Benz Softwash Services
Phone Ben for a FREE quotation to soft wash your property
We are one of the most experienced and trusted soft wash cleaning companies in Ireland
"Ben did a very good job removing the algae staining from my house. He was most pleasant to deal with and arrived on time as arranged. We were very pleased with the result - looks like new. Thank you once again Ben". Suzanne Q
Ben Hawkins is the co-owner and director of Benz Softwash Ltd.
Benz Softwash Services is the hands-on cleaning arm of our soft washing business.
You'll find us to be honest and trustworthy tradespeople and you can rest assured that your property will be in safe hands when you use our services.
Our service to you goes the extra mile
We know all too well the problems that can arise when you have tradespeople working in your home or business premises. It can be challenging!
That's why we go the extra mile to treat both you and your property with care and respect.
We want to leave you feeling that you've received the best possible service and value for money.
We strive to continually improve every facet of our business. And to this end we've invested heavily in the best equipment.
This equipment enables us to work to a high level of efficiency and effectiveness, while greatly reducing risk to persons and property.
Render cleaning
We clean all types of render in Cork, on all types of property – from houses to hotels.
What is "soft washing"?
Using specialised soft wash systems we treat and control unsightly red, black, yellow and green staining on your walls, roof, driveway, fences, sheds, decking, paths and patio.
Our non-aggressive and environmentally responsible softwash products – combined with safe application systems – will make your property look great, the way you like it to look.
By treating the root cause of the unsightly staining, the results of our soft wash treatment systems last far longer than those obtained from jet washing alone. And without damaging your property or harming our environment.
What's the real cause of your property becoming "dirty"?
The unsightly red, green, yellow or black staining on the exterior surfaces of your property is most likely due to colonisation by micro-organisms such as algae, lichen, fungus, moss or mould.
This can be a serious problem, which could well be detrimental to the structure of your property as well as just looking terrible.,
Fortunately, modern soft washing systems using Benz Softwash cleaning products can keep your property permanently clean all year around – we guarantee it!
How long will your property stay clean after a soft wash treatment?
Self-draining surfaces like rendered walls and roofs will usually stay clean for 2-3 years before they require another treatment.
Horizontal surfaces like patios, decking, drives and footpaths do not drain so easily, stay damp longer, and so regrowth of algae, lichen, fungus, moss and mould happens more rapidly.
These areas will usually require an annual or biannual treatment to keep the growth of microbiological organisms under control and your property looking permanently great all year round.
Quick tip: The annual cost of our affordable ongoing maintenance treatments is much less than irregular jet (aka pressure or power) washing.
In addition, softwashing will not damage your property – unlike high pressure jet washing – and the results last far longer.
MOSS: Why should you treat the moss on your property?
Moss often starts to appear after about seven years. It particularly loves to grow on tarmac drives and roof tiles.
Moss will often start to grow on the roof, spread from the roof to the gutters, and then fall onto footpaths and drives. And it can spread very quickly.
Moss holds water, which can add weight to a roof, causing stress on the structure of your property. It expands when frozen, potentially damaging tiles and gutters.
Moss becomes extremely slippery and dangerous on footpaths, driveways and playgrounds. This is a health & safety hazard that we all need to take very seriously.
Why and when should you have moss treated?
The best time to treat moss is from March to November. Annual or biannual treatments will protect your property and keep it looking permanently pristine. And regular soft wash treatments will help protect your property from the destructive effects of uncontrolled moss growth.
What products do we use to control moss?
We use our own UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and Irish Pesticide Registration & Control Division (PRCD) approved, highly concentrated Benz Bio Cleanze and/or Benz Lightning Cleanze and/or Benz Tornado Cleanze soft wash products to control moss.
How often will your property need treating to control moss?
Tarmac will typically require two applications in the first year to bring the moss under control. Thereafter it will normally require only a once-yearly treatment.
Concrete tiled roofs generally stay clean for longer after after a soft wash treatment. Depending on the local environment, it can be as long as 5-10 years before moss regrowth becomes visible again and starts causing a problem on concrete roof tiles.
ALGAE: What is "algae" and what's the best way to treat it?
Algae is the number one cause of concrete and cobblelock (block paving) paths and drives, wall render and roof tiles looking "dirty".
Algae can be green, black or red and will colonise exterior surfaces such as roofs, render, tarmac, concrete, wood decking, fences, sheds and so on.
A large build up of algae can look "grimy", especially when it's dormant as then the colour often changes to black or brown.
Historically, jet (aka power or pressure) washing was used to remove the grime. However the algae spores remained and rapidly recolonised. Sometimes bleach was used but bleach cannot provide long-term protection from re-colonisation as does Benz Bio Cleanze.
This meant the grimy appearance re-appeared after only a very short time. And so many property owners became disillusioned and disappointed, especially as jet washing can be very expensive and messy. The net result was that many properties were left untreated until they became intolerably filthy.
Fortunately, using today's modern soft wash systems with Benz Softwash cleaning solutions, an inexpensive annual or bi-annual treatment is enough to keep your property permanently clean all year.
Quick tip: When our customers want exceptionally rapid results, on suitable surfaces, and usually only for the first cleaning, it can appropriate to give a gentle jet wash – and/or a treatment with Benz Lightning Cleanze or Tornado Cleanze.
In such cases we usually recommend giving a post-treatment of Benz Bio Cleanze to impart long-term protection from re-colonisation. This avoids the problem of rapid regrowth that used to be encountered when jet washing alone was used.
The exception to the above is if you are going to sell your property soon and just want it to look good as quickly as possible. In this case you can choose to save money by not post-treating with Bio Cleanze.
LICHENS: What are "lichens" and how should they be treated?
Lichens are white, brown and black spots that jet washing alone will not remove.
Lichens often grow on slate and concrete tiled roofs, as well as on concrete paths, patios and monoblock drives.
The roots of lichens grow into, and attach themselves to, the surfaces of roofs and paths. The only way to remove lichens is to first kill them down to their roots, which will allow the lichens to release themselves from the surface.
The process of complete lichen removal through natural weathering can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. That said, if our customer wants more rapid results we can, on appropriate surfaces, carefully jet wash the lichens away after they have died they are no longer rooted into the surface.
Are our products environmentally safe?
Yes! We are passionate about caring for our environment.
Stay clean & safe with Benz Softwash Services
Phone Ben for a FREE quotation to soft wash your property