Exterior care tips

• Soft washing vs water blasting: which suits your house?

  Chemistry or force: which clean suits painted walls, plaster, roofs and concrete, and why older roofs must never be blasted.

• How to get rid of moss and lichen on a roof

  What kills roof moss and lichen, why blasting and scraping backfire, and what you can safely do from the ground.

• Do spray-on roof treatments work?

  How spray-and-leave roof treatments work, how long they take, what they can't fix and when a soft wash is the better buy.

• Washing a house yourself: a safe DIY guide

  A ground-level DIY house wash: what to use, what to avoid, how to keep run-off out of the drains, and when to hand it over.

• How to clean gutters safely

  Clearing your own gutters from the ground or a ladder, following WorkSafe's ladder guidance, and knowing when to hand it over.

• Choosing gutter guards

  How mesh, foam and brush guards compare under Auckland trees, the problems to expect, and what to budget for DIY or installed.

• How to clean a concrete driveway

  Moss, black spots, oil and rust on a concrete drive: what works, whether to hire a blaster, and keeping the run-off out of the drains.

• How to clean a deck

  A step-by-step clean for pine, hardwood and composite decks: the right cleaner, what to avoid, and getting the boards ready for oil.

• How to clean outside windows

  What to use, how to reach upstairs glass without climbing, and how to deal with salt, hard-water spots and frames.

• North Shore exterior care calendar

  Spring wash, autumn gutters, winter moss, summer painting: a year’s plan.