- 6/30/2025
Amazing Cleans S01E08 (17th November 2022)
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:01In every corner of the country...
00:04I don't think it's ever been clean, to be honest.
00:06Grime and Muck are making mugs of us.
00:09It's a bit wishy.
00:10This is well dodged.
00:12They're looking to take over, and it's time that something was done.
00:16This is rank.
00:18Just some of the things we've aimed.
00:20The toilet. That nice.
00:22Meet the fearless few...
00:24Woo!
00:25..on the front line of Fighting Phil.
00:28It's probably my favourite part of the whole job.
00:30Smells pretty rotten.
00:32Reminds me of Friday night's curry, this.
00:35They're battling bacteria.
00:37Clients ring up saying they've been sick in their car,
00:40and I wouldn't have it any other way, you know.
00:42The grease is too tough.
00:43Look at that. Beautiful.
00:45And seeing off slime...
00:47It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.
00:49...with their amazing cleans.
00:54Amazing cleans.
00:58This time, it's bird poo week on amazing cleans.
01:03It's just like shark week, only with fewer great whites
01:06and more white splats.
01:08They're messing up memorials.
01:10And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that a professional's clean?
01:14A war memorial.
01:16Defiling driveways.
01:18We'll get it cleaned up, see what we can do.
01:20And even facing down killer robots from the future.
01:24No, seriously.
01:25The gull droppings attached to the glass in a way
01:28that's very, very sticky.
01:30As everybody knows, gulls eat virtually everything.
01:33First, we're off to Swindon to tackle a clean of hair-raising proportions.
01:41Morning.
01:42Look, if I didn't make that joke, you would have done.
01:45Meet Steve and Jake of Clean Solar Solutions.
01:48They're bringing the glamour back to gunk removal.
01:51This is my look.
01:52This is how I turn up for work every day.
01:54But even Steve's high barnet looks puny compared to today's clean.
01:58A vast roof covered in solar panels.
02:05Today on this site, we've got 11,000 solar panels, all of which need cleaning.
02:10This building is one of B&Q's main distribution centres.
02:14And it's huge.
02:16It's covered in solar panels.
02:18And each panel is covered with one thing in particular.
02:21As you can hear probably and see overhead, the seagulls.
02:24So we're expecting a lot of bird droppings on these panels.
02:26But this is exactly why we've been called in.
02:29All this bird poo is cutting the amount of electricity these panels generate.
02:33And if they don't have power, they can't sell the DIY gear.
02:37Then all those jobs you need to do this weekend won't get done.
02:41We're talking total societal collapse.
02:45I will be getting changed.
02:46I can't walk around on a roof covered in bird droppings in this gear.
02:50Don't know, might help scare the birds off.
02:52OK, let's get cracking.
02:54This distribution centre is one of Steve's regular customers.
02:59It's been eight months since they last paid a visit.
03:03It's a huge job.
03:05And every local seagull has done a huge job here too.
03:09This kind of muck is very difficult to remove.
03:11So we will pre-treat these which starts to lift the muck off.
03:14And then we can go along with the robots behind.
03:16And then that will remove the bird droppings.
03:18Got it.
03:19Pre-treatment first.
03:20Then, wait.
03:21Robots?
03:22So I'm applying a chemical.
03:25We'll use it in areas that have got heavier bird droppings.
03:30It will loosen up the mess for when the robot goes across.
03:33Ah, stop teasing us, guys.
03:36Show us.
03:37Go on.
03:38Show us.
03:39Show us.
03:40So the way that we clean these solar panels is using our solar panel cleaning robots.
03:45Yep.
03:46The future is here.
03:47Swindon meets Sir Clean-A-Lot.
03:50AKA Bristles McGinty.
03:53Doesn't actually have a name.
03:54I just thought of that.
03:55Cutting edge technology.
03:56They're water fed.
03:57They've got a stiffer bristle on the front of the robot.
04:01Softer bristle on the back.
04:02This turd terminator is here to clean up.
04:06And it's judgment day for the bird dung.
04:09Three, two, one, activate.
04:12The red bristles spin at one end of the flat robot as it moves slowly along the line of soiled
04:18solar panels.
04:23Water drips from the back of it as it turns a corner.
04:27Steve is holding a remote control handset.
04:42So how do they work, Steve?
04:44You can control them, right?
04:46The robots are controlled via remote control.
04:48It's a bit of a big boys toy, really.
04:51We can control the brushes.
04:53We can control the speed.
04:54Water on, water off.
04:55And then this joystick there to drive it all around with.
04:58And this robot loves nothing more than to guzzle guano.
05:03The gull droppings attached to the glass in a way that's very, very sticky.
05:07As everybody knows, gulls eat virtually everything.
