Here’s comes the rain! The summer of 2020 here in Southwest Florida has not really been as rainy as normal . . . but if you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ll see we are finally getting storm warnings and a lot more rain. That’s awesome for your garden and lawn, but not such great news for your paver driveway, walkway or lanai.

Pavers are so popular here in Florida because they really give your home a fantastic curb appeal, and they are good for our environment as well, because they allow rainwater to seep into the ground between the pavers, rather than run off down the driveway and into the sewer system. And with a little effort, they will stay looking beautiful. Pavers are pretty durable, but are you aware of how much weather affects the look and stability of your pavers? You can’t just leave them alone and expect them to stay pretty, because both the sun and the rain here are very harsh. Most days the sun beats down unrelentingly all day until around 4 p.m. and then the rain pounds down for about an hour. Both of these forces of nature work to make your pavers look terrible. So let’s look at some of the reasons pavers need to be pressure washed at least twice a year.

Why Pressure Wash Your Pavers

Depending on where they are located, pavers get stained by any number of things. Your paver driveway can be stained by oil dripping out of your car, and tar or paint that could be on your tires. How about dirt, paint, and grease from all of the do it yourself projects you use your driveway for? In your lanai, grease from your barbeque, spilled food, chlorinated water from the pool, and rust from the pool cage can all stain the pavers.

Even worse, due to our aforementioned weather, what you’ll deal with most often is moss and algae growth on and in between the pavers. This can be slippery when it rains and become a real walking hazard if it is not handled properly. This is why you want your pavers to be professionally pressure washed.

Should you do pressure wash them yourself? We are well aware that pressure washers can be bought at the big box stores, but we don’t really recommend you attempt to do it yourself. Consumer level pressure washers actually use a tremendous amount of water pressure, and it is much more than most people are ready for. Using excessive water pressure can remove some of the paver surface. You can also permanently scar the surface of pavers with streaks and lines. Pressure washing also tends to wash away the sand holding the pavers in place, and if you don’t know how to replace that sand properly, your pavers will be uneven, leaving the possibility for people to trip or twist an ankle as they walk over pavers that are lifted up or sunken due to being sanded improperly.

At Under Pressure we use a special device called a Surface Cleaner to clean pavers and driveways. Our technicians go through training every year to be able to use this tool properly. It enables us to wash the surface with a consistent amount of spray throughout the driveway. Therefore we do not leave any "tiger stripes" or any other kind of etching, and we also don’t leave any missed areas on the driveway. We are able to remove most stains on concrete and paver driveways with the Surface Cleaner.

When we are done pressure washing, we do something that very few contractors do, which is re-sand the pavers. When pavers are washed under pressure, the stabilizing sand between the bricks can sometimes be washed away, leaving the individual pavers unstable and loose. We are experts in replacing this sand and making sure the pavers are all even and looking beautiful again, so it is worth it for you to hire us for this additional service. This enhanced process is essential to maintaining the quality and structure of a brick paver driveway, pathway or lanai.

Once the pavers are completely clean, they should be sealed to maintain their look, keep them stain free and protect the surface of them from eroding. The fact is, if you have brick pavers, you need to get them professionally sealed as well. Our sealer protects the surface of your pavers from the weathering caused by those high-powered UV rays we get here in the South. While the concrete pavers themselves are highly durable, the colored pigments in the pavers can slowly fade over time, due to the UV ray exposure. Sealing the pavers helps to keep the paver’s colors vibrant even in bright sunlight.

Your paver driveway can last you more than 30 years, but only if you take great care of it! By letting Under Pressure deep clean regularly, and seal your paver driveway every two years, your driveway will better resist dirt and oil, keep weeds from growing and prevent cracks from forming, providing your home with a gorgeous looking driveway, pathways and lanai area! Give us a call at UnderPressure at 239-218-5085!

Here comes the rain! Finally we are getting the rain we normally get during our summer months here in Southwest Florida! Your plants are happy and your lawn is green again. 

