Pressure Washing in Manassas, VA

Clearly Amazing pressure washes driveways, walkways, patios and other hard surfaces for homes and businesses in the City of Manassas, in Manassas Park and across the surrounding Prince William County area, working from our Northern Virginia office in Sterling. Estimates are free and done on site.

Call (703) 723-7770 for a free on-site estimate.

Old brick in the Local Historic District

The City’s Local Historic District spans roughly 2.5 square miles and over 300 structures. Old masonry gets its own passage in the City’s 2022 Historic District Design Guidelines, addressed to owners in that district.

The guidelines say to clean unpainted masonry with the gentlest means possible, and they name a low-pressure water wash of 600-1000 pounds per inch (as printed in the guidelines), with detergents and natural bristle brushes, as the best method. They say to avoid high-pressure water wash, which they compare to sandblasting as a way to damage brick, and to avoid cleaning masonry just to get a “new” look. They also say to avoid cleaning with water or water-based chemicals in freezing conditions, and to test any cleaner on a small, inconspicuous part of the building first. The owner checklist in the same document adds a yearly spring or fall item for masonry walls: remove vines or overgrowth that can cause stains and encourage moisture retention.

All of that is the City’s guidance for historic buildings in its district. It is not our method, we are not describing our settings or equipment here, and it says nothing about buildings elsewhere in Manassas.

The City’s zoning ordinance lists what is exempt from a Certificate of Appropriateness, and its historic district brochure gives examples of projects that need Architectural Review Board review. Neither names washing. So nothing we have from the City says whether cleaning a building in the district needs review. The City’s Planning and Development staff are the ones to ask before any work inside the district.

The City’s rules on what goes down a storm drain

The City’s Engineering pages carry the heading “Only Rain Down the Drain!” over their discharge rules. They define an illicit discharge as anything that goes down a storm drain that is not entirely made up of stormwater, and the City enforces that through its ordinance. The City’s own examples of illicit discharges include soaps, paints and solvents, and grass clippings and yard waste, while its “not illicit” examples include biodegradable, phosphate-free, water-based cleaners from residential car washing and street wash waters from normal operations. Neither list mentions washing a building or a patio.

The City’s tips for businesses go further: never hose down surfaces into the street, gutter or storm drain, and use non-toxic cleaning products whenever possible. In that sentence “gutter” means the street gutter, not the one on your roof.

The City’s stormwater plan describes where its storm drains lead. It says the storm sewer system discharges into four watersheds: Rocky Branch-Broad Run, Lake Jackson-Occoquan River, Middle Bull Run and Lower Bull Run. It also says those discharges fall under an EPA-approved sediment limit for Bull Run and bacteria limits for Broad Run, Bull Run and the Occoquan River.

These are the City’s rules and tips, not a description of our practice.

Call (703) 723-7770 for a free on-site estimate in Manassas, or request one online.

Areas we cover in and around Manassas

Our pressure washing reaches from Historic Downtown through the rest of the City of Manassas, into Manassas Park (a separate city) and across wider Prince William County. Commercial pressure washing is part of the service too.

When to schedule

Driveways, walks and patios are welcome jobs from late spring into early fall. Winter visits are welcome as well, on a mild day, for a real reason: a walkway you would like clean before guests arrive, or a property going on the market. Pressure washing works best as upkeep on a rhythm, the way gutters and the furnace do.

Questions Manassas customers ask

Does the City’s printed pressure range tell me what you will use on my brick?
That figure is the City’s printed guidance for old masonry in its historic district, not a statement about our settings. Surfaces differ, so we look at yours at the free estimate.

Can I just wash my driveway toward the street?
The City’s tips say to locate the nearest storm drains and protect them from debris before an outdoor project, and its tips for businesses say never to hose down surfaces into the street, gutter or storm drain. For your own situation, ask City Engineering.

Do your crews carry insurance?
General liability and workers’ compensation both cover the Manassas crews, who are our own employees. On request, we can supply a certificate of insurance.

Clearly Amazing — Northern Virginia
43676 Trade Center Place, Suite 140, Sterling, VA 20166
(703) 723-7770

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