Soft washingin Margate, FL.

Margate was planned in 1953 and grew fast through the 1960s and 1970s, so most original houses have had several coats of paint over the years. Old exterior paint breaks down into a fine powder on the surface, which is what comes off white on your hand. Algae holds onto that powder, and pressure strips it along with the top of the paint.

The soft wash cleans off the growth at low pressure and leaves sound paint where it is. On heavily chalked walls some color will rinse out with the dirt, which is the paint showing its age rather than damage from the wash. Michael checks each side before starting and tells you if the house is closer to needing paint than cleaning.

Paradise Gardens is a 55-and-over community of more than a thousand single-story homes, split into four subdivisions that each have their own association and clubhouse. What an owner is responsible for outside can differ from one section to the next, and so can the look the association expects. Compact lots put the walls close to the neighbors, so overspray is managed at every property line.

Before booking, check which of the four you are in and what its documents say about walls, roofs and screen rooms. If the association washes the buildings, you may only need the screen room and patio. If the walls are yours, a single-story home is a short, ground-level job. Screen rooms vary most: some associations treat them as the owner's, some as part of the building.

Most homes in Coral Gate back onto a canal or a body of water, so the rear wall and the screen room face damp air all year. That side rarely gets full afternoon sun, and green algae settles in along the base and under the eaves. The four parks inside the neighborhood keep a lot of trees nearby as well.

The wash covers the rear wall, the screen room and the soffits, with the beds between the house and the water soaked first and rinsed after. Rinse water is kept on the lawn rather than sent down the bank. Where a sprinkler pulls from the canal, any orange banding on that wall is treated separately with a rust remover. The soffits on that side get extra attention.