But how happy is your roof? Quite often during the summer months, people start to see those green or black stains on their roof brought about by the rain and high humidity of our summers here. The algae, moss, mold and other organisms that thrive during this time period make themselves known and they look awful. What’s worse, they ARE awful for your roofing materials, as they use them as food. But if you hire us to clean your roof with our softwash BioWash product, you could be having the rain work for you, instead of against you.

We’ve written a bit in the past about why you want us to BioWash your roof instead of pressure washing it, but we thought we’d tell you a little bit about how it works this time. The BioWash product we use to clean roofs works to remove mold, mildew, algae and bacteria through the use of natural enzymes. So it removes these microorganisms and their stains safely, environmentally, and it is also not dangerous for many different types of roofing materials from tiles to shingles.

Our technicians have been specially trained in the process of using this powerful cleaning product to sanitize and protect your roof without pressure washing or standing on the tiles. BioWash is completely benign for your landscaping plants and grass because it’s biodegradable. The solution is a formulation of living enzymes as active ingredients that eat away at lichens, moss, algae and bacteria. These enzymes also break down contaminants such as dirt, pollen, spider webs and oils, as well as the effects of acid rain.

Rather than blasting off a top layer of dirt and grime, as well as the granules of your shingles with a power washer, the BioWash enzymes get into the nooks and crannies of your roof, killing bacteria and algae on the microscopic level. It does not damage tiles over time, and instead it returns them to their original color.
Here’s the best part, the enzymes in BioWash are re-activated by rain! So every time it rains your roof is getting deeply cleaned, preventing staining and damage done by the microorganisms that eat roofing materials. 

BioWash is also a great solution to keeping your brand new roof, on your brand new home, from ever getting those black streaks to begin with. So if you’ve moved into a new construction home, even though the roof is not dirty yet, you should consider having us BioWash it right now, and get on a twice-a-year maintenance plan. You will literally never see a dirty roof, and your roofing materials will last longer by never letting the microorganisms that cause damage to take root. 

Not only that, did you know that many insurance companies require that homeowners maintain a clean roof as part of house maintenance in general? So as a new homeowner, maintenance can go a long way toward saving you money when it comes to insurance. Best of all, our regular maintenance plan helps to sustain the longevity of your roof. 
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We hope you’ll call us today to clean your roof with this environmentally and roof friendly product. If you’re interested in having the black stains on your roof removed safely and with long-lasting results, give us a call at Under Pressure at 239-218-5085!

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If you’ve moved down here to SWFL from the North, you may run into something you never had to deal with in your originating state. . . being part of an Home Owners Association or HOA. Many of the towns in older communities up North were developed one house at a time over a period of time, as opposed to the many planned and developed communities here in Lee and Collier counties. As such, they do not have rules and regulations beyond county and town zoning laws. However, our beautifully developed planned communities here have a lot of wonderful shared amenities such as beautifully landscaped common areas, elevators, swimming pools, clubhouses, parking garages, fitness rooms, and security gates. As such an HOA is necessary to ensure that residents of the community are all equally responsible for maintaining common areas, as well as keeping their own homes, townhouses or condominiums maintained to the satisfaction of the entire community.

An HOA is a legal entity that governs a community of homes, including subdivisions, condominiums, townhomes, or planned community. HOAs operate within state statutes to enforce regulations and collect assessments from homeowners, while also taking care of maintenance repairs of common areas. Their main purpose is to maintain the quality of life for all of the community’s residents and protect the property values for all of the owners in the community.

To fulfill that purpose HOAs set out certain rules that all residents must follow called covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs). The bylaws and CC&Rs commonly also include procedures the HOA must follow when taking any action to enforce the rules. HOA’s will also govern how well you maintain your residence and will often enforce how well you maintain your property, which can include everything from lawn maintenance to keeping your roof clear of mildew and your driveway and lanai clean as well. While none of us likes to be told what to do with our own property, keep in mind that you moved into an HOA community because the property values often higher for HOA communities for a reason, and that’s because they always look great. And because of that, the residents of a community will keep a weather eye on whether or not you are keeping your own property looking nice. If you are in violation of any of the HOA covenants, you will receive a written notice, and told how much time you’ve got to correct the problem. 

