Exterior Cleaning in Bronzeville, Chicago

Exterior Cleaning in Bronzeville

Bronzeville is nine minutes from our shop. The housing stock here is century-old greystone facades, and that's the single most important thing to know about working in this neighborhood. High pressure strips soft limestone. We use soft wash and the correct detergent only. No exceptions.

The greystone facades in Bronzeville are beautiful, but they're sensitive. The limestone is soft and porous. It holds algae and grime in its surface. If you hit it with a 3,000 PSI pressure washer, you etch the stone and blow out the mortar joints. Repointing that brick costs thousands. A professional soft wash costs a few hundred. The math is simple.

We tie our pressure washing work in Bronzeville to the restoration work happening across the neighborhood. A lot of the greystones here are being restored, and the exterior cleaning is part of that process. We work with property owners and restoration contractors to clean the facades without damaging the stone. We soft wash with a sodium hypochlorite mix at low pressure. The detergent kills the algae and lifts the grime. The stone gets clean and the mortar stays intact.

The two-flats and frame houses in Bronzeville have the same issues as the rest of the South Side. Rear wooden stairs, alley-facing garages, and gutters that fill fast. We stain the rear stairs, clean the gutters, and pressure wash the driveways and gangways.

We also do window washing on the greystones. The tall window lines on the facades need a water-fed pole for the exterior. The interior glass needs a crew with shoe covers and drop cloths because these homes have hardwood floors and original woodwork.

We do exterior house painting on the frame houses that need it. The wood siding takes weather from all sides. We prep, prime, and paint with a quality exterior latex.

In winter, we do snow removal for the stoops and sidewalks. The limestone stoops get slippery when wet, and we clear them carefully. Call (217) 722-5379 for a free estimate.

What I See Working in Bronzeville

The greystone facades are the whole story in Bronzeville. The limestone is soft and porous. It holds algae and grime in its surface. High pressure etches the stone and blows out the mortar. We soft wash with a sodium hypochlorite mix at 200 PSI. The detergent does the work, not the pressure. We let it dwell for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse with low pressure. The algae dies at the root and the grime lifts. The stone gets clean and the mortar stays intact.

We work with restoration contractors who are repointing the mortar and repairing the stone. We do the exterior cleaning after the masonry work is done, not before. If you clean before the repointing, you risk washing out the new mortar before it cures.

The tall window lines on the greystones need a water-fed pole for the exterior. The deionized water dries spot-free. For the interior, we wear shoe covers and lay drop cloths because these homes have original hardwood floors and woodwork that can't get wet.

Services Available in Bronzeville

Full exterior maintenance. One crew, twelve services. Click any service for process details and pricing.

• Pressure Washing
• Window Washing
• Deck Staining
• Holiday Lighting
• Lawn Care
• Snow Removal
• Roof Washing
• Gutter Cleaning
• Driveway Sealing
• Polymeric Sanding
• Exterior House Painting
• Real Estate Sign Hanging

Neighborhoods in Bronzeville

Bronzeville runs from 26th Street south to 51st Street, between the lake and the railroad tracks. The greystone blocks run along King Drive, Indiana, and Michigan. The area near 35th Street has newer construction and commercial frontage. The blocks near 47th Street have the historic greystone rows that define the neighborhood.

Bronzeville Service Area Map

Nearby Service Areas

We also serve these nearby neighborhoods and suburbs:

• South Loop
• Bridgeport
• Kenwood