05:10I can absolutely guarantee you they wouldn't eat the cannelloni I made the other night.
05:19But even if the machines seem unstoppable, they've still got thousands of poop splattered panels left to scrub.
05:26We'll head back to the future later.
05:32Time for some real talk.
05:34I love pressure washing.
05:37It's clearly the most satisfying way to pimp a patio or de-gunk a drive.
05:44But what if you want to take it to the next level?
05:47You need to take it to the streets.
05:50The pavements are where you find the deadliest filth of all.
05:55Chewing gum.
05:56No messing around with peanut butter or putting it in the freezer for these lads though.
06:01Sayonara, spearmint original.
06:03Blobs of chewing gum are lifted up by the spray.
06:06Another section is cleaned, leaving an area of dirt.
06:09Yes, I love a square.
06:19Just remember that when you're working out in public, the usual rules apply.
06:23Keep a safe distance from people, wear protective clothing and don't step on the cracks.
06:36Over to Yorkshire now, and bye-eck if it isn't time to check in with our old pal, Mick Blackley.
06:43Mick is a shot blaster, which means he can strip anything off a surface using crushed glass and a high-pressured hose.
06:51This is extremely, extreme cleaning.
06:54His specially customised kit fires the glass at pressures of up to 125 psi, making him the most abrasive man in Yorkshire.
07:05From narrowboats to houses, you name it, Mick's blasted it.
07:10So what's in the firing line today?
07:12This is what we've got to do today. We're sandblasting this.
07:16Don't worry if you're not up on your lorry lingo.
07:19This is a tipper wagon.
07:21It's owned by a haulage company who want to repaint it.
07:24It's taken a hell of a beating.
07:26Yeah, it shits on all these scabs and rusty bits. Take it back to bare metal.
07:31Paint, primer, rust, it's all gonna go.
07:35It's a nice day, but there's rain on the way. So Mick's working indoors for a change.
07:43Let's make a start.
07:45Let's make a start.
07:47That's right, Mick. Hit it with your best shot. Blast.
07:52He aims the blast at the track.
07:57How's it going, Master Blaster?
07:59There's a lot of mill scale under this one.
08:01That's a bit like a scab made out of metal. No biggie. That's coming off too.
08:10Those patches are shadows where the rust was. Those faded shapes tell a story.
08:15Like the tattoo I got in Kavos.
08:20He works his way along the side of the truck.
08:25The sparks are really flying now.
08:28The sand is moving at such high speed is barely visible.
08:36The truck is getting a thorough exfoliation.
08:39Don't try this in the shower though.
08:42Silver metal is revealed beneath the rust.
08:48The rust is nearly history.
08:58Keep going, Mick.
08:59If we don't complete this job, evil will triumph and a thousand years of darkness will reign.
09:07Speeded up footage of Mick working on the back of the truck.
09:10I bet it's quite relaxing actually.
09:14Like one of those adult colouring books.
09:16Just with a greater risk of losing a hand.
09:24And this is what Mick sees.
09:27We're inside his head.
09:28Or at least his helmet.
09:29And for the grand finale, it's time to tackle the flap thing at the back.
09:40The last little bit.
09:44Here we go.
09:46Yes!
09:47Yes!
09:48Yes!
09:49Hell yes!
09:50What a finish.
09:54Top stuff, Mick.
09:55This rust bucket is blue no longer.
09:59All it needs now is a fresh lick of paint and it can hit the road.
10:03Nice one.
10:05Coming up.
10:07A truly awful selection of rancid roofs.
10:10And a filthy floor gets its comeuppance.
10:18What's the biggest fear today?
10:19That I'll be on my hands and knees all day scraping from one end of the floor to the other.
10:33Off to Loughton in Essex now to meet a man with more drive than Lewis Hamilton.
10:38His name's Bond.
10:41Ryan Bond.
10:43He runs RGB exterior cleaning and he's licensed to jet wash.
10:48Bet he's never heard that before.
10:51We're off to a job today in Loughton.
10:52We've got a really dirty driveway block paving.
10:55We've got moss.
10:56We've got weeds.
10:57We've got all sorts.
10:58It's got quite bad.
10:59Sounds like it's ticking all the boxes.
11:01It's a dreary grey day, but Ryan's determined to bring a bit of sunshine.
11:05And the two-tone hives definitely helps.
11:09It hasn't been clanging for quite a long time, so...
11:12I can really hope it'll come off really nice.
11:15Five years, to be precise.
11:17In that time, this Essex driveway has gone from glam to glum,
11:21with a filthy smearing of moss, weeds, soil and other miscellaneous manc.
11:31Ryan knows he's in for a challenge today.
