Environmental Responsibility in the house wash industry.

Environmental Responsibility

At present there is a hot topic in the house wash industry and it revolves around the environmental impacted that our industry is having in the local community and how we are effecting the environment. 

As most company's us a sodium hypochlorite based cleaning soap, commonly known as bleach we would have to assume there would be some negative impact on the environment!  A lot of house wash company's advertise the fact that there soaps are bio-degradable, Which they are, Bleach brakes down into its natural elements mainly salt.

The issue arises when two much salt at one time is released into the environment at any given time it can cause the PH level in the soil or water ways to change dramatically and can cause a very caustic environment.

This convocation in our local area arose of late due to one of our competition being charged and prosecuted for releasing a large amount of SH into a local feeder stream to a major water way, This caused a large amount of fish, and eel death very very fast.

For more information on this case please read the news article linked http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/89739404/Chemwash-Hamilton-fronts-up-over-fish-kill-spill

Talking to the owner of this company it seems they actually had the equipment to suck the chemicals from the storm water drain and remove it from site before it could actually go into the stream but an employee placed the recovery equipment at the wrong drain and the chemicals coming off a roof they where cleaning made it way into the drain system and into a water way at the rear of the property. Now giving full credit to the owner of the house wash company as soon as he was made aware of the issue and the subsequent investigation he stepped up, admitted fault, co-operated fully with the investigation. In my personal opinion i do not believe there was any intention by this company to discharge the chemical into the waterway. The company in question has learnt from this mistake and have implemented policy's and procedures to never have this happen again.

In your business what policy's and procedure do you have in place so not to be the one in court over major environmental breaches. I know at Wash Rite House Wash we have robust chemical handling policy's and procedure in place and constant training for our staff. We also have a full environmental policy in place which is aligned with the company policy of ZERO HARM, That's zero harm to staff's health and safety, zero harm to the environment and zero harm to the company reputation.

I Highly recommend you take a minute and have a look at your business and how your business looks at its environmental impact and see if there is anywhere you can improve.

Troy Hillard

Director

Wash Rite

www.washrite.co.nz

HOW TO ADD VALUE TO YOUR HOUSE.

HOW TO ADD VALUE TO YOUR HOUSE.

A question that gets asked often by home owner's is how can i ad to the value of my house? This is an important question as to most people there home is there largest asset so by adding value to it your increasing your net-worth.

Here are a few things you should do to ad thousands or even tens of thousands to your houses value.

House Washing

First you need to wash the exterior of your home, weather you do it yourself or you hire a professional house washing company either way you must wash your house, As first impressions is key. Most people in the market don't want a list of jobs they have to do after they purchase a new home and they will pay a premium for a house that's clean and tidy and has great street appeal. So washing your siding and the windows would be the first recommendation.

Roof Wash

As your roof is visible from the street frontage this is a key item that must be washed and looking good, As we all know roof repairs are always expensive so having a nice clean roof free from moss, mould, algae and lichen will put prospective home buyers fears to rest. This is one job i highly recommend getting a professional roof washing company in to do due to the safety risks of falling from the roof. An average roof wash will cost you from $350 to $650 depending on the size of the roof and if its multi level or single level.

Gutter Cleaning

Cleaning out your gutters is a simple job that can be done by any home owner with a ladder, No one wants to buy a house with grass and plants growing out of the gutters so by cleaning them out you will not have buyers double guessing the houses condition. And you also run the risk of flooding the house if the gutters back up and over flow back into the roof cavity. 

Driveway Cleaning

Cleaning your driveway will make an instant impression to people interested in buying you house, A nice clean driveway with no mould, or oil stains on it will give a great first impression, This is one job you will have to hire a professional for as they will have the right equipment and the right soaps to clean away all the old oil stains and to brighten the concrete. But it is well worth spending $200 to get the driveway looking like new again.

