Vinyl Fence Cleaning in Kenosha County & Lake County, IL
That green on your fence is not dirt. It is alive, and that is why hosing it off never works for long.
Algae, not grime.
White vinyl fence goes green because algae is growing on it. It lives on the film of pollen, dust and organic matter that settles on the panels, and it needs damp more than it needs anything else — which is why the shaded run greens up first, why the side under the trees is always worst, and why the stretch catching the lawn sprinkler is worse still.
Because it is a living thing rooted into the surface rather than dirt sitting on top of it, a hose does almost nothing. It looks slightly better while it is wet and identical again once it dries.
Blasting it off is what makes it come back faster.
Removes what you can see
Enough pressure will strip the surface growth and the fence looks clean the same afternoon. But the organism is still rooted in the vinyl, so it recovers in weeks. And vinyl fence panels are hollow — high pressure forces water inside them and down into the post channels, where it has nowhere to go. It can permanently dull the finish too.
Kills it, then rinses
A low-pressure application, left to do its work, then rinsed off along with everything it has killed. The fence comes back white rather than merely less green, and it stays that way for a season or more instead of a month. No water driven into the panels, no dulled surface.
The whole run, not just the panels.
A Code 3 fence clean covers
- Panels, both sides where access allows
- Posts, rails and post caps
- The base of the run, where soil splash and mower marks collect
- Gates, latches and hardware wiped down
- Pre- and post-rinse of the grass and planting along the line
Fence cleaning is often worth pairing with a house wash or deck and patio cleaning — it is the same equipment and the same visit, and a clean fence around a freshly washed house is what makes the whole property read as looked-after rather than just the walls.
Straight answers.
Do you clean both sides?
Yes, where we can reach them. Your side always. The neighbour's side depends on access and on them being happy for us to be in their garden — worth a conversation with them before we come, because a fence cleaned on one side only looks half done from the other garden.
Will it damage the vinyl?
Not the way we do it. Vinyl fence panels are hollow, and high pressure forces water inside them and into the post channels, where it sits. It can also dull the surface permanently. We use a low-pressure application and let the solution do the work, which is both safer and more thorough.
Why has it come back so fast since the last time?
Almost always because it was blasted off rather than killed. Pressure alone removes what you can see and leaves the growth rooted in the surface, so it recovers in weeks. Treating it kills the organism, which is why a soft wash lasts a season or more rather than a month.
Can I just do it myself with bleach?
You can, and people do. The two things that usually go wrong are the mix — strong enough to work is also strong enough to kill the grass and the planting at the base — and the rinse, because anything left on the vinyl keeps working on it after you have gone in. It is a long afternoon on a ladder for a result that often ends up patchy.
How often does a fence need doing round here?
Most properties in Kenosha County and Lake County are on about a two-year cycle. Shaded runs, anything under trees, and anything catching a lawn sprinkler go faster — sometimes annually. A run in full sun on an open lot can go three or four years.
Why is one side always worse?
Shade and airflow. The north side and anything hedged in stays damp for longer after rain and dew, and that is what the growth needs. It is the same reason the north face of a house greens up first.
Tell us what you have and we will quote it.
Fence is quoted on the run rather than measured from the air, so tick Fence Cleaning on the estimate form and we will come back to you with a price. If you want the house or the concrete doing at the same time, the tool will price those straight away.
Fence materials we clean.
Included
- Vinyl and PVC fencing
- Wood — cedar, pine and pressure-treated
- Aluminium and wrought iron
- Composite fencing
- Gates, posts and post caps
- Both sides where access allows
Not included
- Staining, sealing or painting
- Post resetting, panel replacement or repair
- Removing chalking on vinyl that has already oxidized through
- Any panel we judge to be structurally unsound
Saying what is not in the price is not a weakness. A surprise at the end of a job costs more goodwill than an honest line on a website ever will.
Every job runs the same way.
