Detailed Guide for Facade Cleaning: Everything You Should Know

Thoroughly cleaned and gleaming facades are vital for boosting a building’s curb appeal. Unlike interior cleaning, which is often manageable on one’s own, exterior cleaning involves various materials like bricks, metal, glass, stone, cement, and fibre. The complexity of these materials necessitates specialised cleaning. Therefore, you will need the expertise of professional cleaning companies for efficient facade cleaning.

With this blog, we intend to dive deep into residential and commercial building facade cleaning, learning about its importance, benefits, and much more. So, read on until the end:

What is Facade Cleaning?

Before getting into facade cleaning, it’s important to know which elements of your building exterior come under the term “facade”. It enables one to realise why facade cleaning is a professional’s job. So here we begin:

A facade refers to the exterior face or frontage of a building. It is the part of the structure that is visible from the outside. Though it is the face of your building, one cannot categorise a facade as a decorative element because it also shields the construction from being damaged due to various environmental and external factors.

Here are common elements that comprise a building facade:

• Exterior walls made of various materials such as render, brick, concrete, stone, glass, or metal
• Windows
• Doors
• Upper edge of the building’s roof, visible from the exterior
• Decorative elements
• Outermost layer of the facade, render, tiles, or metal panels
• Outdoor spaces attached to the facade, i.e., balconies and terraces

Now, let’s proceed to understanding external facade cleaning.

Facade cleaning involves keeping the outer surfaces of a building in good shape. Dust, dirt, green stuff like algae, moss, and other outdoor particles gather on the outside, making it appear unclean and even putting the structure at risk. It’s crucial to clean the facade not just for looks but also to prevent serious harm to the building.

Benefits of Cleaning Facades of the Buildings

Residential and commercial facade cleaning, when performed by professionals, has multiple benefits. Apart from increasing and enhancing the elegance of your building, external facade cleaning:

• Increased Property Value:A standout benefit of facade cleaning for buildings is the significant increase in property value. A well-maintained exterior leaves a positive impression on potential buyers or visitors, elevating its status in Australia’s real estate market.
• Prevents Structural Damage: Building facade cleaning plays a crucial role in preventing structural harm caused by things like water damage, mould, mildew, and dirt. If these issues are ignored, they can gradually break down the building materials. When you rely on experts for facade cleaning, they employ effective methods to eliminate these pollutants and make sure they don’t harm the structure.
• Health and Safety Enhancement: The moss, mould, and algae on your building can cause allergies and respiratory issues. A good facade cleaning can eliminate these health troubles to the curb! It will rejuvenate your place and make it a safer, healthier spot for everyone. So, if you’re all about a clean and comfy living or working space, a thorough facade cleaning is the way to go!
• Helps in Increasing Rental Value : When you opt for facade cleaning, it will attract more tenants, potentially leading to higher rental income. Improving the exterior through commercial facade cleaning makes it more appealing to prospective renters, allowing you to potentially charge higher rent. The additional rental income may even offset any maintenance costs you incur.
• Builds Positive Image for Commercial Spaces: The front of your building serves as a visual advertisement for your business, influencing potential customers’ perceptions. A clean and tidy facade creates a professional and attractive image, positively impacting passersby and visitors. Studies emphasise that cleanliness is the primary factor contributing to customer satisfaction, outweighing friendliness, value, and price.

Signs You Need to Go With External Facade Cleaning

Cleaning the facade is a pivotal step towards maintaining a clean and robust building. However, it is important to know when you must call in the pros for the process. The frequency of facade maintenance depends upon your building’s location and exposure to environmental factors.

For example, if your building stands by a busy street, the dust and smoke from vehicles can make the facade look dirty in no time. At the same time, if you stay in the suburbs with fewer vehicles, your facade will stay clean for a little longer. Hence, the buildings on the busy street will need external facade cleaning quicker.

We advocate conducting regular facade maintenance inspections by a professional team to determine the necessary repairs or maintenance for your building. In addition to that, it’s also important to identify the signs that indicate the need for facade maintenance, which is crucial.

Here are the top indicators:

• Streaks on building from repeated drip lines
• Grey, black marking on your façade indicates mould/mildew build up
• Building exhibits signs of wear and appears outdated
• Building appears visibly dirty – especially the eaves
• It has been more than 5 years since the last cleaning

These signs serve as valuable cues to initiate timely facade maintenance, ensuring the longevity and aesthetic appeal of your building.

Different Building Facade Cleaning Methods

Ideally, professionals divide the process of cleaning the facades of the building into two parts. These are water-based and chemical-based cleaning. After the initial assessment of the building type, size and materials used, they determine which methods to use to achieve a flawless surface without damaging it. Below is a detailed analysis of both these methods:

Water-based Facade Cleaning

True to its name, water-based methods employ water as the primary cleansing agent for building facades. This classic approach stands out for its simplicity and historical effectiveness.
Within water-based cleaning, several methods exist, each requiring specific resources and equipment alongside access to a water supply. Here are the three main types:

• Pressure Washing: The go-to method involves using a machine to direct a Low/medium pressure water stream on the building exterior. Pressure washing effectively removes dirt, grime, and stains from walls and surfaces. A soft-bristled brush may be employed for stubborn spots, and for oil stains, a detergent or soap solution proves effective.
• Soft Washing: Contrary to pressure washing, soft wash uses a gentle stream of water to eliminate dirt, grime, algae, mildew, mould and other contaminants on the facade. Using soft washing ensures that you do not damage wood and other fragile elements on the facade. It also doesn’t leave any marks on the surface.

