About exterior cleaning in these suburbs
Exterior cleaning covers the outside of the home: rendered and painted walls, weatherboard, brick, roofs, gutters, paths, pool surrounds and solar panels. In these suburbs the work has a particular flavour. Sea air leaves a salt film on everything from Palm Beach to Coogee, and shaded south-facing walls under the big gums of Ku-ring-gai and Mosman grow mould and green algae through winter. Sandstone walls and steps in Woollahra, Hunters Hill and Vaucluse need gentler handling than concrete. Most homeowners post one of five jobs: a full house wash, pressure cleaning of hard surfaces, roof cleaning, gutter clearing before storm season, or a solar panel clean.
Good exterior cleaning starts with the right pressure for the surface. Render, weatherboard, painted timber and old mortar get a soft wash, low pressure with a cleaning solution doing the work; high pressure is kept for concrete and stone that can take it. Water carrying detergent, paint flakes or grit must stay out of the street gutter, because NSW pollution law, the POEO Act 1997, treats that as an offence. A house built before 1990 may well have asbestos cement in its eaves, walls or roof, and that is never pressure washed. Roof and upper-storey work calls for fall controls under the WHS Regulation 2017, which is why much of it is done from the ground with poles.
To get quotes, describe the job in the form and add a couple of photos, including anything awkward such as a steep driveway, a two-storey rear wall or a roof you suspect is fibro. We match the request with vetted, independent tradies who already clean homes around your suburb. They contact you, look at the job or your photos, and quote you directly in writing. Compare them and hire the one you like, or nobody. Nobody gets sent a job until they have cleared our identity, insurance, history and conduct checks, and afterwards we ask how it went.
Jobs homeowners post
Exterior cleaning services
- House washingMould on the south wall, salt film on the render, cobwebs under every eave. A soft wash by a vetted local…
- Pressure cleaningBlack driveways, slippery paths and a pool surround that has gone green. The right pressure on the right…
- Roof cleaningLichen on the terracotta, moss in the valleys, black streaks down the south face. Roof cleaning by someone…
- Gutter cleaningLeaf litter, blocked downpipes and water pouring over the fascia in the first storm. Gutter cleaning by a…
- Solar panel cleaningSalt haze, bird droppings and a line of lichen along the bottom edge all cut what your panels produce. A…
By area
House washing by suburb
Frequently asked questions
No. House washing, pressure cleaning and gutter clearing are not licensed trades, so there is no licence to check. That is exactly why vetting matters. For these jobs we rely on the other checks: ID that lines up with a live ABN, an in-date public liability certificate, pictures of recent local jobs, two referees and our code of conduct.
Soft washing relies on a cleaning solution at low pressure to lift mould, algae and salt from render, weatherboard, painted surfaces and roofs without forcing water behind cladding or stripping paint. Pressure cleaning uses higher pressure on hard surfaces such as concrete, pavers and exposed aggregate. A good tradie will tell you which your surfaces need and why.
Usually yes, but carefully. Older homes on the Northern Beaches and elsewhere often have asbestos cement sheeting in eaves, gable ends or roofing. That material must never be pressure washed, sanded or scrubbed with abrasives. Tell the tradie the age of the house. A vetted tradie will wash around suspect areas at low pressure, or stop and advise if they think asbestos is present.
Not down the street gutter. Stormwater drains run straight to the harbour and the ocean, and letting detergents, paint flakes or sediment enter them is an offence in NSW. Tradies in the network direct wash water onto lawns and garden beds, use capture mats on hard surfaces, or arrange sewer disposal where that is required.
It depends on exposure. A beachfront home at Collaroy or Bronte picks up salt and grime faster than a house in Lindfield, and shaded southern walls green up sooner than sunny ones. Many homeowners wash once a year or before repainting, and clear gutters once or twice a year around the autumn leaf drop and before summer storms. A tradie can advise after seeing the property.
Only when it is safe and necessary. Fragile tiles, steep pitches and any suspected asbestos roofing rule out foot traffic. Many roof cleans are done from ladders with edge protection or from the ground with extension poles and soft wash equipment. If someone needs to be on the roof, fall protection is required under NSW work health and safety rules, and the quote should say how it will be done.
Cost guides
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