Not only does laser cleaning your roof, walls, driveway, etc. give the best results but it also has less impact on the environment. English Heritage use laser cleaning on cathedrals and castles!

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The Doff low-pressure pulsed laser system is remarkably effective at exterior cleaning with no damage, using less water and energy than more usual methods – like sand-blasting and acid cleaning. A specialist is required but, if you live in Devon (Britain) you are in luck.

During the later years of my professional career – essentially from about 2000 onwards – I became aware of the importance of damp and mould treatments inside homes and of weather-proofing the outside of homes. My substantive role in improving the energy efficiency of homes was designed in part to alleviate fuel poverty (and the risk of fuel poverty) by reducing heat-loss and therefore energy bills, but also to improve health and reduce the risk of allergies – particularly asthma – and cardiovascular disease.

Like many energy professionals I was acutely aware of the essential trinity of insulation, heating and ventilation, something that Government policies never came to terms with. Considering one in isolation would not solve the problem of cold damp homes; all three must be considered – and acted upon – together.

Climate change was in the background of these endeavours and we knew, back in 2000, more-or-less what needed to be done in order to mitigate and to adapt to what the evolving science was telling us. For example, in the south-west of Britain we are in a ‘maritime temperate’ climate zone and our weather reflected this. We knew that it was likely that in the coming decades relative humidity would increase, with more rainfall and greater cloud cover. This would lead to all manner of changes that we would have to adapt to.

During this period I became increasingly aware of damp and mould and worked with Britain’s leading experts in the field of providing solutions: Mould Growth Consultants (MGC). I was seeing more damp in more properties, together with an increase in mould growth. Lichens and mosses were appearing more readily on buildings than ever before, damaging brickwork, render and roofs.

In 2024 I have learned more about a relatively new technology that is the only method that English Heritage will use when cleaning historic properties. Laser cleaning is indeed impressive technology and not just relevant to cathedrals and stately homes.

A selection of applications by Laser Clean Devon

Click on an image below to view full-screen and in correct aspect ratio.

From a conservation point of view ‘traditional’ cleaning such as sand-blasting and acid-cleaning invariably remove some of the surface of the material and can cause damage. It also uses a great deal of water and energy and is very messy. The low-pressure Doff pulsed-laser system will remove rust and quickly strip paint from metal gates and railings, with no chemicals and no damage. Traditional pressure washers use up to 30 litres of water per minute, whilst laser cleaning uses only 5 litres per minute.

The Doff system has many applications. For example, it can gently abrade wood beams back to new and remove stubborn graffiti and paint from brick and stone. Many people will want roofs and walls cleaned, and this is where we come full circle. Having cleaned the exterior of a building it would make a great deal of sense to protect surfaces against anything that climate change can throw at it – now or in the future. This is where expert products like MGC’s Haloseal, Biocheck Allweather and Lichenite come in.

A combination of cleaning and treatment will result in a home that will withstand hard frost, driving rain and baking sun, extending the life of your home whilst ensuring that walls can ‘breathe’, allowing moisture to pass out of the home but not the other way.

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If you live in Devon, England…

Please contact me directly via the form below and I will pass your details to Laser Clean Devon. Alternatively you may wish to contact them directly using the details given below.