11:35There's going to be a lot of dirt coming out,
11:36so it's going to have to be getting rid of the dirt.
11:38It's going to look like dirt.
11:39It's going to look like loads of the soil.
11:41It's going to look really slushy dirt.
11:43Ooh, is it bad I sort of want to roll around in it?
11:50Ryan kicks off with the blower to clear away the leaves and debris.
11:55And if those trainers are still looking that white by the end of the day,
11:59I'll personally give you a tenner.
12:02Then it's on to the reason we're all here.
12:04Let's be honest.
12:05This is my pressure washer.
12:07It's a 196cc engine.
12:10Wow! You could knock down a house with that.
12:13Which, in the grand scheme of things, isn't that much.
12:15Some pressure washers do a lot more.
12:17Oh.
12:18But it does the job. It's powerful enough.
12:20You could knock a tiny house down with that.
12:25He gives the driver chemical wash
12:28that'll start to break down the five-year build-up of grots.
12:31And after a change of footwear, thank goodness,
12:37it's time for blast off!
12:41As Ryan works, he cleans a shape in the driveway
12:44with the jet from the pressure washer.
12:49Oh, please make it a square.
12:54Oh.
12:56It's a rectangle.
12:57Ryan aims the hose at a low wall.
13:02Chunks of soil fly up.
13:06Loads of squares.
13:08This is the business.
13:12Oh, wow.
13:14He works carefully on each section of the drive.
13:22Let's do it bit by bit.
13:24When you look at the whole drive,
13:26it looks massive.
13:27But if you just take one square by one square,
13:28then it just cuts it down and makes it easier.
13:31Oh, my God.
13:32You should totally be Prime Minister.
13:34Like, tomorrow.
13:36It's actually going quite well.
13:37You can obviously see the difference.
13:38It's all coming up quite easy.
13:40I'm actually enjoying this one.
13:41It's a nice job, because it's downhill.
13:43All the dirt and the water flows down.
13:46I'm enjoying it too.
13:48But there's a cloud on the horizon.
13:49It doesn't look like it's going to rain,
13:50so I'm just going to try and smash it out before it starts raining.
13:53It's not fun working in the rain.
13:59Ryan promised us really sloshy dirt,
14:02and he's more than delivered.
14:04But now the weather threatens to turn that freshly excavated muck
14:09into a full-on landslide.
14:10We'll dash for shelter and join him again later.
14:17Let's return to that dystopian nightmare we saw earlier.
14:21That's right, we're back in Swindon.
14:24On a huge rooftop,
14:26Steve and his army of cleaning robots
14:29are busy scrubbing bird poo of 11,000 solar panels.
14:33He's hyped for this post-human world of crud removal.
14:36The robots are quicker, they're more efficient,
14:40and they're more labour-saving as well,
14:41so good pieces of kit.
14:43Yes, this vision of the future is bad news
14:46for people who still like to clean the old-fashioned way.
14:49If one man was to come up here and clean on his own,
14:51in these conditions,
14:52they'd clean probably between 300 and 500 solar panels in a day.
14:56Never mind one man.
14:57Let me up there and have a crack at it, Steve.
15:00We can bring the robot up here.
15:01This bigger robot will clean probably between 2,000, 2,200 in a day.
15:06I always say to people,
15:07I don't go to work, I go to fun.
15:10Yeah, don't say that.
15:15To make matters worse,
15:16the seagulls are deliberately targeting the panels.
15:20The seagulls will drop a lot more onto the panels
15:23than they will the roof,
15:25because they think it's the sea.
15:27They're blue within the panel,
15:28and when they're flying above it,
15:30it sort of confuses them.
15:31They think it's sea.
15:32Oh, my God, they are so stupid.
15:35How are they even alive?
15:37Jake also welcomes our new robot overlords.
15:41I love these robots.
15:43They make your job a lot easier.
15:45You're not needing to get the pole out
15:47and spend eight hours with it in your hands.
15:50But life wasn't always so high-tech for Steve.
15:53I was a window cleaner,
15:55window cleaned ever since I left school.
15:57One of my window cleaning customers asked me
15:59if I could clean their solar panels.
16:01So I sort of set up self-educated really
16:04on how solar panels work.
16:06Is there an electrocution risk?
16:08The answer I found was yes.
16:10Shocking.
16:11And it explains the hairdo, I guess.
16:12The look is all part of the company brand, really.
16:15I haven't always looked like this,
16:17but I realised that if I was going to succeed in this industry,
16:19I needed to get remembered.
16:21But tomorrow's world isn't all plain sailing.
16:23One of the robots needs a battery change and is rebelling.
16:27It's not spinning right. That brush, it was working fine.
16:29And this is what I don't like about these robots,
16:31is just that sort of thing.
