So, we lost a pretty big job today to a competitor who says they do not use bleach at all in their house wash mix. The guy wanted to use us but his wife wanted to go with the other company since they use only a “citrus cleaner” instead of bleach. The house had some areas that were pretty moldy and I know that the other company uses x-jets, so they’re not blasting it off with pressure. Do you guys know of any HW chems that will remove mold effectively without any SH at all?
Using x-jet doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not using high pressure… unless you know they only use the X-jet to both apply and rinse?
I have used other products that work to remove this stuff - they are expensive to start with and almost always require higher pressure than SH based mix as they simply aren’t as effective at recommended concentration. Multiple applications / higher concentration of the ‘eco’ detergents can help with this but that = more time, higher input costs and a larger bill for the customer.
Despite all that (and a thorough explanation of the dangers of high pressure) you will still find homeowners now and again who insist on non SH. If it’s a job I want I offer an ‘eco’ alternative at a higher cost (most end up choosing the SH wash anyway once they have all the facts), or I just move on and then wait for them to call me after they have a bad experience with the competition…
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Rob, you are aware that X-Jets operate in the range of 1800-2000 psi…right? If that’s not “Blasting” I don’t know what is.
Please understand, I’m not being an A-Hole here but…Bleach use didn’t lose the job, you were out sold by the other guys. Evidently you weren’t given the opportunity to explain the safeness and effective use of bleach in house washing.
In 7 yrs. of business I’ve only had 1 customer decline service because of bleach use, I won’t use anything else…There’s no reason to.
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Yea, I know that an x-jet is not low-pressure. But it’s not exactly high pressure on a 2+ story home either. At least not high enough to remove mold without SH.
And it wasn’t me that was outsold. The husband was. His wife didn’t want bleach to be used.
Like I said you win some you lose some. Did you ask the Husband what her concerns were with bleach? I mean it’s in the water we drink, we wash our children’s clothes in it, it’s the most natural cost effective chem. for killing mold & mildew. Some people just have the wrong information about bleach.
I think the “Citrus” cleaner they were talking about is limonine which can etch windows if used incorrectly and takes a longer dwell time to be effective on mold & mildew.
There are a few chems. that can be used instead of bleach, but they’re just not as cost effective or work as well as a 1% ratio of bleach in a house wash mix.
Check with Ken at Xterior in Garner, he can help you out.
Rob, Bskip here I’m a newbie but I used wash safe house wash before like others said it takes more time and effort and you need to rinse, rinse, rinse especially glass. It has hydrogen provide in it it’s a power to mix take about 15 minutes to activate the solution and they suggest you apply direct with sprayer not ds. I think there web site is washsafe.com
Feel free to give me a call. I will tell you my pitch to customers that makes them see the light and LOVE that I have dispelled the many lies out there.
PS… X-Jet is high pressure and Limonene sucks balls. (in the bad kind of way)
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I tell my clients sh is used in water treatment plants, laundry, pools…ect used at the correct dilution sh is safe and most effective way of cleaning houses and roofs.
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Thanks Michael. I don’t have any problem selling SH. I just didn’t know if I was out of the loop with chems and maybe there was a new or obscure product available that worked but that didn’t use SH.
And just so everyone knows, I don’t use an x-jet. We’ve been downstreaming almost since our beginning. Even so, it seems like it would be impossible to clean a house WITH and x-jet and a product that doesn’t use SH.
Hey Rob there’s many ways to skin a cat when it comes to cleaning houses. Some companies actually still advertise they hand scrub people’s houses. There are some jobs we do that we have to sign off that no bleach can be used. We’ve had to deal with that in some condo’s and also with some people who have lung ailments or are just against the use of anything they consider harmful to the Environment. For those people you charge accordingly if you can’t convince them to change their minds.
As for everything else your the professional and of people are going to tell you what you can and can not use then don’t sweat it if you don’t get the job. I wouldn’t even waste my time dealing with people like that who want to tell you how to do your job.
Michael,
I would love to know the great “pitch” for bleach. I service an area that totes itself as pretty green. Can I give you a call sometime?
You probably lost it to Fairway. They keep limonene on the trucks but usually just use bleach with a lemon scent in it.
Home owners ask me if I use bleach, I respond proudly with a big “yup yes I do”. Then explain the process & how diluted it is by the time I’m done.
John Devine. allwashedupny.com
When you tell them its 97-99% water when it hits the house it pretty much ends the concerns
Using bleach on a house that has a composite deck…? Bleach will cause these types of boards to crack/blister/lose color, etc. I don’t hire any companies to wash my house that use bleach.
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Welcome to the forum.
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You created a login just to say that?
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You have a lot to learn about cleaning composite decks.
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Oh lort. I guess I’ve just been lucky with the one or two I’ve done.
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- 8 year necro thread?
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Thank you concerned citizen, for teaching us idiots that do this 8 hours a day and purchase SH in commercial quantities a thing or two, if you have it in your heart to throw out some more pearls of wisdom we would forever be in debt to you 
god bless you and your family. Have a merry Christmas also just in case we lose contact.
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What do you use to clean your composit deck?
