Drone Exterior Cleaning in Raleigh, NC
As North Carolina's capital, Raleigh mixes the State Government Complex, a downtown skyline along Fayetteville Street, NC State University and the city's other colleges, and corporate and medical campuses spread along the Beltline out to North Hills and Crabtree Valley. The drone reaches the hard parts of all of it without a boom lift tying up a downtown sidewalk, a state office building's entrance, or a campus walkway for days.
Built for Raleigh's mix of properties
Raleigh's building stock covers almost every surface the drone is built to handle: soft wash for the brick, precast concrete, and EIFS on state and municipal buildings, college campuses, and multi-story apartment buildings, power wash for downtown parking decks, and deionized water for rooftop solar.
Our Raleigh service area
Raleigh is spread out, and each part of the city has its own mix of buildings. These are the corridors where the drone's small footprint matters most.
Fayetteville Street & the Government Complex
State office buildings around Jones Street and Halifax Mall, city and county buildings, and the offices and hotels lining Fayetteville Street, where sidewalks stay busy and a lift parked out front usually means a blocked entrance.
NC State & Raleigh's colleges
NC State's main and Centennial campuses, plus Meredith College, William Peace University, and Shaw University. Most multi-story academic and residence halls are brick, alongside newer buildings in stone, precast concrete, and glass.
The Warehouse District
Mid-rise apartment and office buildings, including converted brick warehouses, most of them inside our 150-foot reach, with street-level businesses below that cannot afford a day of scaffolding across the door.
North Hills & Six Forks Road
Office towers and mid-rise apartment buildings in Midtown Raleigh, where parking garages and street-level shops sit directly below the surfaces that need cleaning.
Crabtree Valley & Glenwood Avenue
Office buildings, hotels, and parking structures along the Glenwood Avenue and Beltline corridor, plus the multi-story apartment buildings in the hills around them.
New Bern Avenue & Lake Boone Trail
WakeMed's Raleigh campus and the UNC Rex area, each surrounded by multi-story medical office buildings with busy patient entrances and parking.
Lenovo Center, Carter-Finley & downtown venues
Lenovo Center and Carter-Finley Stadium off Wade Avenue and Blue Ridge Road, plus the Raleigh Convention Center and the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts downtown, with seating bowls, scoreboards, signage, and tall facades that are hard to reach without a lift.
Why Raleigh buildings get dirty
Raleigh's long, humid summers and heavy spring pollen season are hard on every exterior surface in town. These are the biggest culprits.
The yellow pollen season
Every spring, usually from late March through April, the Triangle's loblolly pines coat roofs, ledges, windows, and solar panels in yellow-green pollen. Mixed with morning dew, it turns into a sticky film that holds dirt and feeds mildew long after pollen counts drop.
Humidity, algae, and mildew
Surfaces that stay damp through a humid Raleigh 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.
Black streaks on shingles
The black streaks running down the shingle roofs of so many Raleigh apartment and office buildings are not dirt. They are Gloeocapsa magma, an airborne cyanobacteria that feeds on the limestone filler in asphalt shingles. A low-pressure soft wash kills it; pressure washing just strips the shingle granules.
Algae and growth on old brick
Older 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.
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.
Raleigh questions
Can you clean downtown Raleigh high-rises?
Partly, and we will be upfront about which part. Our drone reaches up to 150 feet, and most of downtown Raleigh's towers rise well above that. On those 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 state and municipal buildings in Raleigh?
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 historic brick buildings?
Usually, yes. Older brick with soft mortar 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 in Raleigh?
Yes, with the right authorization. Parts of northwest Raleigh closest to the airport, such as Brier Creek, 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 Raleigh hospital or medical building that never closes?
Yes. Medical buildings around WakeMed and UNC Rex 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.
Can you clean our Raleigh office building 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 Raleigh?
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.