A local Hamilton real estate agent Cathy O'Shea is a firm believer in a house looking its best before going on the market to ensure the best possible sale price for the vendors, She enlists the services of Wash Rite Hamilton to bring these property's back to the very best prior to listing the property on the market for sale.

How to clean weatherboard siding on your house

Think your wood siding needs a fresh coat of paint? Maybe. Or it could be that your wood weatherboards simply needs a thorough cleaning. Homeowners have always prized wood for its unparalleled appearance, but like any siding material, it requires periodic maintenance. With wood in particular, the challenge is to avoid doing more harm than good. For instance, you might be tempted to clean weatherboards with a broom and scrubbing brush, thinking it would make quick work of things. Do so at your own risk. Using such a harsh abrasive tool can actually cause several types of damage, including stripped paint, gouged boards, and loosened caulk, besides, if you really want to give new life to your wood siding, it’s likely that water alone won’t do the trick—you’ll need a good soap to remove the dirt and kill the moss,mould and mildew on the weatherboards. 

If you are not familiar with the use of soaps and chemicals i would recommend hiring a professional house washing contractor. "Mr Troy Hillard from Wash Rite in New Zealand said in most cases most houses can be washed for under $300 so its worth while talking to a local house washing contractor if your unsure what soaps to use".

STEP 1 MATERIALS AND TOOLS
- Low Pressure High Volume Pressure washer
- Garden Hose
- House wash soaps
- Ladder

Shut all the windows. As you go about your preparations, keep an eye out for mold. Dirt can be unsightly, but mold can be truly problematic. Left unchecked, it often causes wood rot, particularly in wet, humid climates. Note any location where you discover mold, so you return to and concentrate on those spots later in the cleaning process.

STEP 2
Apply the house wash soaps through the chemical injection value in your Low pressure high volume pressure washer, Apply the soap from the bottom of the house and work your way upwards, Mr Hillard from Wash Rite recommends washing small sections of the house at a time as you don't want the soap to dry on the house. Let the soap dwell for 10 minutes and keep on apply light layers of soap just so the soap does not dry on the house in that 10 minute period.

STEP 3
Rinse of the house starting at the highest point and working your way down to the ground level, This will ensure no soap is left on the house.

Take extra time to rinse of the windows to prevent soap drying on the windows and leveling residue marks on the glass.

STEP 4

Finish up by walking around the house and making sure all sections of the house are clean, If there are any stubborn bits you may have to go back and do step 2 and 3 again on that section.

How Often Should You Clean Your Gutters?

It’s dirty work, but every house has to do it or get it done. Your gutters need to be kept clean and free of dead leaves, birds’ nests, and other debris. It’s just a fact of life when it comes to owning a home.

And it’s especially true in New Zealand, where summer is so dry and fall, winter, and spring are so wet. Why? Because we tend to forget about our gutters in New Zealand until it’s too late.

Dry leaves, tree branches, and other material can accumulate in your gutters during the dry summer and you won’t notice until your gutters start overflowing during the first big rain of the season. Or worse, you won’t notice at all.

Today I’ll answer a few questions many homeowners have about cleaning their gutters, including why it’s necessary, how often it’s necessary, and most importantly how to clean your gutters.

What Can Happen if You Don’t Clean Your Gutters?

It sounds like a simple question, but the reality is that unclean gutters can lead to many complex and costly problems. Let’s look at a few of them

Leaky Gutters & Mold

If you don’t clean your gutters, the first problem to crop up will be clogged gutters and downspouts leading to standing water collecting in your gutters and overflowing. As dead leaves decompose, the water in your gutters will become filthy and mold will start growing and will contaminate your roof and house siding.

In our wet climate, mold is common and can cause a host of health problems if it gets inside your house. And it’s tricky (and expensive) to thoroughly clean, so it’s best to stop mold before it starts.

Leaking Roofs & Floods house

Replacing your roof is a major undertaking– even if you put a new roof on top of your existing roof. The best strategy is to get the most out of your current roof by protecting it from the elements.

