Exterior care
Why Melbourne is hard on a home's exterior
Melbourne puts an unusual load on outdoor surfaces. Eucalypts shed leaf, bark and seed pods all year rather than in one autumn burst, so gutters fill continuously. Bayside air carries salt that dulls glass and works at metal, and the swing between wet weeks and dry heat leaves moss and lichen on south-facing walls, paving and roof tiles.
The order to clean the outside of a house
Working top down saves doing anything twice. Roof first, then gutters, then walls and render, then windows, and paving last. Cleaning a roof washes grime into the gutters, and washing walls runs dirt down onto glass and paving below. Booking the whole exterior in one visit costs less than separate call-outs, and the sequence comes out right.
Choosing an exterior cleaning contractor
Ask three things before booking. What equipment will be on site, because domestic pressure washers strip roof coatings and force water under flashing. Whether the price is fixed or worked out on completion. And what happens to the debris, because leaves bagged and left beside the bin are still your problem to deal with.