Pressure washing in Middleburg, VA

Founded in 1787, Middleburg grew up as a coach stop and relay station on Ashby's Gap Turnpike. Its historic district went onto the state register in 1981 and the national one in 1982, and the Town's 2019 plan counts over 160 buildings in it.

Middleburg's own Historic District Design Guidelines, adopted in August 2021 and updated in August 2026, put a number on cleaning, and they put it on unpainted brick: a low-pressure wash at “no more than 200 psi, equivalent to the pressure in a garden hose,” with a mild detergent only when needed and a test spot first. Wood siding, they add, should be kept away from high-pressure power washing.

Stucco gets its own line. For stucco, the guidelines prefer “a low-pressure water wash and soft bristle brush,” and then add: “Take care not to damage the surface texture.”

The guidelines name brick, bluestone, slate, native stone, and patterned concrete from earlier eras as the historic paving of the district's walks and driveways. The nomination adds flagstone sidewalks along Washington Street under mature shade trees, and the Town has been a Tree City USA since 2001. The guidelines call stone walls laid in random ashlar a strong site element in town and across the region.

Where a patio at home is laid in bluestone or flagstone pavers, that's work for our surface cleaner.

Out past the town limits, Loudoun's General Plan counts over 15,000 private wells as of 2018, mostly in western Loudoun. The EPA lists reddish or orange stains among the effects of iron in water, and our rust remover lifts that orange off most surfaces. Even the Town's own supply comes from five wells and is treated to remove high concentrations of iron and manganese.