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ANOKA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
Exterior cleaning and care in Blaine, MN
Owner-operated from Ham Lake, with Blaine on our regular route and every service shaped by its hard water and wetlands.
From windows and gutters to siding, roofs, decks and concrete, Glass House cleans the whole exterior of Blaine homes, removes iron and hard water stains, and installs roofline holiday lighting in winter. Every service page below is written for Blaine, with the local facts that change how the work is done.
Blaine's city water is very hard, private irrigation wells skip its iron treatment, and hundreds of ponds and a large wetland sanctuary keep the air damp. Each quote is confirmed with a quick walk-around, so the method suits your home and its surfaces before any work begins.
OWNER-OPERATED
Carson Brenny quotes your home, does the work himself and walks the finished job with you before he leaves.
★ Rated 4.9 on Google · 44 reviews
Insured to $2M
Owner-operated
Based in Ham Lake
ABOUT BLAINE
What we see on Blaine homes
WATER
310 to 360 PPM of hardness
Blaine's water runs about 310 to 360 PPM (parts per million) of hardness, far past the 180 PPM mark the USGS calls very hard. Seventeen deep wells feed four treatment plants that strip out iron and manganese, but private irrigation wells skip that treatment entirely. Water that hard dries into white mineral spots on glass and a dull film on siding, and untreated irrigation water can leave orange iron stains on siding, brick or concrete.
TREES
Oaks are the top shade tree
Blaine calls oaks its most plentiful neighborhood shade trees and loses hundreds to oak wilt every year. It is also removing about 1,200 boulevard ash trees because of emerald ash borer. Oak shade keeps roofs and siding damp after rain and dew, which is what algae and moss need, and oak leaves and catkins pack gutters every year. Dying ash turn brittle and drop limbs and twigs onto roofs and into gutters until they come down.
WETLANDS
Wetlands and 700-plus ponds
Blaine has more than 700 stormwater ponds and infiltration basins, and the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary covers more than 500 acres. All that standing water keeps nearby air humid, so siding, roofs and decks stay damp, which is where algae, mildew and moss take hold, usually on the shaded north side first. A soft wash, matched to each surface and applied at low pressure, kills that growth; on roofs, the rain often does the rinsing.
HOMES
Newer homes, built 1990s to 2010s
The median Blaine home was built in 1996, and more than half were built from 1990 to 2019, so newer builds and original 1990s siding and roofs often share a street. Siding and roofs from the 1990s have had about 30 years of sun, which breaks vinyl and paint down into a chalky film that streaks in the rain. Newer builds stay easiest to keep clean when growth is washed off before it sets in.
Sources: City of Blaine, Water Division FAQs (2023) and Water Treatment Facilities; USGS, Hardness of Water; City of Blaine, Oak Wilt; City of Blaine, Emerald Ash Borer; City of Blaine, Stormwater Management; City of Blaine, Blaine Wetland Sanctuary; Point2Homes, Blaine demographics (U.S. Census ACS 2019-2023).
BLAINE WATER
How Blaine water stains a house, and what helps
Blaine's plants take iron out of city water, but the water stays very hard, and irrigation wells are not treated at all. Here is how each mineral marks a home, and what helps.
Two stains from the same water
Iron and manganese oxidize into orange and brown streaks on siding, brick and concrete, and calcium dries into white spots on glass. Dissolved iron is invisible and turns to rust once the water meets air on a porous surface, which is why a sprinkler stain traces the arc of the head. Same water, two different problems, and two different treatments: one for the siding and concrete, another for the glass.
Why bleach makes rust worse
Bleach is the usual first instinct, and on rust it is the wrong one. Bleach is an oxidizer: on rust, it oxidizes the iron further and sets the stain. Iron comes out with acid-based chemistry that dissolves it or binds it into a form that rinses away. Acid and bleach must never meet, mixed or one after the other without a full rinse, because together they make chlorine gas.
What prevents most of it
Aim every sprinkler head at the grass, never the house, and keep hose spray off siding and glass. Private irrigation wells skip Blaine's iron treatment and its sprinkling rules, so check those heads first. A head that still reaches the house will bring the stain back. Where it matters most, filters on the outside spigots can remove the minerals before the water leaves the house.
