A problem is I dont have access to soft water, and I wouldnt want to leave any acid on the siding without rinsing. The clients water caused tbe spots in the first place.
Damn you got some tough customers, looking at that pic I would say thats perfectly acceptable! I would think the only way to get them truly “perfect” would be to clean off the spots with onerestore, if its really hard water spots it will come right off. But then you would have to rinse with DI water really well. I dont mess with finicky jobs like that, I wash the house, the windows, and move on or else it just isnt profitable time-wise.
I had this happen earlier this summer. Way out in the middle of nowhere and on well water. Soffits and gutters were brand new and dark gray. Did a house wash and next day customer called and there were spots everywhere, really bad. Looked like it had calcified.
We tried ro/di and hauled in own water twice. This was such a pain trying to get rid of those spots. The only thing that worked pretty good was one restore. It never did end up looking perfect but did look much better. I waved the bill and hope I never get another text or call from that number again lol.
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Call around to water distributors. I can even buy pure water at those self serve ice buildings they have around. Get 5-10 gallons and rinse with a pump up after the rinse aid. If you need help finding pure water locally message me your zip and I’ll help.
Even if you refund the money you’re leaving the house in worse shape than when you started. No way would I just leave them unless they were already there.
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The results you got look like a pain in the neck, a shame for all the effort you put into it. Please post about your progress on this. I looked at a real nice brick home today. Oddly enough, the customer has had ownership one month and wants the soffits washed. They have residual puddles marks that look alike. Something left a residue on every one. It may have been caused by a sprinkler system.
Reading these posts reminds me of a house wash job I estimated in 2018. The first caution was 40 miles distance to client’s home they purchased. Secondly, the brick house must have been vacant for a year or longer because it was covered in spider webs. I had not experienced this kind of job so I looked at it as if it were my house. I’d want it broomed off thoroughly before pressure washing. Thirdly, I bid $2,800 to $3,500 with anticipation in two directions…if I get it my unforeseen expenses are covered or I won’t be wasting my time and effort. Coincidentally the client had a near-fatal auto accident so I never heard if the job was contracted. I think my wisdom saved me from a bad situation.
@Racer actually takes the cake!
I went over there with every single option available. Pump up sprayer, vinegar, steel wool, towels, rinse aid, pure water, brushes, etc.
I initially used #0000 steel wool, and vinegar on a small section, spraying vinegar, letting set, steel wool, then dry. This worked, however, if you look very closely, the paint became a bit scuffed, so I decided on something else. Luckily very minor and I scrubbed in the direction of the paint, so it is uniform, and mainly insignificant.
Decided to try another method:
Pump up sprayer and a bucket filled with pure water, and like 5x strength rinse aid. I sprayed, and scrubbed, and hand dried all the most visible areas of the front of the house, and an overhang out back. Unger sells window pads that I attached to a pole with a swivel pad attachment that I used to dry the less visible areas. The three story in the back, I just scrubbed and let dry as is.
When I got calls back it was within 3-5 days, and currently it’s been over two weeks, so I’d say I’m in the clear. I was also able to charge for the extra work I did 
Lessons learned:
I was freaking out for a week straight, imagining worst case scenarios. getting sued, having to replace all the gutters and soffits, taking out a claim with insurance, losing all my clients, etc. I fell back into some unhealthy habits because of the stress, stopped working out, was eating bad, sleep got worse.
In hindsight, it was an opportunity to learn a lesson the hard way, and work towards improving my methods, and putting protection in my disclaimers. I’m was still just as strong and capable, I just ran into a problem I couldnt solve immediately, when normally I can handle anything. I can’t control the clients water quality, 99% of houses come out just fine, but I need to have protection for that in the contract. I want to work to get a buffer tank, and upgrade my rig for next season.
Been feeling good, and I appreciate everyone who helped work me through this! Can’t wait for the next season, and ready for some easy winter route work with my window cleaning. Hopefully this thread can help others in the future.
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Glad it worked out. .Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. They sell that product to probably 1/2 the population that has hard water to keep their glasses from spotting in dishwashers as well as for keeping cars from spotting. No reason it wouldn’t work for similar problem. But good learning exercise for all. Good job on being persistent to get it squared away. You’ve got a good future in this industry.
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May I ask, how did you remove those hard water stains prior to investing in a water softening machine? I just had this problem on a house too nice to just leave it as is. Any tips are welcomed and appreciated!
Read the thread. It right in your face
Yeah I just saw it. I’m new to this forum and didn’t see the previous ones before. Thanks
