My Grass and Plants Were Destroyed During Professional Power Washing. What Should I Do?
You home is one of your biggest investments, if not the biggest that you’ve ever made. You spend so much time decorating and taking care of your plants and your lawn so it’s understandable that you would be quite upset if someone came in and ruined them. This is especially devastating since you were expecting things to be clean, not destroyed!
Whatever the damage, just know that this is not your fault! The technicians with power washing companies are supposed to be specially trained to either pre-water plants before pressure washing or cover them altogether in order to avoid damaging them.
If you have damage to your grass and plants after power washing there are a number of steps to take to ensure that you’re properly compensated.
Read Over Any Paperwork That You Were Given
Be sure to read over anything that you were given when the company came out. Here at Ecotek Power Wash, we make sure our customers know exactly what areas we’re going to clean, what we’re doing to protect their homes, what the cost is, and any recommendations we’ve made. You should have gotten something similar from the company that did your washing.
Any reputable power washing company should have a satisfaction guarantee, even if that means reimbursing you for any damage that was caused during the cleaning process, including grass and plants.
Contact The Power Washing Company And Tell Them What Happened
After you’ve read the paperwork and know what the company’s policies and procedures are, it’s time to give them a call or visit their office and see what they can do about reimbursing you for the damage.
Most power washing companies are very understanding and will do all they can to make it right. They should understand that you’re upset and how big of an investment keeping the exterior of your home or office looking great is.
Some Additional Information
Bleach
A lot of the time, a power washing company will use bleach to remove microorganisms, like mold and mildew. This solution should be adequately diluted so that it doesn’t cause harm to plants.
The best way to protect plants is to cover them. But when that’s not feasible, a good watering before and after power washing can protect your plants from damage. The more the bleach is diluted, the less concentrated it is and the less powerful it’s affects are.
Detergents
Like bleach, if your home is power washed with detergents, this should also be diluted. These chemicals are often diluted with a 10:1 water-to-detergent ratio. The more diluted, the less potent. When detergents affect plants, they can cause brown spots.
The best way to protect against detergents is, again, to make sure that plants are thoroughly watered before and especially after power washing. Even a small amount of detergent left in the garden contributes to plant death.
Sealants
When decks are cleaned and restained, it’s customary to add a sealant to the surface.
When working with sealant, it’s absolutely imperative that plants and grass be covered. While the sealant “seals” your deck, it will also unfortunately seal plants. If sealant gets on plants, they will eventually die because they’re not able to get the water and nutrients that they need.
When covering plants, make sure that only the plants in the area being cleaned are covered. If you cover them all at one time, this can be harmful to plants as well. Whomever is doing the power washing won’t get to certain areas for a while so it’s good to let the plants that aren’t in the area that’s being cleaned breathe.
