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Render Cleaning Specialists

Welcome to South Lakes SoftWash Render Cleaning Specialists based in the English Lake District.

We provide a professional render cleaning service for residential and commercial clients throughout Cumbria and the North West.

Softwashing involves treating and removing the living biofilm of algae, mould, and bacteria that stain and discolour the exterior surfaces of buildings. Using a combination of professional grade biocides and low pressure hot water we ensure your exterior surfaces will look as good as new without any damage.

This technique is a safe and cost effective alternative to painting.

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Professional Softwash Cleaning Service.

We are fully trained to employ a variety of advanced cleaning methods using eco-friendly professional grade biocides and chemicals.
Our bespoke van mounted equipment has been specially built with the sole purpose of effectively and efficiently cleaning render and building exteriors. We carry our own water and power which enables us to work independently in any environment.

If your looking for an unrivalled professional render cleaning service please get in touch today for a free no obligation quote.

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Clients include…

We had all the render cleaned on the whole of our house as it was covered in black streaks and spots - they were very prompt and the results are like a brand new house ! we were amazed ! excellent job and would very highly recommend !

Mrs Carter

What a brilliant job. Sam ran through the whole job in detail. The back render was very bad with black marks from wiring but came up fantastic. As did all around the rendering around the house with streaks of dirt and mould. Highly recommend this father and son business to anyone.10/10.

Philip Wright

What a great job!! Super friendly and top quality. Guy and Sam have done a super job with our house! They arrived nice and early, got to work straight away with no fuss, cleared up after themselves and have made our walls look as good as they did when we first bought he property 10 years ago. We were looking at getting the walls painted and were quoted nearly 3 times the price of Softwash! Would highly recommend them.

Joey Taylor

Amazing results on the exterior of my property; it had been neglected for years by previous owners - and it now looks newly painted, I am extremely pleased! Guy and Sam were very helpful and professional, nothing was too much trouble - would definitely recommend! Thank you guys..

Claire RW

Why is my building stained and discoloured?

This is a result of a contamination of algae, mould, bacteria, lichens, moss and organic material that is classed as a biofilm.

You may have noticed red, black or green streaks or patches that only appear on certain walls of the same building, especially after a period of rain. This is a biofilm.
There are lots of factors that cause a biofilm to grow and flourish, it generally thrives in mild damp conditions, feeding off nutrients and salts on the surface, this is further enhanced by close proximity to trees and vegetation and the amount of shade and sunlight that is hitting the wall.

Is render cleaning necessary?

Having your render professionally treated and cleaned will prolong the life of the render. The living biofilm is literally eating away at the surface which can cause longterm damage. Neglected render can crack and require professional care or replacement.

For this reason we recommend having your render professionally treated and cleaned.

Dark green, black and red staining associated with a biofilm contamination can make a building look unsightly and neglected.

Freshly treated and cleaned render will certainly brighten up your property, restoring its original colour as much as possible. Many customers have been surprised to find that their walls are actually white and not grey or brown after we have transformed them by softwashing and cleaning.
Having the render cleaned has the ability to increase the curb appeal of a property or building which reflects well on you or your business.

So aesthetically for appearance and image we would recommend render cleaning.

Render cleaning is a cheap and highly effective alternative to having your walls painted.Not only is the decision to paint over dirty and stained render expensive but it is a short term fix as the untreated biofilm will soon strike through the paint and start the cycle of contamination again, sometimes worse as it feeds off the nutrients in the paint. We do often work in conjunction with painters and decorators who ask us to treat and clean the surface prior to them painting.

So is render cleaning necessary? Definitely.
We are confident that you will be impressed and satisfied with the way your render will be transformed. Render that is regularly treated and cleaned will be kept free of the organic biofilm that causes unsightly discolouration with the result that your building will be an attractive, clean and valuable asset.

What methods do we use?

We only ever use the process of softwashing to treat and deep clean, this ensures we won’t damage any of the render.
Using a high pressure jetwash to pressure wash render is not recommended as it will literally blast away the render and cause long-term damage and will not remove the living biofilm, in fact it just spreads the spores around, resulting in continued contamination.
We believe that professional render cleaning is all about caring for the render and restoring it back to its original state, not just blasting away stains as quickly as possible.
Our softwashing render cleaning process means we can safely clean difficult to reach areas of your property from the ground. With our high reach poles we can effectively clean every part of the render on your property without having to use expensive and time consuming scaffolding. You can see in our pictures how easy it is for us to reach tall and tricky areas on walls and even chimneys. After preparing the wall/s to be cleaned and their surroundings, we apply a biocide treatment to kill the organic biofilm, we then rinse away the dead spores with low pressure hot water and steam. These methods are perfectly safe and effective.

How do you remove algae from render?

Render on walls create the perfect environment for algae and biofilm to settle and spread. This is especially true in areas that are mild and damp like in the North West of the UK.
Walls that are facing East and North have less exposure to sunlight, so you may notice more staining on these. You may also notice that through the spring and summer months, algae growth seems to be boosted. This is because warmer and more humid conditions enables the biofilm to flourish and spread.

So, what is the best way to remove algae?
We use professional grade biocide chemicals that will effectively kill and stop the growth of algae and organic material from staining your walls. After the biocide treatment, we hotwash and steam clean the render at low pressure to remove any tough stains.
We guarantee that you will be impressed with the results of these modern render cleaning techniques. Render cleaning is far better for your render than painting over stains. Our treatments will also increase the health of your render, making it last for years to come, and keeping it bright and algae free.

Before you start getting quotes to paint over your render, or looking to do it yourself, let us come and do a free test patch area so you can evaluate what it would look like once professionally treated and cleaned.

How much is render cleaning?

The final quote you receive for softwashing your render will really depend on just how much render you require to be cleaned. But to give you some idea of how much you will be spending, most  jobs will be in the region of between £250-£550 per elevation.
The cost of getting your render professionally treated and cleaned will typically be cheaper than than having your property or building painted. And as we have discussed above, render cleaning provides far more benefits than painting over stains and dirt. Your building will look better than ever after receiving a render clean.
Getting your render regularly cleaned also offers the potential of increasing the value of your home or property and attracting customers to your place of business. It is commonly recognised that the state of your company’s building reflects on the company itself. So, having clean and sparkling stain free render through our render cleaning services is the way to go.

How often should you clean render?

This depends on where your property is situated, its proximity to trees and the amount of sunlight hitting the walls. There really is no general rule as to how often you should clean your render, but we do recommend frequent care and maintenance to keep it in its best condition.

Contact us today for a free quote to softwash your render.