HOUSE WASHING IN BIG FLATS, NY: WHEN SIDING NEEDS A SOFT WASH

Big Flats sits in a humid valley pocket where shaded siding stays damp long after a summer storm. That moisture feeds algae, and within two seasons the north and east elevations of most homes turn a dull green.

High pressure will knock that green off, but it also drives water behind the lap joints and can chalk older vinyl. Soft washing is the correct answer: a low-pressure detergent application that kills the organism at the root so it does not return in eight weeks.

For homes near the Chemung River corridor we also recommend a gutter face treatment at the same visit — the black tiger-striping there is oxidation-bound grime that will not rinse off with water alone.

Serving Big Flats and the rest of Chemung County, most single-story house washes are completed in a single half-day visit.