Drone Exterior Cleaning in Durham, NC
Durham's building stock runs from Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and Duke's medical campus to tobacco-era brick warehouses turned offices and apartments downtown, out to the corporate and biotech campuses of Research Triangle Park. That calls for a cleaning method that can handle modern curtain wall and century-old masonry without picking sides.
Built for Durham's mix of properties
Durham's academic buildings at Duke, NC Central, and Durham Tech, its medical buildings along the Erwin Road and Fulton Street corridors, the renovated brick of the American Tobacco and Golden Belt districts, RTP's glass and metal panel campuses, and the multi-story apartment and mixed-use buildings going up around downtown each call for a different approach. Each needs a method matched to its material: a low-pressure soft wash for brick, stone, and older mortar, chemistry matched to glass and metal panels, and a power wash for concrete. And a drone's small footprint means any closure of an entrance, parking, or a traffic lane is brief, not the days a lift or scaffolding can take.
Our Durham service area
Durham is home to universities, hospitals, historic tobacco warehouses and mills, and the research campuses of Research Triangle Park. These are the areas where a small footprint and a gentle method matter most.
Research Triangle Park
Multi-story corporate, biotech, and lab buildings along I-40 and NC-54, where spring pollen and algae build up on glass and metal panels, especially on north-facing sides.
American Tobacco Campus
Multi-story red-brick tobacco warehouses converted to offices, restaurants, and apartments, plus the large venues nearby, including Durham Bulls Athletic Park and DPAC.
Duke, NC Central & Durham Tech
Duke's West Campus, built of Duke Stone, a locally quarried rubble stone set with Gothic limestone trim, and the Georgian brick of East Campus, plus North Carolina Central University's historic campus on Fayetteville Street and Durham Technical Community College. Natural stone and limestone call for a low-pressure soft wash with chemistry safe for stone.
Duke Health & the Erwin Road corridor
Duke University Hospital, the multi-story medical office buildings along Erwin Road, and the Durham VA Medical Center on Fulton Street, where any closure of a patient entrance, ambulance route, or parking deck has to be as short as possible.
Golden Belt
Former textile and tobacco mills reborn as studios, offices, and lofts, with the kind of aging masonry that pressure washing slowly wears away.
Southpoint & the I-40 corridor
Multi-story apartment and office buildings that have grown up around The Streets at Southpoint and Fayetteville Road.
Why Durham buildings get dirty
Durham's mix of old brick, modern research campuses, and humid Piedmont summers creates its own set of cleaning problems.
Algae and growth on old brick
Century-old brick and soft mortar soak up moisture, which feeds green algae and dark biological growth on shaded walls. High pressure erodes soft brick faces and mortar joints; a low-pressure soft wash removes the growth without that damage.
Pine pollen on RTP campuses
Every spring, usually late March through April, loblolly pine pollen settles on RTP's glass, metal panels, rooftop equipment, and solar arrays, then bonds to them in the humidity.
Black streaks on shingles
Black streaks on the shingle roofs of Durham's apartment and office buildings are Gloeocapsa magma, a cyanobacteria that feeds on the limestone filler in asphalt shingles and spreads on the wind. Soft washing kills it; pressure washing strips the granules that protect the roof.
Humidity, algae, and mildew
Surfaces that stay damp through a humid Durham summer, like north-facing walls, shaded EIFS, and concrete that rarely sees sun, grow green algae and mildew. Downtown, vehicle soot settles into the same film and darkens light-colored stone and precast.
Red clay and irrigation stains
Piedmont red clay splashes onto lower walls, curbs, and sidewalks around landscaping, and irrigation overspray can leave mineral and rust-colored stains. Concrete calls for a power wash, and we will tell you up front if a stain needs a specialty treatment.
Dust from nearby construction
Wherever new buildings are going up nearby, construction dust settles on facades, glass, and ledges and bonds to them in the humidity. A low-pressure soft wash removes it without the surface wear that high pressure can cause.
Durham questions
Can you clean historic brick buildings in downtown Durham?
Usually, yes. Downtown Durham's converted tobacco warehouses and mills are mostly older brick with soft mortar, which is exactly where a low-pressure soft wash beats pressure washing. Cleaning by drone also means no scaffolding anchored into the wall. We will assess the brick and mortar first, and if a facade is too fragile or has preservation requirements, we will tell you and point you to a specialist.
Can you fly near RDU and in Research Triangle Park?
Yes, with the right authorization. Much of RTP and the parts of Durham closest to the airport sit inside the controlled airspace around Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and FAA Part 107 rules require approval to fly there. We will check the airspace for every job and secure FAA authorization before scheduling, so it is part of our planning, not your problem.
Can you clean a hospital or medical building that never closes?
Yes. Medical buildings around Duke and along Erwin Road cannot shut down a patient entrance for a day of lift work. The drone works from a small, mobile footprint, so we may keep a small area clear for a short time while cleaning directly overhead, then move on. We will plan the work around entrances, ambulance routes, and parking with your facilities team before arriving.
How tall a building can you clean in Durham?
Our drone reaches up to 150 feet. On taller buildings, we can clean the lower stories, podium levels, entry canopies, signage, and attached parking decks. If your building is taller than we can serve, we will tell you during the assessment.
Do you work on city and county buildings in Durham?
Yes. Government buildings are a good fit for drone cleaning because entrances, sidewalks, and parking need to stay open to the public as much as possible. We may need to keep a small area clear for a short time while cleaning directly overhead, but nothing like the days a lift or scaffolding can take. We are FAA Part 107 certified, carry liability coverage, and can provide a certificate of insurance for procurement. Some government properties also have their own security or flight-approval requirements, and we will work through those with the facilities team before scheduling.
Can you clean our RTP or Durham office campus with minimal disruption to employees?
Yes. There is no boom lift parked by the entrance for days and no scaffolding over the walkways. The drone works from a small, mobile footprint, so we may keep an area clear for a short time while cleaning overhead, then move on. We will plan the work around your entrances, parking, and business hours, and we can provide a certificate of insurance for your facilities or procurement team.
Our HOA wants the black streaks off our roofs. Can you help?
Yes. The black streaks are Gloeocapsa magma, a cyanobacteria common on asphalt shingles in the Triangle's humidity. A soft wash applied by drone kills the growth without anyone walking on the roof or pressure washing away the shingle granules. Individual homeowners can book roof cleaning directly, and associations can set up a community-wide plan covering clubhouses, amenity buildings, and other common structures.
Do you work with HOAs and apartment communities in Durham?
Yes. Associations and property managers can set up a single recurring plan covering clubhouses, amenity buildings, apartment buildings, and other common structures, with consolidated scheduling and billing. We will schedule around residents, and individual homeowners can book roof, solar, and skylight cleaning on their own.
More answers are on our main FAQ page.