Preventative Home Maintenance Before Winter: Roof Cleaning & Tree Trimming

Before Roof Cleaning

After Roof Cleaning with
 Caretaker Services

Fall is the time to perform preventative maintenance on your home and yard. Think of it as putting things to bed before the winter. In a previous blog we spoke about the importance of cleaning your gutters, and cleaning and inspecting your roof is also a necessary task. The two can go hand in hand in some cases. If your roof is composed of asphalt shingles look to see if your gutters contain grains or pieces of the shingles. This is a sign that your shingles may need replacement. Flashings need to be checked, as water can easily leak in and around the flashing if they are damaged. Look for bent damaged or missing flashing. A roof with wood shingles should be inspected for dry rot. Inspecting a roof can be dangerous and should always be done by a professional, combining a roof inspecting and cleaning 2x a year on a regular service schedule is a good way to protect your investment in your house.
      Trees add beauty to landscaping but as beautiful and majestic a tree may be, if its not trimmed regularly, it can also be unsightly, taking away from your curb appeal instead of adding to it. Trees should be trimmed or pruned regularly to promote growth as well. Consider safety issues to avoid damage to your home or person.   Large tree limbs that have grown too close to your home can be dangerous in a storm and should be pruned back a safe distance. It’s recommended by the Dept of Agriculture to trim trees once a year in the dormant season.  For professional roof cleaning, contact Caretaker Services.

Caretaker Services: Why is Now A Good Time for Gutter Cleaning?

All homeowners know that maintenance is essential to protecting your home against a myriad of issues. Your home is usually a huge asset and the lack of proper maintenance will decrease the value of your home. Most people do the basic maintenance and forget about one very important area – the gutters. It is suggested to have the gutters cleaned twice a year in Myrtle Beach – Spring and Fall. If you live in an area with a lot of trees you may want to speak to your specialist at Caretaker Services about the need to clean the gutters more often. So why clean your gutters now? Leaves and twigs can build up inside the gutters and affect the run off. Coming into Myrtle Beach winter, which can bring more rain and possible snow, the gutters should be clear of debris so water has an easy egress.  The downside to not cleaning gutters can be expensive and cause damage to your home or roof. The weight of water added to the debris is like a sponge; the weight stresses the gutters and their brackets and can cause them to pull away from the wall. This is costly to repair, not even taking into account the possibility of broken windows or lights damaged when the gutters fall. Overflowing gutters can cause damage to your paint or siding. Often cracking foundations are traced back to overflowing gutters. Creating a service plan with Caretaker Services will take the worry and possibility of damage away. Some of the benefits of regular gutter cleaning include avoiding nesting areas for termites, birds and other insects, destruction of landscaping, and preventing water damage to your home. If gutters aren’t clear of debris, then they can’t do their job!  To find out about our affordable gutter cleaning services please call us for a free quote at (843) 602-0821.

Apartment and HOA Cleaning in Myrtle Beach: Improve the Curb Appeal of the Neighborhood by Cleaning Sidewalks

Often when we think about power washing it’s in relation to the walls of a house or a deck. Rarely do we thing about the sidewalks in front of our homes. You invest in landscaping, lighting, window cleaning and siding cleaning. Your roof and gutters are cleaned – your curb appeal should be excellent but then there are those unsightly sidewalks. Sometimes, we do not even realize how dirty the sidewalks are until they are clean!  Dirty sidewalks and lack of curb appeal can be an issue for neighbors, perspective home buyers, property values, and more.  Potential homebuyers

are not going to be attracted to a neighborhood or development with sidewalks that are unsightly. It raises the question of  "if the HOA isn’t taking care of the sidewalks, what else is not being maintained?" This is a simple fix - your Home Owners Association can hire a commercial pressure washing company, such as Caretakers Services. It’s important to contract with a company that has insurance and uses the correct chemicals, proper equipment, and the right amount of pressure, so as not to damage property. Cleaning sidewalks, driveways and stairs add to the curb appeal for others, but also add to your pride of ownership. Caretaker Services can work with your HOA’s regarding this and get back to them promptly with an estimate or a bid.

Suggested Home Maintenance Schedule for Fall

As with any high ticket item-- be it a car, boat or home-- a regular maintenance schedule should be set up and adhered to in order to preserve the life of the item.   Each season brings its own special concerns so we will focus on Fall, since it is a few days a way.   Fall is a great time to do all around maintenance including having your home soft pressure washed.  

Our suggested home maintenance checklist for fall is
1. Check the weather stripping around windows and doors – apply caulking where necessary.
2. Check windows for any cracks
3. Have windows cleaned
4. Have dryer vents checked
5. Check foundation and areas where pipes or wires enter your home for any cracks, apply caulking as needed.  Openings in the structure can allow moisture and water to get inside, resulting in mold and mildew.
6. Have roof inspected for loose shingles and cleaned
7. Once the leaves have fallen have gutters cleaned
8. Cut back bushes and trees
9. Store Firewood away from home to prevent termites and insects from getting in your home.
10. Clean air conditioner filters
11. Change batteries in any smoke/carbon monoxide alarms that are not hardwired.  Doing this when the time changes helps to keep on a good schedule
12. Insure fireplace and chimney are in good working order and clean.

