House Washing in Akron, Ohio
The 1911–1930 houses through Merriman Valley and Fairlawn Heights — Tudor, Spanish, Renaissance Revival, Georgian, large colonials — combine brick, stone, stucco and half-timber with painted wood, and every one of those materials fails differently under pressure, so the whole category is soft-wash-only with chemistry chosen per material.
Northwest Akron's later stock is mostly split-level and Cape Cod, which means painted or aluminum siding that chalks and oxidizes, and roofs that streak on the plane facing the tree line.
Siding and concrete look their best immediately, which is why the two halves of the same job appear to progress at different speeds.
On the older Tudor, stucco and half-timber properties, pressure stays low across every material.
How we do it
Forcing water behind siding or into seals and vents causes moisture problems, not a cleaner house. A controlled, low-pressure approach protects those openings while still lifting dirt and organic growth.
- Inspect & Protect. We inspect exterior materials and protect applicable plants and fixtures before starting.
- Low-Pressure Solution. We apply a surface-appropriate cleaning solution at low pressure.
- Gutter Faces, Downspouts, Soffit & Fascia. The outside faces of the gutters and downspouts are cleaned, and soffit and fascia are washed. Clearing debris from inside the trough is a gutter clean-out — a separate service, and one that comes free with roof soft washing.
- Careful Rinse. We rinse carefully without forcing water behind siding, seals, vents, or openings.
The method does not change from one town to the next — what changes is what we find when we get there. The full house washing page has the rest of it.
What it costs in Akron
Akron's median house dates to 1962, and the split-levels and Cape Cods that make up much of the stock are {{price:house-wash:1500}} to {{price:house-wash:2000}} depending on size. Northwest Akron and Fairlawn Heights are a different job — 1920s Tudor and Colonial Revival houses running from 3,000 square feet upward, at {{price:house-wash:3000}} and {{price:house-wash:3500}}. Brick, stucco and half-timber are cleaned at low pressure and carry no material surcharge.
Every residential price is published, and the figure you accept is the figure you pay. Find your home’s square footage — it is on your county auditor listing — and you have your price. See the full price list.
Where we work in Akron
- Northwest Akron
- Fairlawn Heights
- Merriman Hills
- Merriman Valley
- Wallhaven
- Northampton
- Montrose–Ghent
- High Hampton
- Greystone
- Pigeon Creek
Also in Akron
House Washing in other towns we cover
Worth reading first
House Washing in Akron — common questions
My siding looks washed out and my roof has dark streaks. Same problem?
No — and treating them the same is why a standard wash sometimes disappoints. Washed-out siding on a Northwest Akron split-level or Cape Cod is usually oxidation: the painted or aluminum finish has broken down, so a rinse wets it and it dries back to the same dull grey. That needs oxidation treatment. The dark streaking on the roof is a living organism growing on the plane facing the tree line, and it releases with a low-pressure soft wash. One is a finish problem and one is a growth problem, and they are identified before anything is applied. Why a wash leaves chalky siding chalky-looking, and what actually improves it, is explained in [why a wash will not bring the color back](/learn/why-a-house-wash-will-not-fix-chalky-siding). You can get your own number right now: the [instant estimate](/instant-estimate) prices your property from the address in about two minutes, and what you accept is what you pay.
Learn More — what siding oxidation is and why pressure washing won't fix it
Do you work in Akron neighborhoods with older homes and multifamily buildings?
Yes. Our Akron work spans older housing stock, multifamily buildings, and the commercial corridors, and older mixed-material homes there are washed with low-pressure soft washing instead of high pressure. Typical Akron projects are algae streaking on north-facing roofs, dirty and oxidized vinyl siding, dark staining on driveways and porches, plus apartment walkways and dumpster pads for property managers. Single homes and multi-building properties are scoped the same way: surface by surface, with access and drainage reviewed first.
My house in Fairlawn Heights has brick, stucco and half-timber. How is that handled?
As several materials on one house, each with its own chemistry, all at low pressure. The 1911 through 1930 houses through Merriman Valley and Fairlawn Heights — Tudor, Spanish, Renaissance Revival, Georgian, large colonials — combine brick, stone, stucco and half-timber with painted wood, and every one of those fails differently under pressure. Stucco cracks at the keys, timber lets water in behind it, paint strips, mortar opens. So the whole category is soft-wash-only, and the walk-through is largely about identifying which material is where before anything is applied. That mapping is what the estimate is built on.
Do you serve Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Hudson, and Kent?
Yes. Those Summit and Portage County communities are within our regular range, along with Akron itself. We do residential house washing, roof soft washing, deck and patio cleaning, and concrete work there, plus commercial exterior maintenance for storefronts and managed properties. Work in that direction is often grouped on the same day, so choosing a weekday window when you accept your estimate usually gets you in sooner. You can get your own number right now: the [instant estimate](/instant-estimate) prices your property from the address in about two minutes, and what you accept is what you pay.
How often does a restaurant entry and sidewalk need cleaning?
On a busy corridor, quarterly at minimum — grease carried out on shoes bonds to concrete and darkens it long before anyone identifies why the entry looks dull. West Market Street is the retail and restaurant spine along Northwest Akron's southern edge, with grocers, cafes and markets whose entries carry all-day foot traffic. Merriman Valley packs twenty-plus restaurants into a compact stretch. Montrose and Ghent runs the highest volume in the metro, and at that level of traffic a canopy, pad and walkway will show a season of wear in about a quarter. The [maintenance plan](/maintenance-plan) is built for exactly this: an autumn visit, next year's price held, and a longer roof warranty.