16:33Oh, yeah, this is how it all starts.
16:35Game over, humanity.
16:37They're very temperamental sometimes, these robots.
16:39They test your patience.
16:43With the robot rebellion crushed, Steve gets back to work.
16:49I love this job.
16:52Just wait until they rise up and overthrow you, Steve.
16:56And soon, this Steve Jobs of bird jobbies calls it a day.
17:03So I think we can leave it there for today.
17:05Great. Only another 20 days to go.
17:07The client will be happy.
17:10They're going to noticeably see their generation go up.
17:13That's right. Where these panels were previously humming with seagull dung,
17:17they're now humming with electricity,
17:19generating even cleaner energy than before.
17:22For Steve, the job satisfaction is off the scale.
17:25I just love this. This is just like a hobby.
17:27I feel like Ronnie O'Sullivan that's bent over the snooker table
17:30getting paid to play snooker.
17:32This is how I feel about my job.
17:33I love it. I just happen to get paid for it.
17:36The future's bright. What could possibly go wrong?
17:42Amazing cleans.
17:43Let's raise the roof with some more grot we found on the internet.
17:51There's all manner of moss, mank and bird muck up there.
17:56And if you want to clean it, you're going to need a really, really long pole.
17:59Speed it up footage.
18:01Add some steam and the dirt just flies away, meaning you'll no longer feel a burning sense of shame every time a plane goes overhead.
18:13Just make sure you start at the top and work down. Let gravity do the work for you.
18:23If you've got a pole long enough, the sky's the limit.
18:28The pressure washer head reaches up to a high roof.
18:35Just make sure you leave enough time to sweep up all that moss you've steamed off afterwards.
18:43Amazing cleans.
18:44Over to beautiful County Kildare now to meet Carl and the boys from Cleaning Warehouse.
18:58They've just arrived at this impressive Victorian house and they're ready to hit the floor.
19:03The tile has been covered up by carpet for about 60 years and the new owner of the house has called us in to get the tile looking nice.
19:12Also out on the tiles are Carl's mates, Aaron and Gareth.
19:16Gareth, what do you reckon? What's the biggest fears today?
19:19That I'll be on my hands and knees all day scraping from one end of the floor to the other.
19:23I don't know. Sounds great. Where do I sign up?
19:26People have literally walked all over this floor for six decades. It needs some love.
19:31What have we got, Carl? We do have a variety of concrete, glues, plastics, residues and all sorts of dirt and grime going on over the last 60 years.
19:41No time to chat. Time to unload the kit.
19:45And today they'll be hitting the floor with an assortment of vacuum cleaners and the rotary.
19:50First thing I'm going to do is scrape all of the heavier stuff with hand scrapers before we bathe the floor with our intensive cleaning products.
19:57That's right, Gareth's nightmare has come true already as he gets stuck into the carpet glue.
20:07And various other bits and bobs.
20:10Oh, that's better.
20:11The really stubborn bits are slashed with the razor blade before the whole lot gets vacked up.
20:20So now we're going to scrub the product in with a black pad and we'll make out a hell of a lot easier with this.
20:25The cleaning chemicals are ground into the floor through the awesome power of the rotary. The glue, old sealant and general manc don't stand a chance.
20:39As you can see, you can see the colour change right there. So that tells me the product is actually working.
20:49A rinse and a slurp from this awesome gizmo and those tiles are looking fabulous.
20:55All done now lads.
20:56You've got really good results but there's bits that concern us, like the paint here and there's other little bits of residue that are still cotton grout lines.
21:05The persistent paint needs the heavy artillery.
21:08This is actually a diamond-degregnated scrub brush to really bite into the tile.
21:14Yep, another bite on the tiles and the slurry is in full flow.
21:18And after a double hit of caffeine and sugar, it's time to take stock.
21:25OK, so we're at the halfway point.
21:29So far so good, but the worst is still ahead.
21:32We do have the concrete to contend with when we get a little bit further down.
21:38And how do you deal with concrete? You drop acid on the concrete.
21:43Stay in school, kids.
21:44We're going to use a little bit of acid. It's not as strong as brick acid.
21:49What we're going to do is liberally toss them down and as you can see, an immediate reaction.
21:55The concrete's in a right lather and a scrub and a scrape soon see it away.
22:01The lads keep grinding away at the floor with more scrubbing, more slurry slurping and more scraping the annoying fiddly bits.
22:11Oh, it's the best doggy.
22:12It's the best doggy.
22:13You won't be saying that after he tracks muddy paw prints everywhere.
22:17After petting the pooch, it's time for the final push.
22:20It's now time to do all the detailing work and the edge work all around the edges of the room where we still have stuff like this.
22:27All this kind of stuff too.
