Fall Sets Up the Winter
Most people think of exterior cleaning as a spring job. In Jacksonville, fall matters just as much. Summer is the peak growing season for algae and mildew, the Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30, and the leaves and pine needles start coming down in earnest in October. Whatever is on your house and driveway when winter arrives tends to stay there until spring.
Winter here is mild, but it is damp. The days are short, the sun sits low, and shaded surfaces can stay wet for days after a rain. Those are exactly the conditions algae and mildew like. A fall cleaning removes the summer's growth before it settles in, gets stains off before they set, and has the property looking right for the holidays. Here is the fall checklist for a Jacksonville home, in an order that keeps you from cleaning anything twice.
Get the Leaves Off First
Before any washing, get the leaves, pine needles, and sweetgum balls off the driveway, walkways, porch, deck, and patio. Wet leaves left in place are where most fall staining starts. They also hide the surface, so you cannot see what actually needs cleaning until they are gone. A leaf blower or a stiff push broom does the job.
Loblolly pine is the most common pine in our part of the coastal plain, and it sheds its oldest needles in the fall. Under a big pine the drop can go on for weeks, so one clear-out rarely finishes the job. Check the corners where debris collects: along the garage door, against the foundation, at the bottom of steps, and in the gaps between deck boards.
If you live inside Jacksonville city limits, set leaves out in paper lawn bags or a 20 to 32 gallon container for curbside pickup. The City does not accept plastic bags for yard waste, and open burning is not allowed inside city limits. The City of Jacksonville yard waste page lists the current weekly limits.
Work Top Down, Starting at the Gutters
Fall is when gutters fill up. Once a gutter clogs with leaves and needles, rainwater spills over the front edge instead of running to the downspout. That overflow leaves dirty streaks down the gutter face, the fascia board, and the siding below, and it dumps water and debris at the foundation.
Two different jobs fix two different problems. Clearing leaves and debris out of the channel is interior gutter cleaning. Removing the streaks and stains from the outside face is gutter whitening. They are separate services, and we can do both on the same visit if you mention it when you book. Either way, start at the top of the house. Anything you clean below the gutters first will catch the runoff.
Wash the House Before Winter
Summer heat and humidity are ideal growing conditions for algae and mildew, so by October many Jacksonville homes are carrying a full season of it. It shows up first as green or black streaking on the north side of the house, behind shrubs, and on any wall shaded by trees. In winter those same walls get even less sun and stay damp longer. The cold slows the growth down, but it does not stop it.
A fall house washing uses soft wash chemistry at low pressure to kill the growth at the root instead of blasting the surface. The siding goes into winter clean, the growth loses its head start for spring, and the house looks its best for holiday guests and family photos.
If you hang holiday lights, wash first. Clips and light strings go up more easily on clean siding and gutters, and you will not be looking at a streaked wall behind the lights in every photo for the next two months.
Give the Wood a Dry Start
Wood decks and fences take a beating over a Jacksonville summer, and fall leaves make it worse. Leaves trapped on deck boards hold moisture against the wood and can leave tannin stains on it, the same way they do on concrete. Mildew on a deck is also slippery, which matters more once the mornings turn wet and dewy.
Fall is a good time for deck and fence cleaning because the wood still gets warm, dry afternoons to dry out completely before winter. If you plan to seal or stain afterward, do not wait too long. Every sealer lists a temperature range and a dry time on the label, and both get harder to meet as the nights get colder. Clean the wood, let it dry fully, then seal while the weather still cooperates.
Fences follow the same rule. The shaded side of a privacy fence holds moisture all winter, and that is the side that turns green first.
Catch Leaf Stains While They Are Fresh
Concrete comes last because the runoff from the gutters, the siding, and the deck all ends up on it. It is also where fall shows the most. Those brown, leaf-shaped prints on a driveway are tannin stains. When wet leaves sit on concrete, they release tannins, the same natural compounds that turn tea brown, and porous concrete soaks them in. A few days of leaves in a damp corner can leave a print that a garden hose will not touch.
Fresh tannin stains lift much more easily than old ones. The longer they sit, the deeper they set, and leaves left on concrete all winter often leave a stain that is still there in spring. Our concrete cleaning pairs a surface cleaner with the right treatment for organic stains, so the leaf prints, the algae in the shady spots, and the general fall grime come off in the same pass. A fall driveway cleaning also handles the summer's tire marks and the green film that builds up under trees.
If you try a store-bought cleaner yourself, read the label, test a small hidden area first, and never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or with acid-based cleaners. Those combinations release toxic gases.
Rinse Off the Salt
Hurricane season officially ends November 30, and fall nor'easters keep the wind coming off the ocean well after that. Strong onshore wind carries salt spray farther inland than usual, and it settles on siding, windows, screens, and outdoor fixtures as a hazy film. Near the water in places like Swansboro and Hubert, a fall wash is as much about getting the salt off as it is about the algae.
Salt film dulls glass and holds moisture against the surfaces it sits on, so it is worth removing before winter rather than leaving it in place for months. Adding window washing to a fall visit clears the haze off the glass, so the house looks clean from the inside too.
Fall Cleaning Runs Into Winter
Jacksonville usually sees its first frost in early to mid November, but freezing nights come and go, and most winter days still warm up well above freezing. Exterior cleaning does not have to stop when the leaves fall. It just takes a closer look at the forecast.
The number to watch is the overnight low. Water left on a driveway, walkway, or deck needs time to dry before the temperature drops below freezing, or it can freeze into a slick film overnight. A mild, sunny day followed by a freeze-free night is ideal. October and November give you the most of those days, which is why it pays to get fall cleaning on the calendar early instead of waiting until the week before the holidays.
Your Fall Checklist
- Clear the debris. Get leaves, pine needles, and sweetgum balls off the driveway, walks, porch, and deck.
- Start at the gutters. Clear the channel and clean the streaks off the gutter face and fascia.
- Wash the siding. Pay attention to the north side and any wall shaded by trees.
- Clean the deck and fence. Let the wood dry fully, then seal while the weather still allows.
- Finish with the concrete. Driveway, walkways, and patio last, while leaf stains are still fresh.
- Rinse off the salt. Near the coast, clear the salt film off siding and windows.
- Book before the freezes. October and November give you the most mild, dry days.
If you would rather have the washing side of this list done for you, we clean homes throughout Jacksonville, Richlands, Piney Green, and the surrounding area. Call or text us at 910-650-2608 for a free estimate.