My Akron roof has moss and lichen, not just black streaks. Will it look clean right away?
Not immediately, and we explain that on site so the result is not a surprise. Sand Run and the gorge keep humidity high enough that shaded roofs here grow lichen and moss rather than just algae. Lichen has a root-like hold on the granule surface, so it has to be killed and then left to release on its own schedule with weather — scrubbing or pressuring it off takes granule with it and shortens the roof's life. That means an Akron roof can keep improving for weeks after we leave. The timeline is part of the estimate, not just the price, so you know what to expect at day one and at week four.
Learn More — what black streaks, moss, and lichen actually do to a roof
What is the difference between gutter cleaning, a gutter clean-out and gutter brightening?
Three different jobs on the same piece of metal. Gutter cleaning is the outside face of the gutter and downspout. It comes with a house wash or a siding cleaning at no extra cost. A gutter clean-out is interior work: removing packed leaves, shingle grit and sediment from inside the trough, then flushing each downspout to confirm water runs through it. It is included free with roof soft washing, because roof work puts debris into the gutters by design. It is also sold on its own, priced per linear foot, with no other service required. Gutter brightening removes the dark vertical striping bonded to the front face, often called tiger striping. That is oxidized aluminum and road film chemically stuck to the finish, so it needs a dedicated product and will not come off with house wash solution. It is never included in a house wash. A quick way to tell what you need: if the inside is full, you need a clean-out. If the outside is streaked dark, you need brightening. If neither, the cleaning that comes with your wash is enough. The gutter clean-out is free with a roof soft wash and 25% off added to a house wash, and the rate is published on the [pricing page](/pricing). More on what the gutters do to a roof in [black streaks, moss and lichen](/learn/roof-moss-lichen-algae-damage). Why a wash leaves chalky siding chalky-looking, and what actually improves it, is explained in [why a wash will not bring the color back](/learn/why-a-house-wash-will-not-fix-chalky-siding). You can get your own number right now: the [instant estimate](/instant-estimate) prices your property from the address in about two minutes, and what you accept is what you pay.
My 1977 colonial needs everything. Where should I start?
Roof first, then siding, then concrete — because each one drains onto the next. A colonial of that era in Solon typically means two full stories of siding, a steep roof with multiple planes, and a driveway poured around the same time. The roof is soft washed at height without touching the shingle. The sun-facing walls are usually chalked and need oxidation treatment rather than a wash. And a drive that has held nearly fifty winters of road salt is surface cleaning with stain treatment. Three different methods, three different outcomes, and most owners take them across two seasons. Why a wash leaves chalky siding chalky-looking, and what actually improves it, is explained in [why a wash will not bring the color back](/learn/why-a-house-wash-will-not-fix-chalky-siding). You can get your own number right now: the [instant estimate](/instant-estimate) prices your property from the address in about two minutes, and what you accept is what you pay.
Learn More — what siding oxidation is and why pressure washing won't fix it
Do you charge more for a two-story house?
No. One price covers the house at that size, whether it is one story or two. A 1,200 square foot home is $299 either way, and a 2,000 square foot home is $349 either way — you read your price off the table without doing arithmetic or wondering which column applies to you. A second story does take longer and needs more reach, and that is already built into the size-based price rather than added on top. Genuine difficulty does carry an add-on: a third story, or an elevation that cannot be worked from the ground. Anything like that is identified while the property is walked and stated before the work starts, never added afterward. You can get your own number right now: the [instant estimate](/instant-estimate) prices your property from the address in about two minutes, and what you accept is what you pay.
Is gutter cleaning included with a house wash or roof cleaning?
It depends which of the three you mean, and they get mixed up constantly. Gutter cleaning is the outside face of the gutter and downspout — what you see from the street. That is part of every house wash and siding cleaning at no extra charge. A gutter clean-out is the inside: the packed leaves and shingle grit in the trough, and every downspout flushed to confirm it actually runs. This is a real service with a real per-linear-foot price, and it is free with roof soft washing. Not discounted — included. We cannot rinse a roof properly if the gutters will not drain, and leaving the debris up there would only wash it back over everything we just cleaned, so it is part of the job rather than an add-on to it. If you were going to book a clean-out anyway and the roof is anywhere near due, booking the roof gets you both for the price of the roof. You can also book a gutter clean-out on its own, with no washing service attached. That is the standalone service and it is priced per linear foot. Gutter brightening is the third and it is never included in anything. The dark vertical tiger striping on the front face is oxidized aluminum and road film bonded to the finish, not dirt sitting on top of it. It needs its own product, no house wash removes it, and it is usually added after a house wash while the crew is already on site. The gutter clean-out is free with a roof soft wash and 25% off added to a house wash, and the rate is published on the [pricing page](/pricing). More on what the gutters do to a roof in [black streaks, moss and lichen](/learn/roof-moss-lichen-algae-damage). You can get your own number right now: the [instant estimate](/instant-estimate) prices your property from the address in about two minutes, and what you accept is what you pay.