Horowhenua's growing. So's the green stuff.
House washing and soft washing right across Horowhenua, from Foxton Beach down to Manakau. We treat the mould, algae and lichen at low pressure, then rinse it away, whether you're in the middle of Levin or out behind the dunes.
All of Horowhenua, not just Levin.
Levin's the big one, but the district runs from the dunes at Foxton Beach to the nurseries around Manakau, with beach settlements, small towns and lifestyle blocks in between. That's our patch.
It's a district on the move, too. Horowhenua grew about 10 percent between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses, and the council says that makes it the 10th fastest-growing district in the country. Construction on the Ō2NL highway, between Ōtaki and north of Levin, started in late 2025, with completion expected in 2029.
New house or old, weatherboard or brick, they all cop the same weather. Give it time and the green stuff tends to turn up, and that's where we come in.
Sources: Horowhenua District Council on growth in the district and the Ō2NL highway
Horowhenua
Hōkio Beach, Waikawa Beach, or a lifestyle block somewhere in between? Ask anyway, we'll tell you straight.
Further south? We wash the Kāpiti Coast too.
Inland or by the beach, it still goes green.
Inland, it's damp and sheltered. Out at the beach there's less rain on paper, but you've got salt and sand to deal with. Different reasons, same green walls.
Sheltered, so it stays damp.
- NIWA's records for Levin show about 1,160 mm of rain a year, with 1 mm or more falling on roughly one day in three.
- It's sheltered, too. NIWA puts Levin's mean wind speed at about 10 km/h, against nearly 18 km/h at Ohakea, which is more exposed to the west.
- The metal roofing industry's code of practice says sheltered, shady spots are where lichen does best. So the shady side of a house or roof is often the first to go green.
- Resene says a quick wash with water won't remove the spores and a chemical treatment is needed. That's the idea behind a soft wash.
Out where the wind brings the salt.
- Foxton Beach and Waitārere Beach sit on New Zealand's largest coastal dune system, which runs from Pātea down to Paekākāriki. The council's district plan talks about "sand blow" at both.
- Less rain on paper. NIWA's Himatangi station, the nearest it lists to Foxton Beach, averages about 840 mm a year. But the prevailing wind comes from the west, off the sea, and NIWA says settled weather brings pronounced sea breezes in summer.
- Salt builds up. Resene says to wash a house every year, partly to shift salt deposits, and the metal roofing code says metal surfaces that miss out on rain or hand washing may corrode two to three times faster than cleaned ones.
- BRANZ puts anywhere within 500 m of the coast, or 100 m of a tidal estuary, in its high-risk salt zone, Zone D, for building fixings. Foxton Beach sits at the Manawatū River mouth, so it's worth checking your address on BRANZ Maps.
Sources: NIWA, climate of Manawatū-Whanganui (1981 to 2010 normals), the metal roofing code of practice on maintenance and environmental categories, Resene, research on the Manawatū-Whanganui dune field, the Horowhenua District Plan 2015, Wikipedia on Foxton Beach and BRANZ Bulletin 588
Every town's a bit different.
Levin
The big one. About 19,500 people lived here at the 2023 Census, over half the district.
It sits inland, out of the worst of the wind, and it's damp enough for moss, mould and lichen to settle in. It's on council water, so if restrictions kick in they can shift booking dates.
East of town, the council's Tara-Ika rezoning took effect in March 2024. The area is zoned for around 3,500 new homes over the years ahead. Block of units or a body corporate site? Have a look at commercial.
Foxton Beach
About 2,100 people at the 2023 Census, at the mouth of the Manawatū River. The council's district plan describes a holiday and retirement town with a high proportion of holiday homes and baches, wide open streets, and a coastal landscape of dunes and "sand blow".
A bach you only see at Christmas has nobody around to notice the green creeping up the walls. Confirm: can you wash a bach while the owners are away, with access sorted first?
Foxton
About 3,400 people at the 2023 Census, roughly 6 km in from Foxton Beach and on council water. Like the rest of the coast, the weather mostly rolls in from the west.
Shannon
About 1,500 people at the 2023 Census, around 15 km north-east of Levin. Far enough inland that salt isn't the main worry. Damp and shade are.
Waitārere Beach
Just under 1,000 people at the 2023 Census, up nearly 30 percent on 2018. The council's district plan calls it distinctly coastal, with considerable sand blow and a large number of holiday homes.
It isn't one of the council's water supplies, either. The 2015 plan says water here comes from individual roof supply and groundwater bores, so if yours fills a tank, read this first.
Ōhau
About 770 people at the 2023 Census, just south of Levin. The district plan describes a low-density rural township, with sections mostly over 1,000 square metres and lifestyle blocks growing around it. It's not on the council's list of drinking-water supplies, and the plan says water is generally provided on each site, with only a limited supply from Levin. So tell us if your roof fills a tank.
Manakau
About 480 people at the 2023 Census, at the southern end of the district, roughly 12 km south of Levin. Rural, with nurseries and horticulture, and off the council's water supplies too.
Out past the town supply?
Lifestyle block or beach place running on its own roof water? Then there's a bit more to treating the roof. Here's how it works.
Census counts are from the 2023 Census (Stats NZ), rounded. Levin, Foxton, Foxton Beach and Shannon come from Horowhenua District Council's census breakdown. Waitārere Beach, Ōhau and Manakau are Stats NZ settlement figures as reported on Wikipedia (Waitārere Beach, Ōhau, Manakau). Other details: the Horowhenua District Plan 2015, the council's water supplies, Plan Change 4, Tara-Ika (with the council's Tara-Ika news for the housing figure), and Wikipedia on Foxton, Foxton Beach and Shannon. Confirm: check these Census counts on Stats NZ's place summaries before launch.
