Ok, I’ve been at it going on 4 months. Today is the first instance of someone’s property being damaged. I’m looking for suggestions as to how to go about this fairly and professionally.
Apparently the front door was not finished with a urethane or polyurethane, probably just some cheap all in one product. The hw mix took the finish and stain out of the wood. Please see pics and offer some advice as to how to proceed. All suggestions welcomed and appreciated
Pay a painter to refinish the door and remember never to spray a wood door again
I had this happen ONE time. Call a refinishing company, it cost me 500$ to fix it. Now all wood doors get covered in painters plastic.
That’s a great idea. Funny how we overlook the simple solutions.
So the area near the door needs to be cleaned with a rag and Hw?
Sounds like a pita but I guess it’s worth it to prevent the damage
Yep. Even in breezeways, we never spray soap on doors, only water.
I always wet the door with water first, quick spray around avoiding getting the mix on the doorand rinse the door immediately…no issues.
One solution I have heard is to open the door, drop plastic around it, and then close it. That way you can wash the trim and the wood is protected. I have yet to try it, but it sounds interesting. I don’t know if it is practical, especially if you clean a lot of homes with the home owner gone. Just a thought.
Sorry for your trouble.
Joe
Same.
And I agree with above. Just pay a painter to do it and the house wash is free. Get them a $50 gift card for dinner out for the inconvenience or drop off a $15 dvd for the kids and a gift card for Pizza.
Mess ups handled at the bare minimum will always stick in their mind. But if you handle it like a boss they’ll still call you next year and refer you to their friends.
Oh and call a painter like yesterday. Don’t delay. Let them know you are getting it taken care of proactively.
I agree. Wet down door before hand, apply chemical around it then immediately rinse door again. Then you won’t have issues.
This happened to us several years ago with an new guy I had. HO called me before my guy told me and he was MAD. I offered to restain door and give the wash job for free. He was so mad he couldn’t hear me straight and kept fussing. I said it again, still mad. I finally said “sir, I’m saying I’ll fix it and you get the house wash for free, what else can I do?” When he finally calmed down and heard he was shocked. Told me no other company had ever treated him like that, apologized, and we’ve done 5 jobs for him since and had tons of referrals.
It pays to run towards problems instead of away from them.
I did wet the door first. I treated it like landscaping. I offered to fix the door and discount the job. They weren’t having it, and gave me a tip. So either the door was already like that or they were just ridiculously understanding people.
I down streamed the whole house until I got near the door and over hang. I did the area near the door with a pump sprayer. Admittedly some did get on the door. Looking back on it I’m pretty sure I grabbed the wrong pump sprayer with 4% instead of the 1%. It only stayed on the door for 30 seconds before I rinsed. The grime was turning to white in seconds. So yea, I grabbed the wrong sprayer. I use the 4% for stubborn mildew on concrete or stucco. Now my pump sprayers are labeled. Lesson learned. Fortunately with understanding people.
When you make mistakes, and if you’re busy enough you will, own them and fix them fast! Backstory: Last week we had one final house to take lights down with weather cooperating. The hot glue that held the lights around the garage doors pulled paint chips off. One week later I spent my morning chipping, sanding, painting, and cleaning to fix it. Used the homeowners preferred vendor for paint and they were adamant about paying for materials. Next years Christmas light install, they get a credit toward their account for the materials they paid for. Own it. Fix it fast. Do the right thing.
Is it common to use hot glue to hold lights up?
I once washed a Red door (rinsed actually, no chems) after a few minutes I went back to dry it quickly with a microfiber towel it had turned WHITE!! It had a glazy cloudy look… I was terrified because it had taken alot to earn the coustomers trust.
But after a few minutes the drying process began and the color came back… I was sooooo happy
This is what terrifies me about power/soft washing. You can do everything correctly but some weird thing pops up and you’re out a ton of money. I’m comfortable with 22 years window cleaning and have a good bead in what can trip me up, but PW is a whole other ballgame.
Agree.
Always take the safest approach. And never rely on your luck! Wash what you know! Stick to this and you should be fine… Keep going!