Florida law allows HOAs to impose fines against members, tenants, guests and invitees who violate the community’s CC&Rs, articles of incorporation, bylaws or any rules adopted by the association. Fines may not exceed $100 per violation, and the fines may be imposed for each day that the violation continues, with a statutory cap that the fines cannot exceed $1,000 per violation.

The HOA must provide written notice to an owner of any alleged violation, and allow the owner time to fix the violation, before fining or suing that person. At UnderPressure, we call that notice a “nastygram,” and we are here to help you avoid a fine if the issue is a dirty roof, driveway, walkway in front of your house, moldy lanai enclosure or filthy pavers.

If you do receive a violation, take the time to read it and understand what it’s for, keep your cool – as long as you’re not a repeat offender, it’s probably not a big deal. Then give us a call at UnderPressure and we will take the cleaning steps necessary to get your property looking fantastic quickly, have you avoid paying a fine, and keep you out of getting in hot water with your HOA. Give us a call at UnderPressure at 239-218-5085! 

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First I’ll give you the Centers for Disease Control’s (DCD) explanation of why it’s important for you to know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting, and then I’ll tell you how we are helping our community stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CDC defines cleaning as “removing dirt and impurities from surfaces and objects by using soap, detergent or another cleaning product and physically scrubbing the surface. Cleaning removes visible dirt, it does not necessarily kill germs, mold or fungi. (We are talking about hard surfaces here, plastics and metals, not your hands by the way, washing your hands with soap for 20 seconds does indeed kill the coronavirus.) 

Sanitizing reduces the number of germs on a surface by using a proper sanitizing solution and leaving it on the surface for at least 30 seconds before washing it off. 

Disinfecting kills the germs on the surfaces by using a stronger sanitizing solution, and a leaving it on the surface for a longer period of time. Disinfecting is the process that is needed right now to lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus. According to the CDC website a simple mix of 1/3 cup bleach to 1 gallon of cold water works for disinfecting the coronavirus, as long as you leave it on the surface for at least one minute to five minutes before washing it off with clean water.

At UnderPressure we’ve been helping keep our SWFL community clean and disinfected for a long time. Our BioWash solution is a medical grade biodisinfectant, so whenever we’ve used it on roofs, houses, driveways, lanais or other hardscapes, it is not just cleaning, but also disinfecting those surfaces. 
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If you are a customer, you may already know we clean those areas we just listed, but you may not know that we also clean lots of different types of spaces, places and hardscapes. And during this time period when people cannot congregate in certain spaces, we are disinfecting HOA community playground equipment, park benches, handrails, and pool furniture. We are using the CDC’s bleach disinfectant solution and leaving it on the equipment for at least five minutes before powerwashing it off to be sure everything is germ free.

If you are a property manager or president of your community HOA, give us a call, we’d love to help you keep your community safe and disinfected. And we are still cleaning other surfaces too! Give us a call at UnderPressure at 239-218-5085! 

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At Under Pressure, we pride ourselves on being cutting edge in this industry. That’s why we never pressure wash a roof, any kind of roof. We’ve used a soft-wash technique for years, and the moment a new “green” cleaning solution and application process was available, we incorporated that into our business as well.

With our hot, humid climate here in SWFL, our roofing materials get really gross black streaks on them regularly. Those black streaks are bacteria called Gloeocapsa Magma, which is more than unsightly looking, it’s down right destructive to your roofing materials. You see it’s a microorganism that puts down roots that start to disintegrate your roof! Along with that bacteria are other organisms like mold, fungi, algae, mildew, lichen, and moss. Pressure washing merely blows the outer, visible signs of these organisms, leaving the roots in place, so mold, mildew and bacteria grow back fairly quickly.

Many roofing surfaces are made with materials that can be metabolized by these microorganisms. For example, shingles contain limestone, which contains phosphates, an excellent source of nutrients for algae, mildew, and bacteria to feed on. These microorganisms will break down a roofing surface and cause decomposition. This in turn, will also aid the process of erosion caused by running water such as rainfall.

