Pressure Washing in Alfama

About our service in Alfama

Here, pressure is matched to the substrate more carefully than almost anywhere, because most of what we wash cannot be replaced. Lime pointing is softer than the stone around it, and a jet held close scoops it out, leaving a channel for water to get in. Old azulejo loses its glaze at chipped edges. Render patched repeatedly over a century comes away in sheets if it is pushed. The first thing we do, then, is a small test somewhere discreet, usually behind a downpipe or on a low return wall, and we set nozzle, distance and pressure from what it tells us. Sometimes the honest answer is that a wall should be washed by hand and rinsed gently instead. Access shapes an Alfama job as much as the masonry does. Where no vehicle can get near, machines and hose runs are carried up the steps, so we check in advance where water and power can be drawn from, since not every building has an outside tap or a socket that will carry equipment safely. The streets fall steeply and water goes wherever gravity sends it, which is why gullies are covered, residue is swept and collected rather than flushed down the hill, and mud is kept off neighbouring doorsteps. We also keep consumption deliberately low: summers are dry, municipal water restrictions can apply, and a job planned around less water is a job that finishes without interruption. Protection comes before anything else. Doors and frames are sheeted, letterboxes and meter cupboards covered, light fittings taped, and neighbours warned when the noisy stage will be, which in a building with holiday guests below matters more than usual. On graffiti we are blunt about the outcome: on paint or glaze it generally lifts well, but on porous stone or bare render the pigment has soaked in and a ghost tends to stay, so some stains will not come out and you should hear that from us beforehand. Damp, shaded walls will green again over time. Where painting is planned, washing goes first and the wall is left to dry properly. Terraces and old roof coverings are inspected before any decision, and a fragile covering is not washed at high pressure.

Work we take on in Alfama:

Services Included

• Hand-carried facade and stair-wall washing in streets closed to vehicles
• Stone steps, escadinhas and landings cleaned with slipperiness in mind
• Tag and graffiti removal from painted walls and tiled panels
• Inspection and gentle cleaning of small terraces and old coverings
• Light wells, tiny courtyards and patio clear-downs

Areas We Serve

We cover Alfama and the streets around it, including the Castelo, Mouraria, Sé, Santa Apolónia and the Escadinhas de São Miguel, Monday to Saturday from 9am to 8pm, with Sunday closed.

Work Gallery