If you put off cleaning your gutters, your roof can and will leak. Water that doesn’t drain to the ground can accumulate on the roof, soaking through eves and fascia boards and causing significant damage.

The same goes for your basement or lower levels in your house. If your gutter’s downspouts are clogged, don’t drain into a storm water pipe or far enough away from the house (at least 6-10 feet is recommended), or are disconnected from your gutters, water can seep into your houses foundations.

This can cause damage to anything you have stored in the lower level of your house , as well as to your foundation itself. You might also damage your heating units, circuit breakers, and other utilities in the lower parts of your house.

Cracked Foundations

A cracked foundation is a major headache for any homeowner. Repairs can be very costly. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By extending your downspouts away from your home (and making sure water is flowing through them), or connecting them up to the stor water piping system you’ll protect your foundation from cracks. Foundation cracks are caused by water damage and by expanding ice during the coldest part of the winter.

Bugs & Other Critters

Gutters are a magnet for insects, birds, mice and other animals. Warm moist decomposing leaves are a rich source of food for many pests and once they’ve settled into your gutters, their next stop will be inside your house.

If you discover birds or other wildlife, call your local animal control center for advice.

Driveway & Yard Damage

When it comes to your lawn and plants, too much water is just as bad as not enough. If your gutters aren’t draining water properly, water can pool up (even underground) killing delicate plants.

Too much water that isn’t draining properly can cause slick mold to grow on your driveway, or freeze into slippery ice during the winter. Both of these problems can lead to falls and potentially serious injuries, especially to kids and older adults.

How Often Should You Clean Your Gutters?

Like many other questions, the answer is, “it depends!” Many experts recommend cleaning your gutters at least twice a year– once in the late spring and once in the late summer/early fall. But there are a few factors that might make you reconsider.

If you have pine trees growing above your house, consider inspecting your gutters every 3 months. The reason for this is because pine trees shed needles year-round (and they have a lot of needles to shed).

If you’re at a higher elevation, ice is your biggest worry. Making sure your gutters are clean throughout the winter is a bit of a headache, but damage to your roof caused by ice is a real pain. Better to catch it before it starts.

If you have any questions about gutter cleaning feel free to call Wash Rite on 0800101216 or visit http://washrite.co.nz/contact-us/ and we will be happy to give you a free quote or answer any questions you have on gutter cleaning in New Zealand.

TIPS TO KEEP YOUR DRIVEWAY OR CONCRETE AREA'S CLEAN

There are a few easy steps you can take to keep your driveway clean and free from moss, mould and gunge. Now there is no replacement for getting a professional company in to clean and treat your driveway and hard surfaces. These tips are for after the professionals have been in and cleaned your concrete and you wish to keep it looking clean and just like it was brand new. For a free quote on the initial clean click FREE QUOTE

After your driveway is clean and you wish to keep it clean you can follow some or all of the bellow points.

• Mix a 10 to 1 bleach to water solution and spray that over the concrete once a month, The sodium hypoclhorite in the bleach will kill and moss, mould and gunge spaws before they can grow.
• If you have fruit tree's in your garden you would almost certainly spray them with cooper sulphate on a yearly basis. Next time you spray your fruit trees make a little more up than you need and spray any concrete area's. Nothing kills moss, mould spaw's as fast as cooper sulphate.
• A very Eco friendly option os to spray the concrete with vinegar, This is not as fast as bleach but will slow down the return of the moss and mould dramatically as it puts the PH balance out and its not ideally growing conditions for the moss and mould.
• The best long term option if its available is to trim or cut down any plants or trees that is shading your concrete, direct sunlight is great for stopping moss and mould growing, As you will see it always grows on the shaded side of your house. Sunlight is free so try this step first.

If you have any questions please visit our website at www.washrite.co.nz

COST AND BENEFITS OF WASHING YOUR ROOF

If you’re noticing black streaking and stains on your roof, you may be thinking it’s time to replace it. You’re dreading the cost of such a large project, but before you start calling for estimates, you should consider calling a profession roof cleaning service first like Wash Rite.

