House Wash Wellington

Wellington houses cop it from all sides. The wind drives salt and dust into the weatherboards, the rain keeps them damp, and the hills mean a lot of homes spend half the day in shade. That's the recipe for mould. It shows up first under the eaves and on the side that never sees the sun, then it spreads.

We wash it off gently and kill it at the same time, so it doesn't come back a month later.

What we wash

• Walls and cladding, whether it's painted weatherboards, plaster, brick or fibre-cement.
• Eaves and soffits, which collect cobwebs and black mould.
• Window and door joinery, including sills and the tracks.
• The outside face of the spouting, plus downpipes, meter boxes and anything else fixed to the walls.

Clearing the inside of the gutters is a separate job, a gutter clean. Most people book both together.

Wind, salt and damp: why Wellington houses get dirty fast

Three things work together here.

Salt. If you can see the harbour or the coast, the wind is putting salt on your house. It leaves a dull, chalky film that dulls paint and sits in the gaps under the weatherboards. Rain rinses the exposed bits but not under the eaves.

Damp. Wellington doesn't dry out much over winter. Walls that stay wet grow algae and mould, especially timber.

Shade. Hillside sections, tall neighbours and bush mean big parts of a house never get direct sun. That's where you see green and black first.

A soft wash deals with all three. We put on a cleaning solution at low pressure, give it time to kill the growth and break down the grime and salt, then rinse it all off. It's the same method for weatherboards and plaster. It's gentler than a water blaster and it lasts longer, because the mould is dead rather than just knocked back. More on the method on our soft wash Wellington page.

House wash prices in Wellington

We don't have a one-size price because Wellington houses are all over the place. A single-level unit in Porirua and a two-storey villa on a Kelburn slope are very different jobs. What we look at:

• size and number of storeys
• what the house is clad in
• how much growth there is
• access, including steps, slopes and garden

Quotes are free and there's no obligation. Photos of each side of the house help us price it properly.

Areas we cover

We wash houses from the city and the northern suburbs out to Porirua and right up the Hutt Valley. If you're further out, ring us on 027 303 8398 and ask.

How often to wash

Once a year suits most Wellington homes. Book more often if the house:

• is near the coast or catches the sea spray in a northerly or southerly
• sits under trees or bush
• has a south side that's always damp

It's also worth a wash before you paint, because paint won't stick properly to mould and salt, and before you put the house on the market. Our water blasting Wellington page covers pre-paint and pre-sale washes in more detail.

Roofs, gutters, concrete and the rest of the outside

A house wash is usually where people start, but it's rarely the only thing outside that needs doing. Here's everything else we look after in Wellington. Each one has its own page with the detail.

Soft washing

The same low-pressure method we use on houses, for anything that would mark or strip under a water blaster: plaster, painted fences, render, signage and older timber. Soft washing Wellington.

Roof cleaning

Moss, lichen and black streaks washed off with a soft wash at low pressure. We don't blast roofs: high pressure strips coatings, cracks tiles and pushes water where it shouldn't go. A clean roof is also the first step before a roof gets painted. Roof cleaning Wellington.

Roof treatment

For roofs that don't need a full clean yet. A moss and lichen treatment is sprayed on, kills the growth, and the weather washes it off over the following weeks. Roof treatment Wellington.

Gutter cleaning

Leaves, moss and muck cleared out of the spouting, and downpipes checked so the water can get away. Blocked gutters are the main reason walls get streaked under the eaves. Gutter cleaning Wellington.

Pressure washing and water blasting

For hard surfaces that can take it: concrete driveways, paths, patios, retaining walls and car parks. Also prep washes before painting and a tidy-up before a house goes on the market. Pressure washing Wellington and water blasting Wellington.

Decks, fences and driveways

Slippery green off decking boards, grime off fence palings, and moss and oil stains off concrete. Deck washing, fence washing and driveway and concrete cleaning.

Commercial buildings

Offices, shops, apartment blocks and warehouses, washed with the right method for each surface. Commercial building washing Wellington.

Tell us everything you want done when you ask for a quote and we'll price it together, so it can all happen on the same visit.