Frequently Asked Questions
Hiring a professional vs do it yourself?
The majority of our customers own a pressure washer which is high pressure and low gpm. This method translates to taking a very, very long time for the homeowner to clean his property. In the wrong hands a pressure washer can cause extensive damage to a house. Not only that, pressure washers only remove the surface layers of mold, algae and bacteria, leaving behind spores etched into surfaces to bloom again in a short period of time. Homeowners can purchase low concentrated solutions from do it yourself stores like Home Depot or Lowes. Many times these solutions are not strong enough to get the job done right.
We use commercial grade pressure washers that have multiple connection options to disperse pressure evenly for different applications on hard surfaces like concrete, non-powdered brick, and wood. Typically we use soft washing equipment systems which are not available for purchase to the general public. Soft washing uses low pressure and high gpm sprayers that can reach up to 40-50 feet high. We use highly concentrated solutions and different types of commercial grade solutions for special applications such as rust removal, oil stain removal or graffiti removal. We have all the right solutions, equipment, and most importantly know how to get the job done quickly and right.
After calculating money spent on machines and products plus your time, energy, and possible body damage...sometimes it is best to just do what you do best and let others do what they do best. We are here to help!
Do you have insurance for your workers? / Are you insured?
Yes, we are fully insured for workman’s comp and carry a two million dollar liability policy. Make sure whomever you choose is fully insured.
Are you licensed to operate your business?
Yes, we are legally incorporated in the state of South Carolina. We are a mobile company and work in multiple cities and counties. We carry multiple business licenses in all the areas we work.
Do you employ and train employees or do you broker work to other companies?
Yes, we employ and train our own people to ensure that you get the best quality of work done right.
Do you do backround checks on your employees?
Yes, we do background checks on all our employees. That is a top priority for us to ensure that we have people on our team who can be trusted. Many times we clean homes when the homeowner is not present and for our window cleaning customers, we clean windows inside businesses and homes. It is very important that our customers feel safe and feel comfortable to leave their property in honest, reliable hands.
Do you offer a guarantee?
We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If, for whatever reason, you are not fully satisfied with our services, we will work to correct the issue at no additional cost to you.
Can you provide references?
We have been serving Columbia, SC and surrounding areas for just about 25 years. We service over 600 commercial accounts and about 100 residential accounts every month. We have over 200 Google, Angie’s List, Yelp, Yellow Pages and Thumbtack reviews to name a few.
Are you a franchise operation?
No, but we get asked weekly if we are a franchise by those who see our professional looking trucks, equipment, and uniforms. We are of the mindset of whatever we do, we want to do it right. It is a possibility that we could look into franchising in the future but for now, we do not provide that option.
What areas do you service?
We service Columbia, SC and surrounding areas including West Columbia, Cayce, Irmo, Chapin, Peak, Prosperity, Little Mountain, Jenkinsville, Newberry, Lexington, Gilbert, Pine Ridge, Pelion, Swansea, Forest Acres, Arcadia Lakes, Camden, Gaston, Blythewood, Calhoun, Summit, Sumter, Springdale, Pomaria, Eastover, Elgin, Orangeburg, Batesburg-Leesville, Saluda, Whitmire, Winnsboro, and Aiken.
For very large commercial jobs, we will travel as far as Augusta, GA, Greenville, SC, Rock Hill, SC, Florence, SC, and Charleston, SC.
Is your company EPA Compliant?
Absolutely, we adhere to strict guidelines that the EPA provides to be environmentally compliant with all federal, state and local waste-water disposal regulations.
Do you offer discounts or rewards for new clients?
We offer a Customer Loyalty card that gives our customers a discount on their 5th service total. We offer new customer gift cards. We offer veteran discounts when their id is presented at the time of service. We also offer special sales and coupons monthly throughout the year.
Can I purchase gift cards from Squeegee Clean?
Yes, we sell professional looking, thick plastic gift cards in increments of $25, $50, $75, $100, and $200 increments.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash, checks, credit cards (3% processing fee applies), Apple Pay, and electronic bank transfers (aka E Check) via QuickBooks.
How often should I wash my home?
Most people get their homes cleaned once per year, but because our solution kills mold and algae at the root, on average our customers get their homes cleaned every 2 years. Most of our window cleaning customers get their windows cleaned once per year and sometimes twice per year. Every home setting is different depending on amounts of shade, low lying areas, proximity to large bodies of water, rain percentages and foliage around your home. Some homes have large patios and porches or pool decking and lake docks which need more frequent cleaning. If mold and mildew is left on paint or stain, it’s byproduct of acid will eat through the paint or stain. Cleaning it ensures that you won't need to repaint. It is much cheaper getting your property cleaned compared to repainting.
Do you use bleach?
No, we use a derivative of bleach and our proprietary surfactant that makes it stick to the surface. It is an oxidizing agent and a disinfectant that is highly effective in getting your property clean without causing damage. Our solution is biodegradable turning carbon into water completely within 10-14 days.
Is your solution safe for plants and animals?
The team does a walk around to identify plants that are hyper sensitive like potted plants or freshly planted flowers, trees and bushes. We may opt to cover sensitive flowers with Tyvek wrap. When a plant is thirsty it immediately drinks in the liquid that lands on it which is why the first thing we do is water all your surrounding plants to quench their thirst and satisfy them with water versus our solution. Plants are watered before, during and after cleaning. The rinse technician waters the foliage to quench its thirst and then places a protective layer of water on the leaves. We apply our solution and then we rinse the plants a third time, ensuring all plants are thoroughly protected from the initial solution application. Once the solution is diluted with water, it is biodegradable leaving behind a safe environment for plants. It is always advisable to run your sprinkler system 3-5 days in succession after your service, especially during very hot, dry weather.