Consistency is most of what separates a professional job from a cheap one. This is the sequence, on every property.
Check the material and the condition
Vinyl, wood, composite and metal all clean differently, and an old vinyl fence may have chalked — an oxidized layer that comes off on your hand. Cleaning can remove the loose chalk but cannot restore the color underneath, and you should hear that before we start rather than after.
Protect the line
A fence usually runs through planting beds and along a lawn. Those get pre-rinsed, and we plan where the run-off goes before it starts going there.
Clean, do not blast
Vinyl and wood both suffer under pressure — wood fuzzes, vinyl scars and hazes. The solution does the work, low pressure carries and rinses it.
Both sides, top to bottom
A fence cleaned on one side only is obvious to your neighbor and to you. Where we have access, both faces get done, along with the caps and the posts.
Rinse the base and the ground line
The bottom eight inches are where the soil splash, the mower throw and the heaviest green growth live, and it is the part most often skipped.
The things you were going to have to ask.
Insured
Code 3 Cleaning carries insurance. Certificates are available on request, and commercial accounts and property managers can have them on file before work starts.
Guaranteed
We do not stop until the job is right. If something is not right when we are done, it gets fixed — that is the whole policy and it does not need small print.
Estimates, usually same day
Most estimates go out the same day. If not, inside 24 hours. You should not have to chase a contractor for a number.
Pay how you want
Cash, check, card, and the common payment apps. Whatever is easiest on your end.
Code 3 Cleaning is firefighter-owned and based in Pleasant Prairie, now in our fourth season. You are dealing directly with an owner, not a call center — which is also why the guarantee above is worth something.
Why fences here go green before anything else does.
A fence is the first thing on a property to show algae, and it is the surface homeowners around here notice long before they think about the house. The reason is simple — a fence is shaded on one face for most of the day, it sits right at ground level where moisture is heaviest, and it gets no direct sun on the north-facing side at all. Our humidity does the rest.
White vinyl shows it hardest. A white fence that has gone green on the shaded side against neighbors whose fence still looks white is the most common reason we get called for fence work in Pleasant Prairie, Somers and Bristol.
The bottom of the run is its own problem. Mower throw, soil splash and winter salt from a nearby sidewalk all land in the same eight-inch band, and that band is what makes an otherwise clean fence still read as dirty from the road.
Straight answers.
Will pressure washing damage my vinyl fence?
It can. Too much pressure scars and hazes the surface, and the damage does not wash off. Vinyl is cleaned with solution and low pressure.
My white fence has gone green. Will it come back white?
Usually yes, if the vinyl itself is sound. If it has chalked — a powdery oxidized layer that comes off on your hand — cleaning removes the loose chalk but cannot put back color that has already gone. We will tell you which one yours is.
Do you clean both sides?
Where we have access, yes. If the far side is on a neighbor's property we will need their say-so, and it is worth asking because they usually want theirs done too.
Can you clean a wood fence?
Yes, with the same care a wood deck needs. Pressure on soft wood raises the grain and leaves a fuzzy surface that holds dirt worse afterwards.
How long does a fence take?
Most residential runs are a few hours. Long runs, heavy growth or difficult access take longer, and you get the window when we quote.
How often?
Once a year keeps most fences in this area looking right. The shaded face is what drives it.
Can it be done with a house wash?
Yes, and it should be. It is the same visit, the same setup and it costs less than two separate trips.
Are you insured?
Yes. Code 3 Cleaning carries insurance and certificates are available on request. Commercial accounts and property managers can have them on file before work starts.
Do you guarantee your work?
Yes. We do not stop until it is right. If something is not right when we are finished, we come back and fix it.
How fast will I get an estimate?
Usually the same day, and inside 24 hours at the latest.
How can I pay?
Cash, check, card, and the common payment apps.
How long has Code 3 been doing this?
We are in our fourth season. Code 3 Cleaning is firefighter-owned and based in Pleasant Prairie, and the owners are the people doing the work.