Chemical Facade Cleaning

On the other hand, chemical facade cleaning relies on chemical-based cleaners for a more targeted approach. These environmentally friendly cleaners excel in removing mould & mildew, oil, paint, and deep-seated dirt from building walls. The process involves applying chemical cleaners to affected areas, allowing them a few minutes to work, and then rinsing them off with water. Certain chemicals will also significantly brighten & freshen up the paint work on your property.

Steps Taken by Professionals to Clean a Facade

Professionals use water-based, chemical-based, or manual methods for facade cleaning. In most cases, they opt for an amalgamation of all these techniques to achieve the desired results. Below is a brief outline of their process. However, it’s crucial to know that facade cleaning is a customisable procedure, and experts do not always stick to the same procedure:

• Conduct a thorough assessment of the building facade
• Employ pre-treatment on contaminants while keeping in mind their type
• Choose cleaning methods, i.e., water-based,or chemical-based, Get the right equipment and tools, such as pressure washers, nozzles, ladders, scaffolding, and safety gear
• Follow safety guidelines and use appropriate personal protective equipment
• Use environmentally friendly cleaning solutions to eradicate grime
• Thorough rinsing and drying to prevent water streaks

Safety Measures Professionals Follow for Facade Cleaning

Safety is a big concern when it comes to building facade cleaning. Workers need to reach a certain height when cleaning the facade, where they can be prone to mishaps. Therefore, the facade cleaning workers must carry a basic rope access kit when climbing the building. The kit includes:

• Working line for descending
• Safety Line, which is adjacent to the mainline
• Climbing device for ascending.
• Backup device to prevent a fall
• Helmet to safeguard against head injury
• Chest Harness to ensure safety during climbing and prevent a fall
• Chest Ascender to slide freely on the ropes while working
• Work Harness enables workers to descend the building safely
• Safety gloves and goggles

Steps to Ensure Longevity of Facades

Numerous factors, such as dirt, mould, algae and other weathering elements, can damage your facade over time. However, regular upkeep can enable you to maintain its allure. Given are a few ways in which you can ensure the durability and attractiveness of your facade:

• Conduct Regular Maintenance:
  You can check for peeling paint, cracks, water stains, signs of mildew and other contaminants on the exterior walls. If you witness these, immediately call for a reliable facade cleaning company for remedies. You can also ask them to conduct a facade inspection at least twice a year so as to repair damages in the nip and avoid paying hefty restoration costs.
• Construct Ventilated Facades:
  Ventilated facades eliminated the chances of condensation that might damage the exterior and interior walls. This multi-layer system disperses humidity and prevents the growth of pathologies like mould. However, it’s essential to keep a close eye and ensure that the vents aren’t obstructed; otherwise, they will not function optimally.
• Utilise High-Quality Materials:
  Apart from regular maintenance and damage control, it’s pivotal to use high-grade materials for facade construction. Using weather-resistant coatings, impact-resistant glass and fibre sidings, rust-proof metals, etc., can prove to be instrumental in ensuring the long-lastingness of your facade.

Hiring Professionals for Facade Cleaning in Melbourne

It may not be a wise decision if you are wondering how to clean a facade and want to do it yourself. Facade cleaning requires professional expertise and is unsuitable for DIY attempts. This process demands professionals to work on various heights, which is risky. Therefore, only highly skilled and trained professionals with ample experience must attempt it. Thus, it’s crucial to locate the finest facade cleaning company nearby and rely on their expertise for the job. Professional facade cleaning guarantees:

• Specialised management of the procedure
• Use of the right cleaning agents and equipment
• Taking necessary precautions for a consistently clean facade
• Superior quality services with efficiency
• Less time-consuming cleaning services.
• Excellent results.
• Saving money in the long run.

Tips for Selecting a Reputable Commercial Facade Cleaning Company

Here are a few tips to find the best facade cleaning company in Melbourne:

• Prioritise Experience: Trust a cleaning company with ample experience in the market. More experience typically means better performance. Also, facade cleaning can be a risky job and can only be performed by professionals.
• Review Their Portfolio: When considering a company, request their portfolio and conduct background research. Look for the type of buildings they’ve worked on. If these resemble your property, you can partner with them without a second thought.
• Learn About Their Procedures and Work: Style Companies differ in their cleaning approaches. However, you can estimate their competencies and the guidelines they follow. Ensure their work standards and safety procedures align with regulatory bodies. If yes, you can rest assured knowing they will perform facade cleaning in the best possible way.
• Consider Economic Pricing and Personalised Packages: Ask for their pricing in the initial phase itself. If you find it justifiable and the company promises not to come up with any sudden costs, you know you are working with reliable professionals. Still, you can enquire about discounts and also opt for long-term cleaning packages if you like their work.

What Is the Cost of Facade Cleaning in Melbourne?

Costing for facade cleaning is not something that companies can state in one go. There are multiple factors such as building type, area, facade type, cleaning methods, and many other determinants that enable the companies to understand the scope of work and thus inform you of a quote.

Conclusion

We hope the blog sheds some light on the facade cleaning process and its complexities. So, next time you pass by a clean and beautiful building, know that the owners and their facade cleaning partners are making ample efforts to make the building look this way.

If you are also in search of a facade cleaning company, look no further. Exterior Clean Melbourne is a trusted company offering top-notch cleaning services to residential and commercial buildings. Our team comprises individuals who have undergone the required hours of training to undertake extensive cleaning tasks. So, next time you want someone to beautify the exteriors of your property, contact us.