Some of my plants have brown spots, why?
Sometimes plants don't bounce back after fall and winter. Most homeowners don't go around inspecting their plants and yard. In fact, most homeowners don't use their outside areas in fall and winter. Sometimes we arrive at a home and find trees without leaves or bushes that look brown even before we take out any of our equipment. This is why we do a walk around your home and may document via photos and inform you of troublesome areas that you may not even be aware of BEFORE we start the job. If we find areas of concern, we will call, text or email the homeowner to make them aware.
On rare occasion, wind will cause mist from our spray to travel outside of the immediate spray zone. The plants are not dead but protecting themselves by dropping top leaves to conserve energy. This may occur during times of drought and temperatures outside are very hot. Plants usually bounce back quickly by being watered consecutive days after cleaning. Adding Miracle Grow also helps them to proliferate more quickly.
What is the difference between soft washing and pressure washing?
Pressure washing uses pressure around 3000-4000 PSI. When soft washing we use the pressure of a garden hose 80 PSI along with a surfactant to clean homes and businesses. With soft washing we kill and then knock down wasp nests, spider webs and mud dauber nests. Be aware of companies that claim to soft wash, but still use a pressure washer that can do damage to your property like chipping paint, knocking off vinyl siding or creating gas windowpane pops. A true soft wash will not use a pressure washer. We do use pressure washers for cleaning hard surfaces like non powdered brick, rock, wood or concrete. Sometimes we even use a combination of the two technologies for certain substrates.
Does your company need to hook up to our water spigot?
We bring water with us to your home or business. However, we hook up to the spigot to keep our tank topped off so that we do not run out of water while cleaning because we use low pressure, high volume equipment. Make sure that your water spigot is screwed into the wall properly, is functioning like normal and not ruptured or leaking from a recent freeze or we will not be able to clean your home. It is common for us to encounter a water spigot that leaks when we turn it on during the spring months due to pipes having been frozen and cracking from winter. Homeowners should always disconnect all hoses from their spigots during the winter months to ensure their "frost free" spigots do not freeze and break. Let us know if you have a potential issue prior to us starting the work. Water is generally cheap with a standard monthly base rate and an additional $4.37 for the next 8,000 gallons.
What if I don't have an available water source?
If you don't have a working available water source, depending on the size of the job, we can bring in extra mobile water, but we do charge an additional special mobile water fee. Many times it is best just to ask permission from a neighbor to use his spigot. Most people are happy to oblige if you gift them a small monetary amount of money. This amount would be far less than what we would need to charge to bring in mobile water. In fact, if the job is huge, we may not even be able to accommodate bringing in mobile water at all.
What if I am on a well?
We can still use well water, but depending upon the capacity of your well, we may need to bring in extra mobile water requiring us to make several trips. When this happens we can accommodate, but we do charge an additional special mobile water fee or perhaps you could make preparations for us to use your neighbor's water source.
How can you give me an accurate quote without seeing my home?
Being experienced after washing thousands of homes, we know what questions to ask to give an accurate quote. If we are off, we will let you know when we arrive on location. We also zoom in by satellite to view and measure using our computer. We have a very cool instant quoting tool to get you an accurate estimate.
Do I need to be home when your cleaning?
No, in fact 95% of our customers are not home at the time of service. We will send email reminders and instructions about the kinds of things you can do to prepare your property for our arrival. For example please leave your gate and or screened porch unlocked if we are cleaning that area. Move all vehicles away from the cleaning areas. Be sure that all pets have been contained. We will email your invoice after your service has been completed and payment can be made online by electronic check. You can also pay by credit card, but please be aware that we do charge a 3% credit card processing fee.
Isn’t mold a health problem?
Yes, mold and mildew around or near your home can create a health problem for those with asthma and allergies. Soft washing gets rid of spores and blooms, washing them from siding, roofing and concrete surfaces.
Do you pressure wash windows?
No, pressure washing windows could cause the seal in the window to pop allowing condensation to form in between the panes resulting in permanently cloudy windows. After soft washing a home or building, we only use low pressure tap water for rinsing windows. Please note that these windows may not dry spot free depending upon the minerals in the water coming from your spigot. For those customers who choose our window cleaning services, we filter water to take out all minerals and pump it into a special waterfed pole with a monofilament brush on the end of it to scrub and gently rinse each window for a clean, spot free window.
How often should I get my windows cleaned?
Our residential customers get their windows cleaned once a year but we do have some who love to have us out twice a year and quarterly. Our commercial customers have their windows cleaned every week, every other week, or monthly. We do have some who prefer a quarterly service or once a year service. We are set up to be able to accommodate different services at different frequencies.
Should I replace my roof or have it cleaned?
If your roof shingles are still under their warranty period and still in good shape, call us to have it cleaned. We can clean the black vertical stripes that may have formed, and moss making your roof look fresh and clean. If there are any leaks due to minor shingle damage or a few missing shingles, you should call a roofer to help you remediate any issues before having your roof cleaned.
Is cleaning my roof merely a cosmetic repair?
No, the black vertical streaks you see on your roof will prevent your shingles from deflecting the sun properly and can increase your cooling costs. These black streaks are living organisms feeding on the limestone in your shingles, slowly breaking them down and shortening your roof lifespan.
Will you damage my roof with high-pressure?
No, we do not use a pressure washer at all when cleaning roofs. We use a specialized LOW PRESSURE system designed to gently clean the algae from the surface of your roof. Our system uses no more pressure than your garden hose! We simply apply the cleaner, allow it to dwell and rinse it clean.