22:30A final scrape and vac really brings the freshness back.
22:38Sure is calm.
22:39And we're loving the work.
22:40This morning, these tiles really put the terror into terracotta with decades of glue, concrete and miscellaneous builder crud.
22:51But thanks to our boys, this floor looks flawless and these tiles will offer any visitors the warmest of welcomes.
22:58Floor looks amazing.
23:02Sure does lads, you really are the tile titans.
23:07Still to come, we get down and dirty with a muddy motorbike.
23:11Got a lot of mud under each, eh?
23:14Horrid.
23:15Horrid.
23:17And we turn up the temperature on some musty monuments.
23:22That's where all the magic happens.
23:24Amazing cleans.
23:27Amazing cleans.
23:38Time to check back in with Ryan, the Essex lad who knows that the only way is pressure washing.
23:45He spent the morning blasting five years of crud off a mossy driveway.
23:49But there's rain on the way, and this huge pile of mud could turn Essex into Glastonbury.
23:59The clock's ticking, he'll need to rely on his expert training.
24:04I learnt online, just watching videos.
24:06It's not rocket science.
24:08It's hard to believe, but Ryan's only been doing this for two years.
24:12So my girlfriend's mum at the time, she said, do you want to check and wash my driveway and I'll give you some money.
24:17My friends wanted theirs done.
24:18So I had a lot of texts from my friends, neighbours.
24:22They was like, oh, it looks really good, you've done it.
24:24And it was like, my daughter's boyfriend done it.
24:27And it's just gone from there, really.
24:29And it's one of the best moves he's ever made.
24:32It's a satisfying job, I enjoy doing it.
24:34The customers are always so happy to see the results afterwards, from before to afterwards.
24:39So customer satisfaction is satisfying for me to see that they're satisfied.
24:43That must be satisfying.
24:47But no-one will be satisfied until he's cleared the crud and avoided a terrifying mudslide.
24:57And with one big push, he finally sees off the slurry.
25:02Phew!
25:04I've had buckets and buckets of soil, which has been a nightmare, but we've got rid of it.
25:07Good job, Ryan. And just in the nick of time.
25:10The job was a good success. It was a massive transformation.
25:14I think this is such a good turnaround.
25:17Couldn't agree more, Ryan.
25:20Thanks to you, this driveway is now fit for royalty.
25:23Where once there was moss, there are shiny slabs.
25:27And the soil and weeds are ancient history.
25:30These once dowdy stones are now gleaming with Essex glamour.
25:34I think the customers are going to be really happy with the transformation.
25:39It looks fantastic.
25:41Bravo, Ryan. You're making Essex sparkle, one driveway at a time.
25:46We've been asking some of Britain's best cleaners to document their crud crackdowns for us.
25:52And today, we've got a doozy.
25:56Let's motor over to Hertfordshire and burn some rubber with John and Jamie from Mo Clean.
26:02This is interesting.
26:04It's just so filthy, I might have to pixelate it.
26:08That's better. Family showing that.
26:10This motorbike's owner is a rally fiend who loves to take her chopper off-road.
26:16It's not been clean for over a year.
26:18This mud gets baked on.
26:20You wash it, and once you dry it, it looks like you haven't washed it.
26:25Yep. They don't call them dirt bikes for nada.
26:30We're going to take this round to the wash pad, and then we're going to get into the job.
26:35Easier said than done, though.
26:39Try and lift it from the back, mate.
26:41OK, ready? Give it some. There you go.
26:44Time to inspect the damage.
26:46Got a lot of mud under here, Jay.
26:47But as well as the mud, the bike is caked in something even nastier.
26:52We're going to clean all in here, degrease all of this.
26:55Yep, we're talking grease.
26:57What do you reckon, John?
26:59Horrid. Horrid.
27:03Time to give this filthy bike a darn good see-in-two.
27:06And of course, we start with a jet wash.
27:11This knocks off any loose mud.
27:13And who doesn't love a pressure wash?
27:15The spray of the pressure washer is run over every section of the bike.
27:19Then it's in with the citrus degreaser.
27:33Because if there's one thing that goes well with grease, it's a hint of lemon.
27:37Another pass with the jet wash, tick.
27:41Then happy holidays.
27:43It's snow foam time.
27:45This drags the filth out from its hidey holes and wrestles it to the floor.
27:50It also looks really cool.
27:52The lads give it a buff.
27:54Then it's rinse.
27:56Repeat.
27:59Repeat again.
28:00Until finally the grease is no more.
28:05De-grease is de word.
28:07Next, the lads head into the workshop for a bit of detailing.
28:12They scrub the metalwork so you can see your face in it.
28:17Or John's more likely.