Everything we wash, Horowhenua-wide.
House washing, roof moss treatment, gutter cleaning and the rest. Same low-pressure approach in Shannon as at Foxton Beach.
House Wash
Exterior house washing the soft way, for weatherboard, brick, plaster and cladding.
See House WashRoof Treatment
Moss and lichen treated at low pressure, no blaster. Tank-water roofs need the downpipes off first.
See Roof TreatmentGutter Clean
Leaves and gunk out, downpipes checked. Landlords, the page has the Healthy Homes detail.
See Gutter CleanRoof & Gutter Combo
Roof and gutter cleaning booked together, at one combined price.
See the comboSurfaces
Driveway cleaning, decks, paths and fences, with the right pressure for each.
See SurfacesSolar Panels
Cleaned gently, with nobody walking on them. NIWA says the west coast is the sunniest part of Manawatū-Whanganui.
See Solar Panel CleaningCommercial
Townhouse blocks, body corporates and shops, planned and quoted as one site.
See CommercialSoft Wash vs Blasting
Why we treat the growth instead of blasting it off your house.
Read the comparisonSource for the sunshine: NIWA, climate of Manawatū-Whanganui
On tank water? Tell us when you book.
Horowhenua District Council lists six drinking-water supplies: Levin, Foxton, Foxton Beach, Shannon, Mangaore and Tokomaru. Outside those, your water may well come off your own roof or from a bore. The council's 2015 district plan says Waitārere Beach homes rely on their own roof supply and groundwater bores.
If your roof fills a drinking-water tank, the pipe into the tank needs disconnecting before any roof treatment goes on. BRANZ's Level guidance says to disconnect it first and rinse everything down with clean water before reconnecting. The exterior cleaning industry's code of practice says treated roofs used for collecting water need the tank disconnected or diverted, so the water isn't tainted.
When to reconnect is where the advice differs. The same code says to stay disconnected through at least three or four separate rain events of more than 30 minutes each, and product labels may set their own rule. Confirm: your tank routine, including who disconnects and reconnects the downpipes, and the reconnection rule on your product's label.
There's more on this on our roof treatment page.
Sources: Horowhenua District Council, our water supplies, the District Plan 2015, urban environment, BRANZ Level, rainwater maintenance and the ECIA code of practice, v1.02 and v1.03
Brand new still goes green.
A new house might look fine for a while. But the people who make cladding and paint still set washing schedules, new or not.
James Hardie's care guide for its Linea Oblique weatherboard says to wash it every 6 to 12 months with low-pressure water and a brush, or every 3 to 4 months in extreme coastal or sea-spray conditions, and not to use a water blaster on it. Resene says houses should be washed every year to keep paint finishes looking right and get rid of salt deposits, bird droppings and mould.
Tara-Ika, east of Levin, is zoned for around 3,500 new homes over time, so there could be plenty of fresh cladding about. Check the care guides for your own cladding and paint, as each maker sets its own schedule. Confirm: do you offer scheduled repeat washes for newer homes?
Sources: James Hardie, Linea Oblique care and maintenance and Resene, maintaining exterior painted surfaces
Drag the green away.
Placeholder: on your first Horowhenua job, shoot the same wall from the same spot before and after (with the owner's OK), and they drop in here.
Horowhenua questions.
Do you cover all of Horowhenua?
Does a house near the beach need washing more often?
What's this salt zone people talk about?
I'm on tank water. Can you still treat my roof?
Can water restrictions affect my booking?
My house is brand new. Does it really need washing?
How much does house washing cost in Horowhenua?
What can shift your date.
Rain
NIWA's Levin records show 1 mm or more of rain on roughly one day in three. The exterior cleaning industry's code says cleaning agents shouldn't go on when high wind or rain is forecast, so a wet week can push a job back.
Confirm: your rain policy, for example rebooking if heavy rain is forecast.
Wind
Levin's fairly sheltered, but the prevailing wind is westerly and NIWA says settled summer weather brings pronounced sea breezes. The exterior cleaning industry's code also says to hold off in high wind, and spray drifts anyway, so a gusty day can move things too.
Water restrictions
The council can bring in water restriction levels, and at the higher ones commercial exterior washing gets cut back or needs approval. Levin, Foxton, Foxton Beach and Shannon are all on council water.
Confirm: how restrictions affect your bookings, and whether you bring your own water.
Sources: NIWA, climate of Manawatū-Whanganui (1981 to 2010 normals), the ECIA exterior cleaning code of practice and Horowhenua District Council, water conservation and restrictions
House wash
Priced by size: small, medium or large.
Roof treatment
Priced by size: small, medium or large.
Gutter clean
Single or double storey makes a difference.
Roof & gutter combo
One combined price for both.
Travel
The beach settlements and the far ends of the district.
The main jobs are priced by the size of the house, and the ranges live on our prices page.
Every house is a bit different though, so the real number comes from a free quote. Send your address and a few photos through the form, mention if you're on tank water, and we'll come back to you.
See the prices pageLet's get your house juicy.
Tell us where you are and what needs a wash. We'll come back to you with a price.
Rather talk? Call 021 000 0000 or email hello@juicyhousewash.co.nz.
Sweet, it's in.
We'll be in touch with your quote soon.