HOW BAD IS THE DAMAGE?

If you can see the algae, lichen, moss, mildew or mold on my roof, that’s not a great sign. We can’t say for sure if your roof is damaged beyond repair without seeing it first, but unless the roof system is over 15 years, it’s probably safe to say you could have it cleaned and gain considerably more time to save up for a total replacement down the road.

The plants growing on the roof can be killed and washed off with a good low pressure wash. Wash Rite not only gently washes your roof to protect your roofing material warranty, we also apply an algaecide/fungicide to inhibit future growth.

WILL A ROOF CLEANING SAVE ME MONEY?

Absolutely, a roof cleaning will save you money. First, hiring a professional company to wash and protect your roof saves you 90 to 95 percent of the cost of a total replacement right off the bat. If the roof is still within its service life, you won’t need to come up with the $10,000 plus to replace the roof if it is of an average size, slope and standard materials. The cost savings jumps from there if you have a cedar, shingle, slate roof, as these are considerably more expensive to replace.

On top of those savings, by removing the sun-absorbing black stains, you’ll restore the reflective properties of the roofs protective coatings, which can help reduce the heat-trapping in your attic and reduce your summer cooling costs.

WILL A ROOF CLEANING EXTEND THE LIFE OF MY ROOF?

In our wet and humid climate, plant growth on roofs and home exteriors is so common that we can say yes, a good cleaning and algaecide/fungicide application will extend the life of your roof. In our climate zone, the average roof life, without regular cleaning, is 14 to 18 years. In New Zealand, where roof cleaning has been routinely practiced for the better part of 40 years, the average roof life is 24 to 28 years. That’s a 10-year extension of roof life! With regular roof cleanings and no storm damages, you might need to replace your roof twice in 50 years. Without cleanings, you may end up replacing it every 15 years.

WILL A CLEAN ROOF ENHANCE MY HOME’S CURB APPEAL?

It sure will. If you’re putting your home on the market, any streaking, staining, moss or lichen growth on the roof is going to stand out like a sore thumb and turn prospects away. They’ll see a maintenance chore or re-roof awaiting them, so they will be discouraged from buying. We highly recommend a good low pressure wash cleaning not only for your roof but your whole house as well. You should be able to get top dollar with a bright clean property.

Before you start calling roofing companies, give Wash Rite a call. Or, you can schedule a free estimate online. We would be happy to come assess your roof to see if it’s a good candidate for a money-saving roof wash. Contact us today!

Wash Rite Servicing Waikato and Wellington http://washrite.co.nz/services/roof-wash/

Why you offer gutter cleaning service's

As a house wash, pressure wash or softwash company why should you offer gutter cleaning as part of the service's you offer your client base.
Well its simple its a great value added service that you can upsell when your wash there house or there roof, This means you are already onsite doing a larger job with a larger cost so that means what ever your charge for gutter cleaning is almost pure profit. We at Wash Rite House Wash will charge $90 for a single story gutter clean and $150.00 for a two story gutter clean job and they take around about 1hr to do property, This includes flushing out the down pipes. This means your making up to $150 per hour.

The other main reason you want to ad gutter cleaning to the list of services you offer your clients is that you open the door for a company who does offer it to come in and build a relationship with your clients which is never a smart thing to do in the world of small business.

The decision is yours if your want to market yourself as a gutter cleaning company we at Wash Rite do not do this, We find we get heaps of work just up selling to current clients, plus we will not come out and just clean gutters it has to be an ad on to another service, This just keeps our profit margins where we like them.

The other bonus to offering this service is there is very little investment needed for the equipment to offer this service as you would already have the needed equipment for your house and roof washing duties so your ROI (return on investment) is extremely high and in most cases the first gutter clean you do will pay for all the equipment you will ever need.

