup. Trim back any tree limbs that hang over your roof — shade and moisture are the two biggest factors that accelerate algae growth. Periodically, visually inspect your roof from the ground for dark streaks or moss.

When to call a pro: Never pressure wash your roof. Never walk on your roof to scrub it. Both will cause damage and potentially void your warranty. Roof cleaning requires a professional soft wash application from the ground or a ladder, using the correct chemical blend and dwell time to kill algae without harming shingles or tile. This is a job where doing it wrong costs significantly more than doing it right.

Pool Deck and Patio Care

What you can do: Sweep or blow off your pool deck regularly to prevent organic buildup. A quick rinse with the garden hose after mowing can prevent grass clippings from staining the concrete. For small, mildew spots, a mixture of water and household bleach (about 1 cup per gallon), applied with a pump sprayer and rinsed after 10 minutes, can help keep things manageable.

When to call a pro: Once the entire deck surface has turned green or gray, spot treatment won't restore it. Professional pressure washing with a surface cleaner is the fastest and most effective way to restore it. We also see many pool decks with calcium deposits and mineral staining that require specific chemical treatments to remove without etching the surface.

Fence and Screen Enclosure Cleaning

What you can do: Rinse your fence and screen enclosures with a garden hose periodically. For vinyl fences, a bucket of soapy water and a soft brush will handle light dirt. For screen enclosures, a gentle rinse from the outside can knock off cobwebs and surface dust.

When to call a pro: Algae-covered fences — especially wood fences — need professional cleaning to remove the growth without damaging the wood grain. For screen enclosures, high pressure will tear the screen mesh, and aggressive chemicals can corrode the aluminum frame. We use soft wash methods specifically calibrated for screen enclosures to clean them safely and thoroughly.

General Tips

\nNever use a consumer pressure washer on surfaces you're not experienced with. The narrow-angle tips that come with most home units can etch concrete, gouge wood, and crack stucco in seconds.
\nDon't mix bleach with other household cleaners. Mixing bleach with ammonia-based products creates toxic chloramine gas. If you're using bleach for spot cleaning, use it by itself with water only.
\nIrrigation rust stains will keep coming back unless you address the sprinkler overshoot or install an iron filtration system on your well. We can remove the stains, but adjusting your sprinkler heads will prevent the problem from recurring.
\nCleaning frequency matters. The longer you let buildup go, the harder and more expensive it is to remove. Regular maintenance — even basic rinsing — extends the life of your surfaces and reduces the scope of professional cleanings.

Some jobs are best left to the pros — and we're here when you need us. Coastie Power Washing is a veteran-owned, fully insured exterior cleaning company serving Stuart, Jensen Beach, Sewall's Point, and Palm City. Request your free estimate today and let us handle the hard stuff.

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DIY Exterior Cleaning Tips from the Pros

Maintain your property's exterior with expert advice and know when to call in the professionals.

DIY Exterior Cleaning Tips from the Pros

Need Help? Contact Coastie Power Washing

We're here to handle the tough jobs. Request your free estimate today for professional exterior cleaning services.