So got a call for an estimate and the first question was asking me if I use bleach. She said she used this company in the past for her roof and wants to make sure I don’t use any to clean her siding. I spent way more time on the phone with than I should have explaining why this is very misleading. Anyone heard of this company and know what they use?
I haven’t heard of them but its most likely a caustic product. Probably potassium hydroxide with a little bit of sodium percarb or something like it. If thats the case they are using something 3x as dangerous as bleach (And just as corrosive) and their only selling point is that it ISNT bleach. Very misleading and if I didn’t know any better I would say the advertising is done with malicious intent for the sake of charging 2x the price.
I preach to my clients about the wonders of bleach with proper use. I’m the biggest bleach fanboy there is but companies like this get under my skin. It doesn’t seem like a huge risk to the industry though because any contractor who knows what he’s doing uses bleach, all the others go out of business and their clients either live with dirty roofs or get educated.
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If this company offered a solution you could stand on the ground and spray at a roof I would be all over it but their videos are guys climbing up there with a surface cleaner tied to a rope… pretty ridiculous solution to a problem that is the better alternative.
Come to think of it they have to rinse the roof because of the causticity of the product. Not to mention the fellas in the video aren’t even wearing respirators. Its a good joke but nothing to worry about. Just be gentle about re-educating your client and I hope you get the job
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Wow, their website is a huge bleach hater’s paradise of fear mongering propaganda! Their video showcases a Shark power washer 2 seconds in and a guy running a surface cleaner hanging off the end of the water hose on asphalt shingles at the 8 second mark.
A YouTube search shows one of their authorized contractors on a lift blasting the roof from like 6" and another working his magic. The sound on the second one is priceless, especially at the end!
I would send these links to the customer who called you and tell her that, as a professional, you use bleach precisely so that you don’t need to resort to dangerous methods, against manufacturers recommendations, that very well might destroy her roof in no time like an amateur Roof Shampooer.
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Imagine how long a roof takes. Imagine also how much granule from the shingles ends up at the downspout.
Yeah, they are going slowly up and down 2-3 times at least. The surface cleaner is bouncing around and sounds like a fan with a card stuck in it. Their only control is dragging it around by the hose. Just about everything I see is being used in a way that it was not designed for. They must have high rates of equipment failure and I wonder how often a surface cleaner meets its maker tumbling over the side of a gutter.
They also do solar panels… solarshampoo.com.
I looked at their website, and noticed you can still see black streaks where they used to be on all the “after” pictures…
Smoke & mirrors…they’re mis-stating all sorts of things:
- their ref. article from CR even says plants won’t be damaged when done properly
- their statement the streaks will only be lightened is one I’ve never seen from ARMA
- ARMA says bleach is the best method, and they rep the people who make the shingles
- they prioritize an opinion piece in CR over the indiustry authority (ARMA)
They say streaks can return in months when bleach is used…defeat that crap with a warranty and collect the check. Just educate the client well, and you don’t have to worry about it. We get the occasional crazy person who wants no bleach. We just tell them we won’t do that level of work even if they insist, because we don’t want the neighbors seeing our truck, and then the subpar results that “not bleach” yields… Happily decline work that you can’t be proud of, just telling them that will often win you the job over the guy who is intent on selling himself and his “process”.
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Why not just tell people that with Nord stream 1 and 2 leaking 
any hope of eco friendly is out the window . Which is the truth
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