28:21Then they add a fresh coat of paint.
28:23A spray wax.
28:34And buff to perfection.
28:39And there you go.
28:41This bike had seen some serious action.
28:44But John and Jamie have rallied to its aid.
28:49And now it's off to the races.
28:50Happy days.
28:53We've been scouring the web for even more household filth.
29:00And look what we've found.
29:02Everything but the kitchen sink.
29:05Luckily, the super cleaners of social media are here to help you
29:09turn your kitchen from nauseating to nigella in no time.
29:14Hard water?
29:16There's an easy answer.
29:17Bit of vinegar in your coffee maker and you can bid farewell to crusty cappuccinos.
29:23Just make sure you give it a proper rinse down.
29:26Ooh, zesty.
29:28Prefer a brew?
29:30The same trick works for kettles too.
29:32Whack in the vinegar, boil and hey presto.
29:35Not only do you get a fresh cuppa, but your house stinks like a chippy too.
29:39Double win.
29:41What's for dinner mum?
29:43Extractor fan filters.
29:45But don't worry, we've left them on the boil to get rid of the horrible brown bits.
29:50Just the way you like them.
29:53We've really hit wok bottom here.
29:56Which means a double hit of baking soda and vinegar are needed to get things shiny again.
30:01But look at the result.
30:03All ready for you to ruin again with tonight's stir fry.
30:08Bon appetit!
30:10Next, we're off to Wiltshire to meet a man who truly feels the hand of history on his shoulder.
30:18Meet Gary, proprietor of Elford's exterior cleaning and restoration.
30:23His passion, turning back the clock on our filthy heritage.
30:29There's a story behind it, there's a lot of history.
30:31It just makes you think what's gone on before and who's lived here or who, you know, who are these people that have fallen for us.
30:37Today, Gary's been called in by St George's Church in Marlborough to clean two memorials in their churchyard.
30:45Gary's cleaned here before, so he knows the golden rules. Mind the trees.
30:49There goes a few, a few branches from the overhanging trees.
30:59He's reversing his van.
31:03And watch out for the mud.
31:08Now we got stuck in mud.
31:11So far, so good.
31:14Smoke billows up from his engine.
31:15Oh, this is a pain.
31:19Luckily, Gary's prayers are soon answered.
31:24Wait a sec, is he being towed by a hearse?
31:29Nothing to it.
31:31What a start.
31:33Time for Gary's first job of the day.
31:36A headstone for Thomas Sawyer, a parishioner who died in the Crimean War.
31:40This headstone is over 160 years old, so Gary's using his state-of-the-art kit.
31:47So this is a stone cleaning system.
31:50It's a superheated water system that's going to sensitively clean what we're doing here today.
31:58That's where all the magic happens.
32:00Working outdoors means Gary has to be prepared for all sorts of weather conditions.
32:04Being outside, you take the rough weather smooth.
32:07They also say there's no such thing as bad weather, it's bad clothing.
32:10There is such a thing as bad weather.
32:12You go to Scumforth on a hendoo in November, then we'll talk.
32:16These are actually designed for fishermen, these salopets.
32:19Imagine how hard-wearing fishermen need to be.
32:21It's not all about being pretty, is it?
32:23I'm saying nothing.
32:24So what's the catch of the day, Skipper?
32:27We've got the white liking here, and then we've got various algae, mixing with a little bit of fungus.
32:36A bit of bird droppings as well on this side.
32:39I take pride in restoring these kind of structures.
32:42It's not like cleaning a patio.
32:44Hey, there's nothing wrong with cleaning a patio, mate.
32:47Suited and booted, Gary's good to go.
32:51And things are about to get steamy.
32:53So on this one, we are going to take it up to the maximum of 150 degrees.
32:57That temperature cuts through the biological a lot better without having to use the pressure like I said earlier.
33:03OK, Gary, I guess there might be the odd occasion where pressure washing isn't the answer.
33:16All the writing starts to come alive again as you clean it.
33:31You could easily destroy this kind of soft, basically stonework if you were using the wrong kind of equipment.
33:38Perhaps didn't have the knowledge or experience.
33:41Good job we've got a past master like Gary on the case.
33:43And as he steams away the centuries of crud, the lettering reveals itself as if it's been freshly carved onto the stone.
33:51There we go. All done.
33:56Hopefully that's made Tom proud if he's looking down on us.
34:00You should be proud too, Gary. That's an amazing job.
34:01You've still got some remnants of the original white lichen.
34:03If you were going to try and take everything out to that sort of degree, you'd have to destroy the stone.
34:04That's the hallmark of a professional, knowing when to stop cleaning.
34:05You've got some remnants of the original white lichen.
34:06If you were going to try and take everything out to that sort of degree, you'd have to destroy the stone.
