10 Exterior Cleaning Services That Instantly Boost Curb Appeal

First impressions are made in 7 seconds. For a home, that first impression is entirely visual — and nothing affects visual appeal more than cleanliness. Whether you're preparing to list your home or simply want to feel proud pulling into your driveway, here are the 10 exterior cleaning services that deliver the biggest impact.

1. Professional Window Cleaning

Nothing brightens a home's appearance like streak-free clean windows. From the street, clean windows make a home look cared-for, newer, and more inviting. Interior light quality also improves dramatically — studies show clean windows can improve indoor light levels by up to 30%.

For curb appeal impact, focus on front-facing windows and ensure the frames and sills are included in the service. D&D Home Services cleans both interior and exterior as a standard service.

Streak-free windows dramatically improve both curb appeal and indoor light quality.

2. Driveway & Walkway Pressure Washing

Your driveway is one of the largest surfaces visible from the street. Over time, concrete accumulates oil stains, rust bleeding, tire marks, algae, and general weathering that turns once-bright concrete grey-brown. A professional pressure wash can restore the original colour in a single session, making the driveway look almost new.

Pair driveway washing with sealing (see #5) for maximum and longest-lasting results.

3. Full-House Soft Wash Exterior

Vinyl siding is porous and accumulates organic growth — green algae streaks, black mildew spots, and grey biological staining — that becomes visible within 2–3 years of construction and rapidly worsens. A professional soft wash removes all of this growth, restoring the original colour and adding a fresh, maintained look that no amount of landscaping can compensate for.

4. Gutter Cleaning & Brightening

Tiger striping — those dark vertical streaks on white gutters — is one of the most noticeable eyesores on an otherwise clean home. It's caused by oxidation and overflow staining. Professional gutter brightening uses specialized cleaners to remove these stains chemically, restoring white gutters to their original bright appearance. Combined with cleaning, this service transforms the visual profile of your roofline.

5. Driveway Sealing

A freshly sealed driveway delivers dramatic visual results — the deep, rich, uniform black or dark grey of a sealed surface creates a striking contrast against green lawn and light-coloured siding. It's one of the highest-ROI visual improvements you can make to a property, typically costing $300–$600 and adding perceived value far beyond that.

A freshly sealed driveway delivers one of the highest visual ROIs of any exterior service.

6. Deck & Patio Cleaning

Composite and wood decks grey and green over time. A professional clean strips the surface layer of organic growth, brightening composite to its original colour and prepping wood for fresh sealer or stain. A clean deck transforms the rear outdoor living space — and increasingly buyers evaluate outdoor living spaces as carefully as indoor ones.

7. Roof Soft Washing

Black streaks on asphalt shingles are caused by Gloeocapsa Magma — a cyanobacteria that feeds on the limestone in your shingles. These streaks affect up to 80% of homes in humid Ontario regions within 10–15 years of construction. A soft wash treatment removes the staining completely and, with the right treatment, prevents regrowth for 2–4 years.

This is one of the most dramatic single-service transformations — a stained roof can make a $500,000 home look tired and poorly maintained; a clean roof makes it look 5 years newer.

8. Fence Cleaning & Brightening

Vinyl fences are bright white when installed and gradually develop a patchy grey-green biological staining pattern. Wood fences grey and mottle. A professional clean restores both types to near-original condition — and for wood fences, creates the ideal surface for fresh stain or sealant.

9. Gutter Guard Installation

New gutter guards have an immediate visual impact: they give the home a finished, clean roofline with no visible debris. For homes with older gutters where leaves are perpetually overflowing and creating overflow staining, guards are a long-term curb appeal investment as well as a maintenance one.

10. Siding Brightening Treatment

For older vinyl siding that has oxidized to a dull finish, a professional brightening treatment can restore a semi-gloss appearance closer to the original. This is different from standard soft washing — it uses chemical brighteners that react with the vinyl surface. On the right property, this treatment can delay re-siding by 5+ years.

Curb Appeal ROI Comparison

D&D Home Services Team Exterior Cleaning Experts

D&D Home Services is Kitchener-Waterloo's trusted exterior cleaning company. We've served hundreds of homeowners across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph with professional, insured exterior services.