Exterior Cleaning in Cumberland, Maine

Exterior Cleaning Across Cumberland

Cumberland stretches from Cumberland Foreside on Casco Bay all the way inland to West Cumberland on the Windham line, and the exterior of a house on Route 88 weathers very differently from one tucked into the woods off Route 100. The town is also unusually consistent in one respect: better than eight in ten homes here are single-family detached, and the median home went up around 1984, so a lot of Cumberland siding and roofing is now in its fourth decade. We cover soft washing, house washing, roof cleaning, gutter cleaning, and pressure washing in all three parts of town.

Why We Soft Wash Instead of Pressure Wash

Soft washing is a method that relies on our special proprietary cleaning solution to kill organic matter rather than high pressure. While high pressure washing may appear to remove the moss, dirt and algae, it doesn’t kill it. By killing algae and fungus, your exterior surfaces remain clean longer than with a pressure wash. This method is commonly used for residential and commercial properties, as well as on surfaces like roofs, decks, and fences. With our high quality equipment and professional detergents, it is the safest and most effective method of cleaning exterior surfaces. 

Most of Cumberland is inland and wooded, and that is where the bulk of the work is. Rines Forest runs 268 acres, Knight’s Pond Preserve another 163, and the land trust holds well over a thousand more, so a large share of homes here sit under mature canopy on generous lots. Shade plus damp is what organic growth wants. The black streaks that show up on shaded roofs are Gloeocapsa magma, a cyanobacteria that establishes on north-facing planes first and feeds on the limestone filler in asphalt shingles, costing granules and shingle life the longer it sits. Out along the Foreside and Broad Cove the picture changes. That narrow coastal band picks up salt off the water, and because salt holds moisture against siding it keeps surfaces damp well after the weather clears, which is why coastal homes often need a rinse rather than only a wash.