34:07That's the hallmark of a professional, knowing when to stop cleaning.
34:08It might sound a bit corny, but it gives me a bit of a warm feeling.
34:09You were going to try and take everything out to that sort of degree, you'd have to destroy the stone.
34:14That's the hallmark of a professional, knowing when to stop cleaning.
34:17It might sound a bit corny, but it gives me a bit of a warm feeling.
34:20You were going to try and take everything out to that sort of degree, you'd have to destroy the stone.
34:25That's the hallmark of a professional, knowing when to stop cleaning.
34:29It might sound a bit corny, but it gives me a bit of a warm feeling.
34:32You and me both, Gary.
34:34But the bigger challenge is yet to come.
34:37Now to crack on with a bigger job, which is the May War Memorial.
34:40And this monument is monumental.
34:43If you were going to try and take everything out to that sort of degree, you'd have to destroy the stone.
34:46That's the hallmark of a professional, knowing when to stop cleaning.
34:48It might sound a bit corny, but it gives me a bit of a warm feeling.
34:51You and me both, Gary.
34:52But the bigger challenge is yet to come.
34:54It is monumentally filthy.
34:56We'll pay our respects with Gary later.
35:00There's truckloads of filth on the way, as yet more moss gets massacred on the driveways of England.
35:07Over this side, it's very mossy.
35:11And we go behind the net curtain in some truly minging homes.
35:16A wall being wiped.
35:21You've missed a bit.
35:24Lesson
35:30Back to Wiltshire and back to Gary, who's got the sensitive task of reviving the stonework in a church graveyard.
35:37He's already steam-cleaned a 160-year-old headstone so skilfully,
35:43it almost looks like it was carved yesterday.
35:46But now, it's monumental final boss time.
35:49Now to crack on with a bigger job, which is the main war memorial.
35:53This memorial honours 24 parishioners who lost their lives in the two world wars.
35:58But right now, it's a bit of a mess.
36:00We've got quite a bit more moss.
36:03Lichens, lots of fungi, fungi, etc. and algae.
36:07We've got some yellow lichen up here, what they call mustard lichen.
36:13Mustard lichen? I am not liking that.
36:16And a bigger structure needs bigger kit.
36:19So we're going to be using the Doff Pole for this one,
36:21so we can just reach up to the top without having to use any access equipment.
36:25I feel really honoured to work on these kind of structures
36:28because they mean so much to so many people.
36:30And it's an honour to watch a man so passionate about his work.
36:39He blasts the stone cross with the pressure washer spray.
36:44The nozzles on a long pole.
36:46He moves the water jet across the indented words on the stone cross.
36:58He's reached the bottom.
36:59One side down.
37:04Loving your work, sir.
37:06Gary's got some history of his own.
37:08He started the business nearly 30 years ago
37:10and got into it the usual way.
37:12I got into the cleaning business via a previous job
37:15I used to work in as a fitness coach.
37:17Wait, what?
37:17And that was a bit up and down at times, you know.
37:21Yeah, there's a lot of press-ups.
37:22I wanted something to fill in the gaps when that was a little bit quiet
37:26and it was actually an ex-partner of mine,
37:28father, mentioned, why don't you try his window cleaning?
37:31I guess windows and fitness are the same.
37:33No pain, no gain.
37:35It's a window joke.
37:36You might need to write it down.
37:38And nearly three decades later, he has no regrets.
37:42My favourite part of the job is mainly working outside
37:45and seeing job satisfaction in what you do
37:48because most of the work, you see instant results.
37:51And this hero knows that with great power cleaning
37:53comes great responsibility.
37:55The heritage-type stuff, you don't want to over-clean it,
37:59so you need to clean it sensitively.
38:01You don't want to destroy the history by over-cleaning it.
38:04And this care gets results.
38:06There's no damage to the stone,
38:07but you've got what they call a natural patina left on,
38:11which is the natural ageing of the stone.
38:13Time for the final part of the job
38:14and Gary's all about that base.
38:17So we've just got to clean this base now,
38:19which is obviously covered in a lot of moss.
38:22There's an awful lot of black mould staining and the like.
38:28Let's crack on with the last part.
38:31This tenacious moss is no match
38:34for Gary's superheated spray gun.
38:39The plinth of the statue disappears
38:41in the cloud of steam and spray.
38:44He works on the words at the front of it.
38:53And soon the front plat is legible again.
38:58That's what it's all about, isn't it?
38:59A final spray and it's mission accomplished.
39:02And that, ladies and gentlemen,
39:04is that a professional's clean?
39:06A war memorial.
39:08Before Gary arrived,
39:10these memorials were truly showing their age,
39:13with the names hidden by decades of moss,
39:16lichen, algae and fungus.
