Just before 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 15 three engines pulled into the historic Fayetteville Train Depot. For the first time in many decades, the roar of an engine and the smell of burning diesel would course across the normally quiet platform of the 116 year old train depot. But these engines weren’t mighty locomotive engines; they were the engines that drive commercial pressure washing machines.

Philip Doolittle, owner of PowerHouse Pressure Washing in Fayetteville, Ga. has always had a passion for preserving Georgia’s historic sites. Naturally, when the Main Street Fayetteville group contacted PowerHouse to submit a bid for cleaning the depot, he knew this was a great opportunity to give something back to the community that he called home.

Philip contacted fellow pressure washing professionals Cujo Cooley (Pam’s Pressure and Clean, Covington) and John Werling (Superior Pressure Washing, Fayetteville). Both agreed that cleaning up the depot would be a great project, and graciously volunteered their time, materials, and equipment for the clean up effort. Within just a few hours, Philip was able to call the Main Street Fayetteville group and let them know that the depot would be cleaned in time for the grand opening celebration, and that the cleaning would come at no cost to Main Street Fayetteville or the city of Fayetteville.

While pressure washing a hundred-plus year old building is no easy task, selecting the participants for the clean up project was. Old dry wood, countless layers of paint, fragile windows, and beautiful landscaping demanded experience and skill. Since PowerHouse, Pam’s Pressure and Clean, and Superior have cleaned everything from historic homes to volatile chemical storage tanks, the choice was an obvious one. If the depot was to be cleaned without damage, this was the team to make it happen.

For this project, Philip and Cujo mixed up a special batch of cleaning solution that would melt the dirt and mildew without using high pressure as the pressure could cause irreparable damage to the fragile structure. Once dissolved, the slurry of dirt and grime could then be rinsed away easily with very low pressure. It worked like a charm, and the end result was a clean, beautiful building with no damage resulting from the cleaning process.

The Fayetteville Train Depot clean up project was not an isolated event. PowerHouse Pressure Washing and Pam’s Pressure and Clean both participate in the Power Washers of America (PWNA) Clean Across America Project. The goal of the PWNA Clean Across America project is to preserve America’s historic sites by encouraging it’s members to donate their services to clean historic sites like the Fayetteville Train Depot. The Clean Up America project has cleaned several notable historic sites including Abner Doubleday stadium at the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York.

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