Vinyl privacy fence with rust stains before cleaning, top, and clean after, bottom

Fence Cleaning

Fence Cleaning in Brunswick, GA

Your fence rarely fades even.

Veteran ownedBrunswick & the Golden IslesFree quotes

One run goes green in the shade while the sunny stretch next to it still looks fine, or a wood fence turns gray while the vinyl fence beside it starts picking up the color of the marsh. We clean all three the same way: soft washing matched to the material, the whole run done as one job, and a price set after we look at the fence rather than guessed over the phone. This page covers fence cleaning only: wood privacy and picket, vinyl, and chain link. Deck cleaning is a separate treatment with its own process, covered on our deck and fence cleaning page.

Why a Fence Gets Soft Washed, Not Hit With a Wand

Fence boards are softer than they look. They're softest when wet. Wood fences here are pressure treated pine or cedar. A pressure wand held close to either one furs the grain, gouges the face and leaves stripes that stay visible for years. On a painted picket run the wand does something worse — it lifts the paint and exposes bare wood underneath, which then holds water.

So wood and painted picket get the same treatment the siding on the house gets: a cleaning solution does the work, dwell time lets it break down the algae and mildew, and the rinse is a wide fan held back from the boards. That's the same low-pressure method we use across the exterior, and a fence belongs in that group.

Vinyl is the same story for a different reason. A vinyl fence comes back white with solution and a rinse. A wand leaves permanent etch marks in the plastic — marks that do not buff out and will not clean away with another visit. There's no low setting that makes a wand safe on vinyl, because the damage is to the surface itself.

Chain link is the simple one: rinsed rather than treated with solution. A straightforward pass, not a restoration.

Material tends to track with the age of the neighborhood. Newer construction like Broadfield's, built since 2000 off US 17 in the county's newer growth, hasn't had the years of shade and moisture exposure that older Brunswick streets have, so fences out there usually need lighter, more frequent upkeep instead of a full restoration. Older Brunswick streets are where the painted wood lives — and painted wood is where the full soft-wash judgment matters most.

The Shaded Run That Greens First

A fence rarely greens evenly. There's a reason for that.

Green and black on wood is algae and mildew, and both need moisture to hold. A fence line under trees or backing onto the marsh greens up on the shaded side first, because that stretch never fully dries between rains. The sunny run dries out by mid-morning; the shaded run is still damp at noon.

Old Town and Windsor Park show this plainly. The old grid sits under a live oak canopy — Lover's Oak on Albany Street is the emblem of it — and the streets around Howard Coffin Park keep ground and structures damp for days after a rain. A back fence line under those oaks will go green while the front picket run stays reasonably clean.

Marsh-adjacent lots have the same problem from a different direction. The Marshes of Glynn wrap Brunswick on the east, and the Turtle River and the Brunswick River close in from the west and south. A lot near a tidal creek or on low ground holds humidity longer than higher, open ground does, and a fence backing onto the marsh sits in that humidity year-round.

This is why we clean the whole run rather than the bad stretch. Cleaning only the green section leaves a fence with two obvious tones, and the line between them is more noticeable than the algae was.

On marsh-front work we set up from the house side and work out, so the rinse runs across the yard instead of toward the water. Georgia's tidal marsh is protected under the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act, so runoff toward a tidal creek matters. Working outward from the house is the simplest way to keep the rinse where it belongs.

Corner of a vinyl fence by a pine straw bed, rust stains before and after cleaning

What Moves the Price of a Fence Cleaning

We don't price a fence over the phone. The quote is free and written, given after a look. What moves the number: total length and height of the run; material — wood needs solution and dwell time, vinyl needs solution and a rinse, chain link is simply rinsed; how heavy the growth is; access, including gates, plantings and how far the fence sits from the truck; rust or oil stains, which add a treatment step; and whether you want one side cleaned or both.

That number is one figure for the whole job, with no charge for the visit. Once we start, it doesn't change unless we find something we could not see — and you approve it before we touch it.

That written number is also why booking makes sense in an HOA neighborhood where the fence is part of the view from the street. Windward Acres, between Hidden Lakes and Helmich off US 341, has a community pool and tennis courts and streets people actually walk. Country Club Estates runs along US 17 between Brunswick and Darien. On a street like either one, a green fence line gets noticed, and a homeowner would rather have a firm figure in hand than a range invented over the phone.

Most customers start by texting a couple of photos. That gets a realistic sense of the job before we ever come out — though the written quote still comes after a look.