The good thing also about the high profit margin is it leaves room in case to secure a good size job you can offer a 50% discount on the gutter clean portion of your quote and still make money and the client believe's they are getting a great deal, Which they are they just don't need to know what your profit margin and cost's are on that job, That's only the information you as a business owner needs to worry about.

Now gutter cleaning is not a glamours service and you will not get rich by offering this service but it will make your company a better option and a better service provider to your current and future client base by offering this service, Plus you can lift the yearly spend of each client by 20% just by offering this service.

Any questions about gutter cleaning just ask

Troy Hillard
Wash Rite
www.washrite.co.nz

Why should you wash your roof???

As i go around and meet clients at Wash Rite House and Roof Washing and provide them with a quote to clean and or treat there roof for moss and mould i get asked often "why should you wash you roof?"


Well it's very simple why you should wash your roof! Keeping your roof clean and free from harmful moss and mould will prolong the life of your roof. And cleaning and treating your roof is alot cheaper in both the short term and long term than replacing your roof.

All roofing manufactures in New Zealand recommend that you should clean your roof or have it treated for moss and mould at least every 2 years to keep your roof in its best shape and to prevent premature degrading and failure of your roof.

Around the world all the big insurance company's are now starting to not insure houses if the roof is not cleaned on a regular basis as they do not wish to be forced to pay out claims for roof replacements, The worlds largest insurer as well as New Zealand largest AIG have implemented this policy in the past 6 months

As we all know you do not want to be left without insurance when you really need it. At Wash Rite we always recommend that all our clients do a full roof clean every 2 years and a moss and mould roof treatment every other year. This system works very well in the New Zealand environment and the roofs look great and the clients are always happy with the outcomes we get for them. I will shop some pictures of our work below.

This is a two unit block, one owner wanted it treated for moss and mould

and the other for what ever reason did not want it or was not available to ask.

This is two small house joined with a common wall, One house hold got treated

and the other did not like any chemicals used on there property so no 

treatment was done on there half of the roof.

As you can see we at Wash Rite can get some outstanding results from our roof cleaning and treatment methods and we always recommend to keep your roof in great shape as its protecting the rest of your house which is your biggest asset you own.

If you have any question please feel free to ask, you can email me on washrite@outlook.com or visit http://washrite.co.nz/services/roof-wash/

Wash Rite Limited

0800101216

www.washrite.co.nz

Growing Pains in your business - Wash Rite NZ

As the owner of a house wash and pressure wash business based in Hamilton New Zealand we have had amazing growth in our first full year in business. We went from 1 trailer rig till now we have 2 trailer rigs, 1 van set up and 2 flatbed set up all set up for house wash and pressure washing, The van and 2 flat beds both have pressure wash and soft wash set ups and the trailers are set up for pressure wash.

We have reached a point where we are feeling the growing pains, We find it hard to get decent staff and when i talk to friends whom own other business not in the house wash industry they are finding it hard as well to get decent staff.

Now we have built up a company that can meet all its cost's purely on the cash flow it makes we are now going to try and concentrate on the higher end jobs that have a min costing of around $500 and above. This will mean we will have less reliance on a large staff number to reach the large turnover and profit margins we want out of our house wash company.

The next issue which is a small one and does not bother us is the next faze of investing in equipment, We have purchased all our vehicles second hand and with cash, Its now time to go and buy a couple new trucks and get them kitted out and put them to work, 2 trucks kitted out will cost us around $100000 which is no problem as we would have them paid off within 12 months, This will allow us to have 2 back up trucks in case one is off the road and also allow for easy expansion which we expect we will need.

This year we have invested heavily in advertising, marketing and promotional events. We will be at the Waikato home and garden expo and we believe this will be a great place to get leads and pick up extra high value work. Plus 2 of our biggest competition are there and i will spend what ever amount is needed to even take one job of the,.

