Protecting Plants, Flowers & Your Property During Exterior Cleaning

A clean house with damaged flowers is not a successful house wash.

Neither is a clean driveway with water pushed into the garage.

Or clean siding with a damaged electrical outlet.

Professional exterior cleaning isn't only about knowing what to clean.

It's also about knowing what to protect.

At Pro Wash Pressure Washing, property protection begins before cleaning solution is applied. The technician inspects the property, moves loose items, protects sensitive electrical components, and pre-wets vegetation before washing begins.

Perfectly Clean™ Rule

Before you think about what you're going to clean, think about everything around it that you don't want to damage.

Start With a Walk Around the Property

Before pulling the trigger on a pressure washer, walk around the property.

Don't just look at the dirty siding.

Look at everything around it.

You may have:

• Flowers

• Bushes

• Grass

• Potted plants

• Outdoor furniture

• Cushions

• Doormats

• Decorations

• Children's toys

• Electrical outlets

• Doorbell cameras

• Exterior lights

• Windows

• Doors

• Screens

• Vehicles

Ask yourself:

What can I move?

What needs to be protected?

What needs extra water?

Where will my cleaning solution go?

Where will the rinse water go?

This only takes a few minutes, but it can prevent a lot of problems.

Plants Need Special Attention

Plants are one of the most important things to protect during exterior cleaning.

The cleaning products that help remove organic growth from a house can also affect living vegetation if they aren't managed properly.

That's why water is such an important part of the Perfectly Clean™ process.

For a normal house wash, think:

BEFORE → DURING → AFTER

Let's look at all three.

BEFORE: Water the Plants

Before applying house-wash solution to a side of the home, thoroughly wet the vegetation around that area with fresh water.

At Pro Wash, this is mandatory before chemical application.

That includes:

Grass • Flowers • Bushes • Landscaping

Pay extra attention to delicate plants and flowers.

Don't give everything a two-second mist and assume you're finished.

The goal is to thoroughly wet the vegetation.

DURING: Keep Watching the Plants

Once the cleaning solution is on the house, don't forget what's underneath you.

During the normal dwell period, Pro Wash technicians continue watering vegetation as needed, starting with delicate flowers and plants.

This is important because cleaning solution may:

• Drip from siding

• Run off trim

• Come from gutters

• Move with the wind

• Land on landscaping

Keep watching what's happening.

If you're staring only at the siding, you're missing half the job.

AFTER: Rinse the Plants Again

Once that side of the house has been completely rinsed, rinse the vegetation again with fresh water.

At Pro Wash, that final vegetation rinse happens after each side of the house is completed, not only once at the very end.

That's an important distinction.

If you're washing four sides of a house, don't make the plants on the first side wait until the entire house is finished.

Complete the process on that side:

Wash → Rinse house → Rinse plants → Inspect

Then move on.

Pay Extra Attention to Delicate Plants

Not every plant is the same.

Some landscaping may be more delicate than others.

Pay special attention to:

• Flowers

• Young plants

• Potted plants

• Recently planted landscaping

• Tender leaves

• Plants directly underneath the cleaning area

If a potted plant can easily be moved away from the house, moving it may be the simplest solution.

At Pro Wash, potted plants are among the loose items technicians are instructed to move away from the work area when practical.

Don't Forget About Wind

You may be spraying one area...

but the wind may be carrying the mist somewhere else.

Before applying cleaning solution, look at which way the wind is blowing.

What's downwind?

Maybe it's:

A car.

A neighbor's property.

A flower bed.

Outdoor furniture.

An open garage.

People or pets.

Wind can turn a controlled application into an uncontrolled one very quickly.

If conditions don't allow you to control where the cleaning solution is going, it may not be the right time to continue.

Move What You Can

Sometimes the easiest way to protect something is simply to move it.

Before a house wash, move practical loose items away from the work area.

At Pro Wash, this includes things such as potted plants, chairs, cushions, doormats, decorations, and other loose items that can safely be moved.

This accomplishes two things.

First, it protects the item.

Second, it lets you clean the surface behind it.

Imagine washing an entire porch wall but leaving a dirty rectangle where a chair was sitting.

The house isn't Perfectly Clean™.

Move the chair.

Clean behind it.

Then put it back when you're finished.

What About Electrical Outlets?

Water and electricity deserve respect.

Before washing, identify:

• Exterior outlets

• Electrical boxes

• Doorbells

• Doorbell cameras

• Lights

• Other electrical components

At Pro Wash, sensitive electrical items are protected when necessary before washing begins.

The goal is not to wrap the entire house in plastic.

The goal is to identify areas where you need to be careful.

Ring Doorbells and Cameras

Doorbell cameras are extremely common now.

They're also located exactly where you're trying to clean:

On the outside of the house.

At Pro Wash, Ring doorbells and similar sensitive items can be covered before washing.

But remember:

The area around the doorbell still needs to be cleaned.

Protection doesn't mean skipping the entire door.

Clean carefully around the protected component without forcing water behind it.

And when the job is finished:

Remove the cover.

That sounds obvious.

