Driveways, lane aprons, walkways, patios, decks and siding cleaned by an insured crew that works the whole city, and we check the Metro Vancouver water stage before we book you in.
Vancouver is not as wet as the mountainside across the harbour, and it is still wet enough to grow moss on concrete every single year. Under Environment and Climate Change Canada’s 1981–2010 Canadian Climate Normals, Vancouver International Airport, the long-record reference station for the city, sits at 4.3 m elevation and normals out at 1,189.0 mm of precipitation a year across 168.9 days with measurable precipitation. Cross the harbour and the North Vancouver Wharves station, about 14 km north, records 1,724.8 mm. Vancouver sits at the dry end of that gradient and still gets rain on close to one day in two.
The other half of the problem is shade. The City of Vancouver’s public tree inventory lists 185,845 trees on boulevards and in parks, before a single private garden is counted. Mature street trees over narrow lots mean a lot of Vancouver hard surfaces spend the wet half of the year damp and out of direct sun, which is exactly what moss, algae and black organic film need. It is not dirt sitting on top of the concrete. It is living growth with a hold on the surface, which is why a garden hose does nothing and why it returns faster every year it is left.
The jobs look different by neighbourhood. In Kitsilano, Dunbar and Point Grey we are usually on painted wood siding, shaded side walkways and old broom-finish concrete. In Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy it is longer driveways, stone steps and large cedar decks. In Mount Pleasant, Riley Park and Grandview-Woodland it is narrow lots where the only real access is the lane, so where the truck parks matters as much as the equipment. Downtown, in the West End and Yaletown, most of what we clean is shared: entries, walkways and parkade aprons for stratas.
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Vancouver is supplied by the Greater Vancouver Water District, and outdoor water use here is governed by Metro Vancouver’s Drinking Water Conservation Plan. Stage 1 comes into effect automatically every year from 1 May to 15 October. From Stage 2 onward the plan restricts “washing impermeable surfaces”: driveways, walkways, decks, siding.
The detail worth knowing is the exemption. At Stage 2, washing impermeable surfaces is prohibited “except if for a health or safety reason, preparing a surface for painting or similar treatment, or aesthetic cleaning by a commercial cleaning operation.” A homeowner running their own pressure washer purely for appearance is offside at Stage 2; a commercial cleaning operation is not. At Stage 3 that aesthetic exemption disappears and only health-and-safety cleaning or surface preparation by a commercial operation is permitted. At Stage 4 it is prohibited except when ordered by a regulatory authority for a health or safety reason. The plan also notes its restrictions apply only to Greater Vancouver Water District drinking water, not to rain water, grey water or recycled water.
Metro Vancouver publishes the stage currently in force on its water restrictions page. As of August 2026, Stage 2 has applied region-wide since 16 July 2026. We check the stage before every Vancouver booking and tell you plainly which category your job falls into, rather than quietly washing something we should not.
Get a free estimateDifferent surfaces need genuinely different pressure. Mixing them up is how driveways get striped and roofs get ruined.
We look at surface type, slope, drainage, water access, lane access and anything fragile nearby before a single trigger is pulled, then confirm the current water stage with you.
Roofs, painted siding and cedar get low pressure and a cleaning solution instead of force. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association is blunt about this: never use a pressure washer on an asphalt shingle roof, because it causes granule loss and likely premature failure of the roof system.
Concrete, aggregate, pavers and stone get a rotating surface cleaner rather than a hand wand, so you get an even finish with no zebra striping and no etched lines.
We flush runoff away from planting beds and toward the right drain, rinse the surrounding area and the lane if we worked from it, put furniture back and walk the job with you before we leave.
We are based at 345 Kelvin Grove Way in Lions Bay and run the whole city on the same schedule as the North Shore, from Point Grey across to Hastings-Sunrise.
Usually yes. Metro Vancouver’s Drinking Water Conservation Plan prohibits washing impermeable surfaces at Stage 2 “except if for a health or safety reason, preparing a surface for painting or similar treatment, or aesthetic cleaning by a commercial cleaning operation”, and that last exemption is us. At Stage 3 the aesthetic exemption is removed and only health, safety or paint-prep work is allowed. We confirm the stage in effect on your booking date before we commit to it.
Not the way we do it. Those surfaces get a low-pressure soft wash, not high pressure. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association warns that a pressure washer on asphalt shingles causes granule loss and likely premature failure of the roof system, so we do not use one there. Cedar and painted surfaces get the same gentle treatment.
Yes, and it is most of what we do east of Main. We plan the water source, the hose run and where the truck sits before the day, so we are not blocking a lane or dragging line across a neighbour’s property. If the only tap is at the back of the house, that is normal here and it is not a problem.
It depends far more on tree cover than on the calendar. A shaded north-facing walkway under a mature boulevard tree can green up again within a year, while an open sunny patio may hold for two or three. We would rather look at your property and tell you honestly than sell you a schedule you do not need.
Exterior cleaning in the Vancouver market is typically quoted by the work in front of it: square footage of hard surface, linear footage of siding, number of storeys, rather than by the hour. Awkward access, long hose runs and multi-unit common property generally push a quote up. We will not put a number on your job from a web page. Call 236-984-0598 or send the address and we will give you a real, no-obligation figure.
RipTide Exterior Cleaning is fully insured and our WorkSafeBC coverage is in good standing, and we hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Your property and our crew are covered on every job.
Tell us the address and what you would like cleaned. We will confirm the current water stage, then send back a clear, no-obligation quote.