The other growing pain we feel at the moment is all the professional and business contacts we have are all compounding at the moment and we are getting 3 to 5 referrals a day from these people which is great but we are starting to run out of time in the day to get out and quote there house wash jobs or roof cleaning jobs. This on top of our website http://washrite.co.nz/services/house-wash/ is bring in all the leads we need at the moment.

So all in all these are our growing pains at the moment, Great problems to have and i hope they continue to happen to us as it means our house wash business is growing which is what we want.

Feel free to check out our website at www.washrite.co.nz or give us a call on 0800101216

Winter is almost over - Time to ramp up the house washing

Down here in New Zealand winter is almost to an end and spring is a few short weeks away and in turn the house washing part of the business is getting ready to explode. Now the sun is out a little longer but there is still moisture around this means the moss and mould on people's house's is set to grow super fast and make there house look really bad. This is where we at Wash Rite come in, We will come and wash your house, clean your gutters out, wash your roof and spray a long lasting moss and mould treatment on your roof to stop the return of the moss and mould. This will get your house looking great again and get it ready for all those summer BBQ and party's you will be having in your clean home.

Now if you have black algi or moss on your driveway, path, and or patios than we can help there too. We can come and pressure wash them clean and spray a treatment on these hard surfaces to stop the return of the moss and mould.

Wash Rite is by far Hamilton's fastest growing and one of the best know house washing and commercial building washing company's around and we have become this due to hard work and excellent results. If you have a free moment have a look at our website and you will find the full list of all our services we can offer from house washing to gutter cleaning and everything in between.http://washrite.co.nz/services/house-wash/

To give you a quick run down on the services we offer.

Main one is house washing,
We use a low pressure house wash system that will removal all moss, mould and dirt and leaving your house looking great, This will also protect and prolong the life of your house.

Roof Cleaning

Wash Rite is the only company in New Zealand that has a genuine softwash systems setup and we use this to softwash your roof and get it looking as good as a new roof.http://washrite.co.nz/services/roof-wash/

Roof Treatment.

Wash Rite is also able to offer a roof treatment service, this is where we spray your roof with a long acting chemical treatment that will kill all moss, mould and lichen and as it dies it will break down and wash away with the rain, The chemical we use is commercial grade and many many many times stronger than the retail wet and forget products.http://washrite.co.nz/services/roof-wash/

Gutter Cleaning

Wash Rite offers a full gutter cleaning service where we removal all material  from the gutters and flush out the down pipes to prevent and backup of the gutter.

Commercial building washing

Wash Rite is by far the best placed company in the Waikato to wash your commercial building as we have current contracts to clean Westfield Chartwell, Breamer Hospital, Waikato hospital and many many more large building, We are fully kitted out to wash the large building and do not need to contract any of it out to outside company's. http://washrite.co.nz/services/commercial-buildings/

Farms and Dairy Shed

Wash Rite has a massive amount of experience in cleaning dairy sheds and other farm shed, We have built a strong reputation in the rural industry for superior work and great value to the farming business.http://washrite.co.nz/services/133-2/

Pest and Spider Spraying

Wash Rite has fully licensed and qualified pest control specialist on the team and are able to spray your home and or business to remove any pest, We always recommend spraying for spiders after a house wash as the spiders can and will return and spin a new web on your clean house.

So if you think Wash Rite could help keep your home tidy than give us a call on 0800101216 or visit us at www.washrite.co.nz

Hi Guys, Just want to introduce myself and my company, I am Troy Hillard one of two owners of Wash Rite in New Zealand.
We are specialist in exterior cleaning of homes and commercial building. We have both softwash and pressure washing equipment and experience so we are able to complete any job regardless of the type of surface and the size of the job.

We are contactable of 0800 101216 and or www.washrite.co.nz, email washrite@outlook.com
facebook www.facebook.com/Wash-Rite-863072057142142/

check our website and facebook out and we are looking for points to improve both so let us know what we can do better with our internet presence.

Thanks guys

Troy Hillard
Wash Rite
www.washrite.co.nz