What's the difference between soft washing and pressure washing?

Soft washing uses a biocide treatment to kill algae, lichen and fungal growth, then rinses it away at low pressure. Pressure washing relies on force alone, which is fine on hard surfaces like paving but risky on render and old brick pointing.

How long does render cleaning take?

Most single properties take a few hours to a day, depending on size, growth level and access. Larger or commercial elevations can take longer — we'll give you a time estimate with your quote.

Is the black streaking on my brick chimney a problem?

Black streaking is typically fungal growth rather than damage to the brick itself, though it can look worse the longer it's left. Soft washing and steam lift it without harming the brick or mortar underneath.

My render has cracks — can you still clean it?

We'll look at the cracking before we start. Minor hairline cracks aren't usually a problem for a soft wash, but we'll flag anything that looks like it needs attention beyond cleaning rather than working over it.

What's involved in cleaning lichen off render?

Lichen is one of the more stubborn growths — it often needs a longer biocide dwell time than algae to break down properly. We treat it accordingly rather than rushing the rinse.

How do I book a render or brick clean?

Call Trevor on 07501 060609 or send a few photos of the property — we'll give you a quote and get a date in the diary.

Safe Render Cleaning for Brandon Homes

Brandon render cleaning specialists. Soft wash treatment for K-rend, monocouche, pebbledash and sand-and-cement render, plus brick and steam cleaning.

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Green algae streaking down a render elevation, black fungal spotting creeping across pebbledash, lichen crusting onto exposed brick — render and brickwork in Brandon take a battering from damp, shade and salt-laden air, and pressure washing, the instinct of most contractors, cracks and blows render coats that were never built to take it.

We use soft washing and steam methods instead. A biocide treatment kills the growth at the root, a low-pressure rinse lifts dirt without forcing water behind the render, and the result actually lasts because the problem is gone, not just blasted off the surface for a few months.

Render and brick cleaning in Brandon typically runs from around £150 for a single elevation up to £550–£650 for a full detached property, depending on render type, how established the growth is, and access.

Render & Brick Cleaning (Soft Wash) near Brandon

We're not just a Brandon company

While Brandon is one of the areas we work in regularly, we cover a wide spread around it, from Sacriston, Coxhoe, Ferryhill and Crook outward — one contractor for render and brick cleaning across the whole area, rather than a patchwork of local one-off jobs.

Brandon, County Durham — 12 neighbouring areas plotted within 7.7 miles. Distances are straight-line from Brandon centre.

Homeowners

Low-hassle render and brick cleaning

Most homeowners just want the outside of the house looking clean without having to think about how it's done. You don't need to be in — we soft wash the render and brick, protect windows and planting as we go, and leave the place tidy, usually within a day depending on the size of the property.

What we do — and never do — on render

We do: soft wash with biocide, use steam or low pressure on brickwork, protect windows, doors and planting before we start, and match dwell time to how established the growth is.

We don't: use a pressure washer directly on render, rush the biocide dwell time, or treat old lime-pointed brick the same way as modern cement pointing — the mortar itself needs a gentler approach. That distinction is what keeps render cleaning from turning into a render repair job.

How we handle established or difficult growth

1
Identify the growth type
Red algae, green algae, black streaking and lichen all respond slightly differently to biocide treatment.
2
Test area
On heavily established growth we'll often treat a small area first to confirm how the render responds.
3
Extended dwell time
Stubborn lichen crusting gets longer biocide contact time rather than a stronger rinse.
4
Targeted steam
Any remaining black staining on brick after biocide treatment gets a steam pass to finish it off.
5
Rinse and review
A final low-pressure rinse and a walk-round to check nothing's been missed before we leave.

Rinse water and runoff

Rinsing is done at controlled low pressure, which means less runoff overall than a pressure wash produces, and what does run off is mostly water rather than a heavy chemical load, since the biocide has already done its job by the time we rinse.

An honest note on pricing

We'd rather give you a realistic range than a low number that changes once we're on site. The prices below are typical for properties in this area, but the only way to get an exact figure is a quick look at photos or a site visit — both are free.

Small / single elevation job	from around £150
Average semi-detached property	typically £300–£400
Larger detached property	typically £450–£700

Render & Brick Cleaning (Soft Wash) in Brandon — common questions

Based in Washington and covering the area around Brandon, we bring a soft wash and steam approach to render and brick cleaning built around not damaging the surface we're cleaning. Call Trevor on 07501 060609 to book.

Never pressure washed, always soft washed — biocide treatment and low-pressure rinsing for render and brick in Brandon, with results that last because the growth is actually killed, not just moved.

Render and brick cleaning in Brandon

Photos, a phone call, or a site visit — however you'd rather start, we'll take it from there.

Ask Trevor Call 07501060609

Render & Brick Cleaning (Soft Wash) in Brandon — the elevation part-way through treatment, in the Durham County Council area

Render & Brick Cleaning (Soft Wash) in Brandon — the finished render drying in the sun, on a DH7 property