Hurricane Season Prep:
Exterior Cleaning Checklist
Pre-hurricane exterior cleaning is not just aesthetics — algae on the roof reduces wind resistance, clogged gutters cause water intrusion, and debris in drains creates flood risk. Here is the practical checklist for Naples homeowners.
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· House · Drains
Pre-season exterior cleaning is functional preparation, not just maintenance timing. Debris in roof valleys dams water in heavy rain, and growth hides cracked tiles and lifted shingles you want to find before the season. Clogged gutters back up in heavy rain and can push water in at the roofline. Blocked surface drains and lanai drains create pooling that reaches door thresholds and seals.
Cleaning in April–May gives you a clear visual baseline of your property’s condition before the season starts. Damage that was hidden under algae or debris becomes visible and can be addressed before it becomes a claim.
Roof — Soft Wash for Algae and Debris
Remove all algae, mold, lichen, and debris from roof surfaces. Debris accumulation in roof valleys and around penetrations creates water damming during heavy rain. A clean surface also makes damaged tiles and shingles easier to spot. Soft wash the entire roof surface and clear all valleys, ridges, and drip edges.
Gutters — Clear and Flow-Test
Florida gutters clog fast with leaf debris, storm residue, and organic buildup. Clogged gutters in a hurricane become water channels that back up under the roof edge and into the fascia, soffit, and attic. Clear all gutter debris, flush downspouts, and confirm water flows freely from every section to the downspout exit.
House Exterior — Soft Wash Walls and Soffits
Algae and mold on stucco walls hold moisture that compromises the stucco seal in sustained high-wind rain events. Cleaning also reveals hairline cracks, failed caulk around windows and doors, and compromised areas that should be addressed before the season. Pay special attention to soffits — these are common water intrusion points in hurricanes.
Lanai, Pool Deck, and Surface Drains
Clear all surface drains of algae and debris buildup — inspect every drain and verify it flows freely. Blocked lanai drains during a storm can cause rapid water accumulation that reaches door seals. Clean the pool cage frame and screen tracks where debris accumulates and restricts water drainage through the screen panels.
Driveway and Entry Area
Clear any debris buildup at the base of the garage door and front entry. These low areas pool water in heavy rain — any obstruction to natural drainage can cause water entry. Note any settled pavers or concrete sections that have developed low spots where water will pool against the structure.
Collier County’s solid waste division asks residents to finish all major cutting of vegetation, including tree removal, before June 1, and to cut back branches that hang near the home, the pool cage, a shed or other buildings. Its guidance also recommends thinning foliage so wind can pass through the canopy, and placing trimmings at the curb on your regular yard waste day.
That timing shapes when the exterior clean should happen. Book the tree crew first and the wash second. Trimming knocks leaf litter, sap and bark dust onto the roof, into the gutters and across the cage screens, so a roof washed before the arborist arrives is a roof that needs another rinse. In practice that means trimming in March or April and cleaning a week or two later, still well ahead of the season opener.
Branches over the pool cage deserve special attention. A limb that rubs the top rail or rests on the screen roof is both a debris source and a projectile risk, and the screen panels beneath it are usually the dirtiest on the enclosure because they catch everything that drops.
Exterior cleaning is a spring job, not a storm-week job. Once a watch or warning has been issued, Collier County says residents should not trim vegetation of any kind and should not place materials of any kind at the curb, because loose piles become windborne debris. The same logic applies to cleaning: there is no time for solution to dwell and surfaces to dry, crews are busy securing their own equipment, and a half-finished roof is worse than an untouched one.
What you can do that week is quick and free. Pull the hose reels, chairs, planters and grills off the lanai and pool deck so they cannot blow into the screens. Lift lanai drain covers and clear what you can reach by hand. Put garbage and recycling carts inside or tie them down, as the county recommends. Take dated photos of the roof, walls, cage and driveway; a recently cleaned exterior makes those photos far more useful if you later need to show the condition before the storm.
Wind-driven rain and spray leave a film on every exposed surface along the coast. UF/IFAS extension agents advise spraying salt off landscape plants with fresh water as soon as you can, holding off on chemical fertilizer because fertilizer delivers nutrients in salt form, and giving wind-burned plants supplemental water. That same freshwater rinse is a sensible first step for the pool cage frame, screens and lanai furniture once it is safe to be outside.
Where storm surge reached the yard, UF/IFAS notes the soil can be flushed with fresh water if plants still show signs of life, but cautions that most plants hit by saltwater flooding will not survive. For hard surfaces, flood silt on the driveway and pool deck should be shoveled and rinsed before any pressure washing, so the grit is not ground across pavers and screen tracks.
Be patient with full cleaning. Roof work waits until a roofer has looked at any lifted tiles or creased shingles, because a cleaning crew walking a storm-loosened roof can make things worse. Gutters and lanai drains come first, since the rainy season may still have weeks to run.
After a storm, Collier County asks residents to sort debris into separate piles: vegetative debris, construction and demolition material, electronics, and appliances. It asks that piles not be placed near or on fences, mailboxes, power equipment, water meters, fire hydrants or storm drains. County staff have also urged homeowners to keep debris out of drainage areas and off sidewalks, and the South Florida Water Management District has warned that blocked canals and swales lead to flooding when more rain arrives.
Your own swale and the curb inlet in front of the house are part of the same system as your gutters and lanai drains. If the swale is buried under branches, the water from your freshly cleared downspouts has nowhere to go. Keep the pile on the lawn side, leave the inlet open, and rinse sand and leaves off the driveway toward the grass rather than into the street.
When conditions allow a proper clean, our roof soft wash starts from $299 for a single-story home, and a roof plus house wash combination starts from $599. Call 239-544-1165 to book a spring slot before the season starts.
Black streaks GONE in 1 visit — and they stay gone for 2-3 years.
Soft wash chemistry kills Gloeocapsa Magma at the root, not just on the surface. No high pressure, no tile damage, no voided warranty.
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We provide pre-hurricane exterior cleaning in Naples FL — roof, gutters, house wash, and drains — see all service areas.
About the Author
Owner Blane Perun started this company with a simple premise: Naples homeowners deserve a professional exterior cleaning option that doesn’t come with the inflated pricing of franchise operations and large corporate companies.
