Onshore Home Maintenance

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🗣️Raw truth of running a maintenance biz
🍃 Soft-wash | Detailing | Pressure washing
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06/01/2026

How to unclog a downspout on a roof gutter system.

This one was easy sometimes it can get pretty bad depending on the time of year and location.

Luckily this was nice and dry, a tiny elbow easy access joint, but come fall there will be some big blowouts. 💦




05/31/2026

Soft washing a chimney with red brick.

This chimney was completely green and black before the first application. This was the rinse after a 15 minute dwell.

If you see remaining organics after the first treat hit it with a second coating and it will come out new. Used a 3% mix of SH on this chimney - you want to use a surfactant so it sticks to whatever organics you are cleaning.




05/30/2026

Rinsing a luxury smooth paver patio with a pressure washer.

In the northwest you will find huge patios like this all the time taking up basically 70-80% of the outdoor space.

Unlike blacktop, these surfaces thrive being pressure washed and look brand new every single time.

These pavers are extremely heavy and in this case the drainage wasn’t the best. There was pooling in this spot but with the right technique you can have it cleared up pretty quickly.

Sometimes we use a shop vac or a pump to displace the water if it’s really bad.




05/29/2026

Cleaning a mini slide with low pressure making sure the plastic isn’t compromised.

Do you remember using slides like this when you were younger? They felt 100 feet high at the time 😳

Even if things like this aren’t in the original estimate we can’t leave it dirty, something like this needs to be cleaned up.


05/28/2026

Attempted to draw a frog but after watching it back frogs don’t have square heads 🐸

Pro tip don’t draw faces into the surface unless you have a post treatment ready when your done. Otherwise couple months will go by and the client will notice the algae growing back in the shape of faces 😳

Throw that post treatment down to ensure everything organic is fried and the growth will take longer to grow back leave it looking brand new.




05/27/2026

Cleaning a brittle white painted railing.

Certain types of wood don’t do well with pre treating depending on what you are using here’s a generalized breakdown. If you ever need to treat wood make sure it’s a completely even soak and a low 0.5-1.5% mixture of SH. This has worked for us for years with zero issues.

Cedar is very prone to bleaching, fuzzing, and uneven color shifts. Western red cedar especially can turn pale, blotchy, or “stringy.”

Redwood, reacts similarly to cedar; tannins can produce dark staining or uneven oxidation.

Ipe and other tropical hardwoods dense exotic woods (ipe, cumaru, tigerwood, garapa, mahogany) often get surface oxidation, patchy color loss, or premature drying from hypochlorite.

Oak, high tannin content can react unpredictably, sometimes producing gray/black discoloration.

Walnut bleach can flatten the rich dark tone and create a washed out appearance.

Pressure treated pine (older decks especially) can fuzz heavily and lose lignin if repeatedly exposed.

Douglas fir tends to fuzz and raise grain noticeably.

Spruce, fir, pine softwoods softer earlywood erodes faster, creating striping and rough texture.




05/26/2026

Cleaning a catch basin cast iron drain with 3800psi.

Ever wonder what the markings are on these drain covers?

It is most likely a manufacturer or casting identification code stamped into the iron grate, not the drain’s function or size designation. Municipal drains often have these foundry/model codes cast into the metal.

A catch basin storm drain gate can cost in the range from $300.00 to $1200.00 depending on the size and municipality.

Extremely heavy and durable, cast iron drain grates are built to withstand large amount of pressure. The whole drain install could be anywhere from $2000.00-$6000.00 per drain.

05/25/2026

Cleaning an outdoor asphalt basketball court, the boys were playing ball on a carpet of algae and moss.

This was a big rinse down, this court had not been cleaned at least 10 years.

Needless to say the lads won’t be slipping when playing ball anymore surface came out grippy and new 🏀

05/24/2026

Pressure washing a retaining wall with a turbo nozzle.

This wall had not been cleaned in 10 years.

Before you even touch a wall like this give it a good pre treatment and let dwell for at least 20 minutes.

If you go clean something else in that time, keep the wall wet by periodically spraying water in its direction 🧼

At the end of some spots like a bit darker than others give it a quick post treatment rinse off and it will be brand new.




05/23/2026

As a chimney ages, soot, creosote, moisture, and tiny cracks build up inside the brickwork and that can turn into serious safety and structural problems.

Creosote = Fire Hazard

Moisture destroys old brick

Blocked chimneys = dangerous air

Cleaning saves expensive repairs

Protect your home before winter🫡



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W 16th Avenue
Vancouver, BC

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Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm

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