Our BioWash system removes these microorganism stains safely! In addition, this green solution is completely safe for all of your landscape plantings and grass because it’s biodegradable. It’s effective on all kinds of roof tiles. The formulation of the product and the application techniques the company trained us in allows the cleaning solution to have a longer dwell or linger time, which means less run off, and increased results from just one application. The product does not damage tiles and returns them to their original color over time. One of the best things about this product is that it actually works with the rain! When it rains, the enzymes in BioWash are activated, deeply cleaning and preventing the stains from returning, when you schedule regular preventative services with us.

BioWash is also a great solution to keeping your brand new roof, on your brand new home, from ever getting those black streaks. So if you’ve moved into a new construction home, even though the roof is not dirty right now, you should consider having us BioWash it right now, and get on a twice a year maintenance plan. You will literally never see a dirty roof, and your roofing materials will last longer by never letting the microorganisms that cause damage to take root. 

Not only will your roof love that, your insurance company will as well. Because when it comes to insurance, maintenance can go a long way toward saving you money. Many insurance companies require that homeowners maintain a clean roof as part of house maintenance in general. Maintenance helps to sustain the longevity of your roof. 
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There are other benefits to having your roof cleaned regularly as well. When we are on a maintenance plan with you, and we come twice a year to clean your roof, we are also the most likely ones to see any damage you may have sustained to your roof over time, which can mean smaller repair and replacement bills in the future. Cleaning your roof can reveal areas of it where the tile is worn out or damaged, so they can be replaced if needed. When we are up there, we can see if there are tiles that are dried out and crumbling, or buckled and ready to come loose! We can see where there are soft spots along the surface, or discoloration that indicates water damage to the interior studs and joists. Once you see the areas of damage, you can have them repaired quickly, before it becomes a leak that can damage the interior of your house.

Our BioWash service is an industry first, and we hope you’ll call us today to clean your roof with this environmentally and roof friendly product. If you’re interested in having the black stains on your roof removed safely and with long-lasting results, give us a call at Under Pressure at 239-218-5085!

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Large commercial parking garages. . . on TV and in the movies they are always the location shown as dark and scary where bad things can happen. As the owner of a parking garage this is the last thing you want people to feel about your place of business. But if your garage is dirty, covered in graffiti, with gum residue and oil stains in the parking spots, your location’s reputation will certainly take a hit. You want your tenants and customers to feel your parking garage is a safe space to leave their car, and to walk back and forth to it. One of the best ways to do this is to take advantage of our professional power washing services. Here’s some of what we will provide:

Untagging Graffiti
First and foremost, when it comes to graffiti, you want it removed as soon as possible because the longer it stays up, the more likely you will be to end up with more graffiti! This type of vandalism tends to induce more vandalism of the same kind. We will remove it quickly and put a stop to it spreading, minimizing the risk of more vandalism. 
The spray paint used by graffiti artists is pretty toxic and trying to remove it yourself is a risk to your health. You don’t want to be playing with solvents that release noxious fumes or can splash onto your skin. And here’s something else you may not have thought of. . . graffiti is often used by gangs to claim their territory. As such, they sometimes threaten those people they find removing their “tags.” We can remove it safely, and quickly for you.

Gum: A Sticky Problem
Gum stains can be a real problem for parking lots and parking garages. They are difficult to remove, especially in our hot Southwest Florida climate as it melts into porous surfaces like concrete and stone pavers making it hard to scrape off. Those black blotches all over the place look dirty and unkempt, and nobody wants to risk of stepping into a wad of gum and dragging that around on their shoes for the rest of the day. Worst of all, just like with graffiti, when people see a place is trashy. . . they throw more gum and more trash on the floor of your garage! Pressure washing is a great solution to removing the gum stains from your garage.

Cars Leave Stains
A parking garage is full of cars and cars can potentially leave a lot of unsightly stains. Oil stains and tar stains and anti-freeze leaks are all difficult materials that are prevalent in a parking garage. They are also very difficult to remove. However, power washing can effectively keep your garage free from these types of unsightly stains.

Preventing Cracks and Holes
The concrete in a parking garage can break down over time due to the build up of oil, salt, and other common chemicals brought in by the cars and trucks parking there. By having your garage regularly power washed, you extend the life of the materials used to build it, preventing some common issues with cracking and pot holes and delaying the need for resurfacing the garage. 