How a Fence Gets Cleaned, Start to Finish

Before anything goes on the fence, the plants go down first. Beds, hedges and grass along the run get wetted down, then the solution goes on, then everything gets rinsed again after. That protocol runs on every job we do, and it's the difference between a clean fence and a row of brown shrubs behind it.

On wood and painted picket, the cleaning solution goes on and is given dwell time to break down the algae and mildew in the grain. Then a gentle wide-fan rinse from a distance carries it off. The solution does the cleaning; the water only moves it.

Vinyl takes solution and a rinse and comes back white. Chain link gets rinsed without solution.

Posts and the bottom rail near the ground, where mildew collects, are part of the run. That low stretch is usually the dirtiest part of the fence, and it's the part a quick pass misses.

On a marsh-adjacent lot we work from the house side out through the whole job, so the rinse stays on the yard and runs away from the tidal water rather than toward it.

One Side or Both, and Where This Job Ends

One side or both is a scope decision, and it gets settled at the quote. We clean what you tell us to clean. If the fence is shared with a neighbor, the far side is your call to make.

A few boundaries worth stating plainly, so nothing is a surprise on the day:

We do not stain or seal a fence. Cleaning is the service. Staining and sealing are not something we offer, on wood or anything else.
Deck cleaning is a separate treatment, with its own process and its own considerations, covered on the deck and fence page linked above. Want both done? We quote them as the separate jobs they are.
Concrete is a different job with different equipment. A driveway, walkway or patio is a hard surface that takes real pressure, run with a rotary surface cleaner so there are no wand stripes — that's pressure washing for driveways and other hard surfaces, a separate job with its own page.
House washing is separate too. Siding is its own job even when it's scheduled on the same visit as the fence.

None of that stops us from doing several of them in one trip. It just means each one is quoted as itself, so the number on the page matches the work in the yard.

Owner-Operators, a Free Quote and the Re-Clean Guarantee

Atlantic Coastal Cleaning is veteran owned and operated, licensed and insured. Devon Swanson and Levi Greene own the company and are on every job themselves — nothing is subcontracted. The person who answers the phone quotes the job, and the person who quotes the job is the one cleaning your fence.

That's also why the quote is free and written with no charge for the visit. We're not sending an estimator to sell you something someone else will do badly.

And if the fence is not clean to your satisfaction, we come back and re-clean it at no charge. No callback fee, no argument.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to get a fence cleaned?

There's no set price for fence cleaning, because a run depends on how much fence you have and what it's made of. Length and height of the run, whether it's wood, vinyl or chain link, how heavy the growth is, access through the yard, and rust or oil staining all factor in. We look at the fence first and give one written number for the whole job, with no charge for the visit.

Is it okay to pressure wash a fence?

Not on wood or vinyl — real pressure damages both, so we soft wash instead. A pressure wand held close to wood furs the grain, gouges the face and leaves stripes that stay visible for years, and on painted picket it lifts the paint. Vinyl fares worse: a wand leaves permanent etch marks in the plastic that never buff out. Chain link is simply rinsed.

How can I make my old, gray fence look new again?

Start by getting the algae and mildew off, because the gray itself is sun damage, not dirt. The sun breaks down the surface fibers of the wood and turns it silver gray, and that grayed wood holds water and grows algae faster. A cleaning solution and a gentle rinse take the growth off without furring the grain. We don't stain or seal a fence — cleaning is the service we offer.

Do you clean both sides of a shared fence?

That's your call — we clean whatever side or sides you tell us to at the free quote. One side or both is a scope decision, not something we assume. If the fence backs up to a neighbor's yard, cleaning their side is between the two of you — we clean what's agreed on, and that gets settled before any work starts, at the free written quote.

Do you clean vinyl and chain link fences, or only wood?

All three — wood, vinyl and chain link each get a different method suited to the material. Wood privacy and picket fencing get solution and dwell time to break down algae and mildew. Vinyl gets solution and a rinse and comes back white. Chain link is simply rinsed, since there's no painted or porous surface to treat, and no cleaner needed either.

How often does a fence need to be cleaned?

It depends on the run — a shaded or marsh-adjacent fence needs attention sooner than one in full sun. Green and black growth need moisture to take hold, and a fence line under trees or backing onto the marsh stays damp longer between rains than an open, sunny stretch. We'll give you a straight read on your fence's own interval at the free quote.

Get a free quote

(912) 571-0639

Call or text (912) 571-0639 for a free written quote on your fence — no charge for the visit, one number for the whole job.

Call (912) 571-0639 for a Free Quote

Veteran ownedLicensed & insuredFree written quotesBrunswick · St. Simons · Sea Island