Quick question. I bought a Karcher to power-hose my balcony. I also regularly just spray water on the floor and just keep it tidy (using a normal hose pipe). This water (and a bit of dirt) goes out the water drainage pipes onto tarmac.
I live on the last floor and have a pretty much open balcony... bird droppings, etc.
My ground floor neighbour (Swiss) complains about everything and he has complained to the mamanegemnt company of the building that my Karcher makes the cars below dirty (nor true seeing as there are no cars directly below the water drainage pipes), not had I used it when he complained. He also complains about a number of other things which are pathetic. No one else complains and I am not the only person that has had problem with this person.
Anyway, the management company asked me not to clean my balcony with water. Swiss people don't do this apparently... I should use my vacum cleaner? I can hose it down with water twice a year only.
write and say you reject the claims, the person has a history of making spurious complaints ( back this up !) and as no cars are in the area its obviously false
@ Cran, I did ask that and she said my balcony is mostly covered. I'm on the last floor and only about 20 cm of the roof goes over my balcony (which goes about 1 m out). I pointed that out, but she stuck to her guns.
I think I'll have to adopt a Swiss approach and start complaining about everything.
I know it's harder work, but I use a bowl of hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush, then wipe over with a cloth and clean water, dirty water into the kitchen sink, clean sink, simples!
thank you, I was reading this thread thinking about how I can clean my balcony which is on a fake ground floor (two meters up) and has parking under it. Now I know!
A Karcher is much too strong for a balcony as it is likely to send stuff flying all over the place, outside walls and anything below. Hannah'sAuntie has got the right method - and it's not really that difficult, is it?
I complete agree! is the only way to handle those people that belongs to that bunch of people that have a confusion between being "Swiss" and being a "pain in the a**" in common: Adults guys with spoiled child - spoiled brat behavior!
When we lived in our rental house, to forestall complaints about power washing we always asked the neighbor (who didn't have a power washer) if he would like us to clean his patio as well.
Any chance you could soften up the problem neighbor this way?
I've offered it to my downstairs neighbours who are friendly. The groundfloor neighbours moan all the time. They have a garden. I'm polite with them, but they just always complain.
Everyone else in the building is friendly. You always get one I suppose. :-)
I sometimes (in the summer it's once every few weeks) pour a very large bucket of water over my balcony floor. It cascades down onto the front garden below.
I usually try and do it while it's raining but not always. Luckily no one has complained yet, because it will wet the edges of the balcony below (just because of the way it drains - but then the balcony above mine does the same to mine when she waters her plants copiously).
I'd do what Rob does and reject the claims. I also wouldn't use a power washer, just wait for a thunderstorm or heavy rain shower, and empty a bucket of water over it.
I have seen other balconies in other buildings being vacuumed. Why not! I've done mine, too. But now I just wash it.
Sometimes, (in the summer it's once every few weeks) someone who lives above me seems to pour a very large bucket of water over his balcony. It cascades down to my balcony and further because of the way it drains. .
He usually does it when it is raining (but I am not fooled) but not always.
In the past, he has made a loud noise with his vacuum cleaner.
We had new concrete steps built a few years ago leading from the garden to the laundry room. The steps get quite dirty and the company that built them told me not to use a power washer, suggesting it can do more harm than good.
This is an interesting article about the perils of powerwashing.