We hope this checklist helps you organize your home maintenance schedule.  For roof cleaning, gutter cleaning, soft-pressure washing, window and deck cleaning, call the professionals at Caretaker Services!  

Reference

http://www.lowes.com/cd_Home+Maintenance+Schedule+and+Checklist_1297357358_

5 Ways to Improve he Curb Appeal of Your Home

You’ve bought a home and it’s a considerable investment.  Does your home have curb appeal?  We have all noticed that one house; it sticks out like a sore thumb.   Don’t be that one house!  Below are 5 ways to improve the curb appeal of your home.

• Landscaping doesn’t necessarily mean having expensive plants and an extensive design.  What it does mean is keeping bushes trimmed, flower beds/lawns weeded and grass mowed.   To keep it green make sure you water or have an irrigation system installed.
• Landscape Lighting – it can be as simple as having your entry walk line with solar lights.   You can go quite extensive with lighting-- spot lighting, shadow lighting etc…  Lighting not only enhances your curb appeal, it adds to the security of your home. Intruders will think twice about trying to enter a lit home. They will look to an unlit home.
• Repairing any damage to exterior – that can be painting your home, fixing any damaged siding. or gutters that are bent or pulled away from the house, fixing a broken screen door, or shutters that are hanging haphazardly.  
• Having the whole house including decks and porches cleaned with a Low or Soft Pressure Wash.  Our technique of cleaning your homes exterior is the most effective for removing mold, mildew, dirt or salt water build up.
• Clean those windows!  Living in a beach area especially adds to the dirty, streaked windows.  Caretaker Services will clean your windows, window sills, and screens.  
• Having the roof cleaned and gutters cleaned professionally.  Caretaker Services can also handle your roof cleaning with no-pressure roof cleaning.  
• Keeping walkways and driveways clean.  Having these areas cleaned professionally will be the finishing touch to a clean home and excellent curb appeal.  Ask about our 10% discount when combined with a whole house cleaning!

Simple maintenance done periodically will add value to your home.  Using a professional Myrtle Beach pressure washing service like Caretaker Services will insure your curb appeal makes you ‘that house’ in a good way.  Unlike high pressure washes, our low and soft pressure wash techniques minimize potential damage that other pressure washers can create.

Pressure Washing Your Oceanfront Home

 Pressure washing regularly using softwash
 techniques preserves your home's exterior

Owning an oceanfront home is a dream come true for many.  Beautiful decks and porches on the ocean side encourage outdoor living.  There is nothing like sitting on your deck in the early morning, with a cup of coffee, gazing out at the ocean.    Then, you happen to look down and notice areas on the deck are different shades... Could that be mold under the stairs?   You start to take a closer look and notice sand/salt residue in places, furniture is showing some wear as are other areas where there is metal or aluminum.   What is going on here?  
Welcome to beachfront living!!  The humidity and salt air are damaging to the outside of your home -- decks, cars, and your home's exterior.   To extend the life expectancy and performance of these areas of your home, a regular maintenance/cleaning schedule is recommended.    Low pressure/ soft washing are the best option in cleaning.  By our use of special techniques and equipment, we can safely apply detergents with little to no use of ladders, minimizing the chance of damage to your home.  A company that uses high pressure has to get up close to your home and can potentially damage your windows or siding.   Soft washing is the newest and most effective method to clean the salt air residue on your home.  Protect your home-- your greatest asset.  Call Caretaker Services, your professional pressure washing service in Myrtle Beach, today to set up an appointment!

What's Eating Your Roof? Roof Cleaning in Myrtle Beach...

Myrtle Beach Roof Cleaning "Before" 

Myrtle Beach Roof Cleaning "After"

We have all heard the expression, “I have a roof over my head," but how often do you think of taking care of that roof?    We wash our cars, change our car oil, clean our pools and wash our paths and steps; even the outside walls of our homes but most often seem to forget to think about upkeep of the roof.   We do regular maintenance on these things to extend the life and to avoid costly repairs.   The same holds true for your roof!  Regular no pressure roof cleaning will extend the life of your roof for years.   In addition it will take away those unsightly black streaks that are visible.   In high humidity areas like Myrtle Beach algae, mildew and moss can build up.   The advantage of no pressure soft washing is lower chance of damage to the roof, especially tile roofs.   Asphalt/Cedar/Slate roofs all fall victim to algae, moss or lichens which left untreated can result in the roof failing.  For Asphalt roofs the Asphalt Roofing Org has stated do NOT pressure wash a shingle roof, not with high nor with low pressure, use no pressure only!  Caretaker Services uses no pressure roof cleaning.  Additionally, most manufacturers of other roof materials recommend the no pressure/soft wash method.  It’s also recommended for safety to use a professional roof cleaning company to clean your roof.  If you want to keep your roof looking and performing great, call Caretaker Services, your no-pressure, Myrtle Beach roof cleaning service, to keep it clean!