Our pressure washing service can extend the life of your commercial parking garage, and provide your business with a good reputation, because cleanliness provides your customers with a feeling of safety and trustworthiness. Give us a call at Under Pressure at 239-218-5085!

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When it comes to residential roofing, asphalt shingles are one of the most common materials used because they are durable, long lasting, and affordable. They may not be as “showy” as the red tile roofs you see, but they can withstand severe weather, like wind and rain, and that’s one of the reasons builders often choose to use them here in Southwest Florida.

However, cleaning and maintaining your shingle roof is critical to its lifespan. So much so that some home insurance companies are demanding maintenance, or you risk having your policy dropped. Why is it so important? Because, aside from losing its original color, and looking terrible, your dirty-looking shingle roof most likely has algae, bacteria, and fungus growing on it. And those living organisms can cause major damage with your roofing materials, requiring replacement, rather than just a cleaning. 

Let’s look at what the bacteria actually does to your shingles. The filament root system of the fungi and algae are growing on, and digging in to your roof. Fungi and algae that are growing on a roof have root systems that open up tiny cracks in the shingles, causing damage to them, and ultimately decomposition. They spread the shingle like a fan. Because the shingle is attached on the back, the front ends of the shingle flare and roll. This is because the shingle is widened at the front more so than the back. Research shows that the bacteria within the mold and algae on your roof actually feeds off the limestone, which contains phosphates, and other materials within the shingles on your roof. These microorganisms break down the roofing surface and cause them to decompose. This in turn, will also aid the process of erosion caused by running water, such as rainfall. So they are eating away at your roof and shortening the lifespan of it dramatically, and our hot humid days allow them to thrive. That’s right, if your roof isn’t cleaned regularly, especially if algae is visible on it, it can lead to rapid deterioration of your shingles. 

Shingles help block UV rays, which as you know, we get a lot of here in Southwest Florida. And without being properly blocked, UV rays lead to less energy efficiency and higher electrical bills, as you will end up having your air conditioner running more to keep the house cool. 

Aside from being really bad for your roof, the algae, mold and fungi present on your roof may also be dangerous for the people living in your household who have allergies or asthma.

And finally, the end result is you’ll have to replace your roof much sooner than you should need to. Have you priced out roofing lately? It can cost more than $10,000 to get your roof replaced!

When the pressure washing industry was started back in the 1980’s, there were lots of roof cleaning companies who pressure washed shingle roofs to clean them. But at Under Pressure, we never pressure wash a roof, because pressure washing is really bad for all types of roofs. Any type of pressure washing on shingles literally sprays 10-15 years off the life of your roof! Using high pressure can remove the aggregate granules from the asphalt shingle leaving them unprotected from the elements. High pressure will not only damage the shingles, but it will void your roof's warranty! 

What’s worse is that pressure washing may make it look like it’s gotten rid of those black streaks, but it will only be a few months before you start to see them again. That’s because the black streaks are a living organism that has already put down roots in your shingles. When you merely pressure wash, you do not blow the roots off the roof, so the bacteria, mold and mildew grow back quickly.

We, at Under Pressure, strictly use only Roof Cleaning Institute of America approved techniques to clean roofs. We do not use "high pressure" or "low pressure" washing on roofs. We clean with no pressure applied to the roof at all. Also, we use minimal walking on roofs to maintain the integrity of the roof. We use a cutting edge solution called BioWash, that safely and effectively removes these microorganism stains! 

The BioWash solution is completely safe for all of your landscape plantings and grass because it’s biodegradable. It’s effective on all kinds of roofs, including asphalt shingles. The formulation of the product and the application technique allows the cleaning solution to have a longer linger time, which means less run off, and increased results from just one application. One of the best things about this product, is that it continues to work over time. Every time it rains, your roof will get cleaner and release a protective barrier from the algae that stains your roof, deeply cleaning and preventing the stains from returning, when you schedule regular preventative services with us. 
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Our BioWash service is an industry first, and we hope you’ll call us today to clean your shingle roof with this environmentally-roof-friendly product. If you’re interested in having the black stains on your roof removed safely and with long-lasting results, give us a call at Under Pressure at 239-218-5085!

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