39:18But thanks to Gary's monumental effort
39:21and his amazing superheated steam gun,
39:24he's turned back time
39:25and got these stones ready for the next 160 years.
39:30I think we've done them justice.
39:32You absolutely have, Gary,
39:34our heritage hero.
39:37This swanky highfalutin cleaning is all very well,
39:41but what about some stuff I can actually do at home?
39:44Don't panic.
39:47The internet's full of amazing advice
39:49on how to spruce up your grotty pad.
39:52It's not just what's in the gutter that's gross.
39:54It's what's stuck to the outside of it.
39:57But a bit of soap and water
39:58soon gets things shiny again.
40:01The clean underside of the gutter.
40:03They always say there's no fire without smoke.
40:08Luckily, a quick spray with the right chemicals
40:11and you can enjoy the best possible view
40:13of your fancy pants log burner once more.
40:19This antique door handle and lock
40:21has had a nightmare paint job.
40:24But thanks to a bit of cleaning magic,
40:26it's open sesame.
40:28If only I remembered where I left the key.
40:31Scraping off the paint,
40:33then scrubbing at the metal.
40:35Sometime later, it's clean.
40:40There's no doubt about it.
40:42Foreign plug sockets look weird.
40:45And this one's filthy too.
40:47Fortunately, its owners have had the good sense
40:49to switch it off at the mains.
40:51Make sure you do too.
40:53Safety first.
40:54And a quick buff with a toothbrush
40:56gets it ready for action again.
40:59Electrifying.
41:00Over to Northamptonshire now
41:04to meet a man who's going to give us
41:06an education in exteriors.
41:09Pay attention, class.
41:10We'll be testing you at the end.
41:12Hey there.
41:12I'm Ashley.
41:13I've been cleaning things
41:14ever since I was at college.
41:17And today, he's going to absolutely school us.
41:21So what's on the syllabus, Professor?
41:22Cleaning this driveway.
41:26It's quite a dirty driveway.
41:28Luckily, his doctorate was in dirty drives.
41:31Over the side, it's very mossy.
41:34There's this wall here that's all a bit green
41:36and unsightly as well.
41:38We'll get it cleaned up, see what we can do.
41:41I'm ready to learn.
41:42I'm a willing pupil.
41:43At least when it comes to school puns.
41:45First test, physics.
41:50Everything he does with that broom
41:52has an equal and opposite reaction on the dirt.
41:55I wonder if he does private tuition.
41:59Then it's maths with the flat surface cleaner.
42:03It's the 21-inch model,
42:09which means he can clean an area of up to...
42:12Hang on.
42:13Divide the width by the diameter.
42:15Erm, I don't know.
42:16Pie?
42:20Next, our professor of paving
42:22uses the pressure to expel the unruly dirt.
42:27No time for nonsense in this school.
42:30Then, it's time for our science practical.
42:35First, you make your hypothesis.
42:37So I'm looking forward to having a go at this wall.
42:39I think it's going to clean up really well.
42:41Then, you work out your method.
42:43In this case, blast the hell out of it.
42:48Carry out the experiment.
42:50I'm liking how it's going.
42:54Identify your results.
42:55He works away at the top of the low wall.
43:00And draw your conclusion.
43:03It's chuffing brilliant.
43:06It's been a complete success.
43:09A-stars all round.
43:12Next test, art.
43:14And Ashley wants us to express ourselves
43:17with this mutt-busting chemical spray.
43:21Just remember to clean the art room down
43:23at the end of the day, class.
43:30I'm going to brush fresh sand across the drive.
43:32That will fill in the gaps that have been cleaned out.
43:35Maths again.
43:36And if Ashley takes 15 minutes
43:38to brush one 12-cake-y bag of sand
43:41into a 20-metre section of drive,
43:43how much will he need for a 30-foot patio?
43:46I have no idea.
43:48There we go.
43:48The sand is done.
43:50Looks fantastic.
43:51It really does.
43:52And it'll look even better on my UCAS form.
43:55The moss, wool manc and algae
43:57have all been taught a lesson they'll never forget.
44:01And this driveway is a star pupil.
44:03Job satisfaction.
44:04How about that?
44:05It's been an education.
44:07Join us next time
44:13as we keep up the filth fight.
44:16So this will be the moment of truth.
44:18Reveal handy hacks to help de-grot your home.
44:22And witness many more amazing cleans.
44:27Got pure road grind, which is awful.
Recommended
44:20
|
Up next
44:52
45:17
44:51
45:03
45:05
44:47
44:59
1:20
0:30
49:08
48:48
48:44
28:45
28:45
28:40
28:50
28:42
28:45
41:05
41:13