But when you're focused on equipment, hoses, cleanup, and leaving the property, small things can be forgotten.

That's why a final checklist matters.

Be Careful Around Doors

Doors are another area where technique matters.

The door itself may need cleaning.

But you don't want to aim concentrated water directly into:

• Door seals

• Locks

• Gaps

• Vents

• Openings

• Damaged areas

Think about rain.

Your home's exterior is designed to handle weather.

But a pressure washer can send water in directions and at forces that normal rain doesn't.

Don't intentionally force water into the house.

Check the Windows Before You Start

Before washing, look at the windows.

Make sure they're closed.

Also look for:

• Damaged screens

• Loose screens

• Cracks

• Open windows

• Existing damage

• Areas that may leak

If you find a problem, address it before spraying.

And remember from our previous chapters:

Windows need to be rinsed extremely well after cleaning solution is applied nearby.

The goal is to leave no soap on the glass, frame, or surrounding white vinyl.

What About Outdoor Furniture?

Outdoor furniture can trap cleaning solution.

Cushions can absorb it.

Metal furniture may react differently than plastic.

Wood furniture may require its own cleaning process.

If practical:

Move it.

Don't try to save two minutes by cleaning around twenty objects.

You'll usually spend more time fighting hoses, creating missed areas, and worrying about overspray.

A clear work area makes the job easier.

Think About Your Vehicles

Before starting exterior cleaning, look at where vehicles are parked.

This includes:

• Your vehicle

• The homeowner's vehicle

• A neighbor's vehicle

• Motorcycles

• Golf carts

• Trailers

If there's a reasonable chance that cleaning solution or dirty runoff could reach a vehicle, move it when possible.

Again:

Control the work area before you start.

Protect People and Pets Too

Exterior cleaning equipment and chemicals aren't something children or pets should be playing around.

Before starting:

• Keep children away from the work area

• Secure pets

• Don't leave chemicals where they can be reached

• Don't leave equipment running unattended

• Keep people away from active pressure-washing areas

And never point a pressure-washing stream toward another person or animal.

Watch Where the Water Goes

Property protection doesn't end with chemicals.

Water itself can cause problems.

Ask:

Where is all this water going?

Look for:

• Garage doors

• Entry doors

• Crawlspace openings

• Low areas

• Drains

• Flower beds

• Neighboring property

• Areas where water can pool

A good exterior cleaner isn't just thinking about the spray coming out of the gun.

They're thinking about where everything goes after it hits the surface.

Protecting Property Is Part of Cleaning

This is an important mindset.

Some people view all of this preparation as extra work.

They think:

“I just need to wash the house.”

But protecting the property is part of washing the house.

Moving the chair is part of the job.

Watering the flowers is part of the job.

Covering the doorbell is part of the job.

Checking the windows is part of the job.

Rinsing the plants afterward is part of the job.

Putting everything back is part of the job.

If you skip those steps, you haven't made the process faster.

You've simply removed safeguards.

The Perfectly Clean™ Protection Process

Before cleaning:

WALK

Inspect the property.

↓

MOVE

Move loose items that can safely be moved.

↓

COVER

Protect sensitive electrical components when needed.

↓

CHECK

Make sure windows and doors are closed and look for existing damage.

↓

WATER

Thoroughly wet nearby plants and landscaping.

↓

CLEAN

Work in controlled sections.

↓

WATCH

Keep an eye on plants, wind, runoff, and surrounding property.

↓

RINSE

Rinse the house thoroughly.

↓

WATER AGAIN

Give plants and landscaping a final fresh-water rinse after that side is complete.

↓

RESTORE

Put moved items back and remove protective covers.

↓

INSPECT

Make sure nothing was forgotten.

Before You Leave, Look Back

At the end of a job, don't just roll up the hose and drive away.

Walk around the property.

At Pro Wash, our cleanup process includes returning moved items, removing protective covers from doorbells and outlets, rinsing the downstream system with clean water, disconnecting the customer's water, rolling hoses onto the correct reels, and performing a final check before the truck leaves.

For a homeowner, the same basic idea applies.

Ask:

Are the plants okay?

Did I put everything back?

Did I remove every cover?

Are the windows rinsed?

Is the water turned off?

Did I leave anything behind?

Did I create any damage?

Then look at the property one final time.

Perfectly Clean™ Quick Check

BEFORE CLEANING

✓ Move chairs, cushions, doormats, decorations, and potted plants.

✓ Check windows and doors.

✓ Identify outlets, cameras, doorbells, and electrical items.

✓ Wet plants and landscaping.

✓ Check the wind.

✓ Think about runoff.

DURING CLEANING

✓ Watch delicate plants.

✓ Keep cleaning solution from drying.

✓ Control overspray.

✓ Avoid forcing water into openings.

AFTER CLEANING

✓ Rinse plants again.

✓ Rinse windows thoroughly.

✓ Remove protective covers.

✓ Put moved items back.

✓ Inspect the property.

The Perfectly Clean™ Principle

A professional doesn't only protect the surface being cleaned. A professional protects everything around it.