How we clean with your water
We connect to your outside spigot and run the water through reverse osmosis, carbon and deionization filters in our van until it reads 0 PPM. Water with nothing dissolved in it cannot spot as it dries. Water as hard as Blaine's wears the filters out faster, so we check the meter as we go, and the filter resin is replaced before the next job once a reading reaches 15 PPM.
THROUGH THE YEAR
A year of home care in Blaine
SPRING
Clear the winter
Pollen and winter film come off the glass, and spring gutter cleaning clears seeds and catkins. Trim branches back so the roof dries faster, but leave oaks unwounded in spring and early summer.
SUMMER
Watch the sprinklers
Blaine's odd/even schedule runs all year, with no sprinkling from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May 15 to September 15. Aim the heads at the lawn, and treat new stains early.
FALL
Gutters before the freeze
Gutters are cleaned once the leaves are down and before the first hard freeze, so wet debris does not freeze in place. Exterior cleaning wraps up November 15.
WINTER
Ice dams and lights
When storms create ice dams, they are removed with steam only, which melts the ice rather than chipping it. Roofline holiday lighting installs begin November 1, with takedown and storage included.
BLAINE QUESTIONS
Questions from Blaine homeowners
Do you serve all of Blaine?
Glass House serves every neighborhood in Blaine. The business is based in Ham Lake, and Blaine is part of our regular north metro route, so there is no trip fee. Every visit starts with a quick walk-around, so the method suits your home before work begins.
Can you clean my windows with Blaine water?
Yes. We connect to your outside spigot and run the water through reverse osmosis, carbon and deionization filters in our van until it reads 0 PPM, meaning no dissolved minerals are left to spot the glass. Blaine's hard water wears the filters out faster, so we check the meter as we go. Please make sure the spigot is turned on and easy to reach.
Why are there orange stains under my windows?
Orange stains under windows are usually iron, carried by sprinkler or hose water and left behind when the water dries. Blaine's plants take iron out of city water, but a private irrigation well skips that treatment, and Blaine exempts those wells from its sprinkling rules. It takes an iron-specific, acid-based treatment, never bleach, which sets the stain. The sooner it is treated, the better it comes out.
How often should a house in Blaine be washed?
Most homes in Blaine should be washed every year or two. Homes near a pond, a wetland or the Wetland Sanctuary, and homes on shaded lots, should be washed every year, because algae and mildew return faster where siding stays damp. Trimming shrubs a foot or two back from the walls lets air move along the siding and helps it dry between washes.
How do quotes work?
To request a quote, send a photo or book a walk-around. Every online quote is verified in person before the work starts, so Carson can confirm the surfaces and bring the right mix for each one. You will have the exact price before any work begins, and if anything needs attention, he explains it and works out a plan with you first.
When is your season?
Exterior cleaning runs March 1 through November 15. Roofline holiday lighting installs begin November 1, so both can be booked in the first half of November. Through the winter, ice dams are removed on call with steam only, and interior window cleaning remains available.
Who does the work?
Carson Brenny, the owner, does every job himself. Glass House is owner-operated, with no crews or subcontractors, and is insured to $2M. The person who quotes your Blaine home is the person who does the work and walks it with you at the end, so one standard applies from start to finish.
What if the weather turns?
Weather reschedules are always free and never count as a cancellation. We text you the day before with your arrival window, and again when Carson is on the way. For any other change to an appointment, please let us know at least 48 hours in advance, as the service policies explain.
THE OWNER
From Blaine High School to Blaine homes
Carson Brenny owns and runs Glass House, with no crews, subcontractors or handoffs. He went to Blaine High School, grew up in Ham Lake, where the business is based, and has worked full-time in exterior cleaning since 2020. In Blaine, as everywhere on the route, he quotes each job, does the work himself and walks the finished home with the customer.
Blaine's city water runs about 310 to 360 PPM of hardness, and with wetlands and more than 700 ponds, many homes sit in damp air that feeds algae and mildew. More than half were built from 1990 to 2019, and for most families, the house is their largest investment. Carson explains what the water and the ponds are doing to a home, and what will help, before any work begins.
IN CARSON'S WORDS
“It's my neighbors' homes: their biggest investment, one of the places they spend the most time, and where the people they care about most live. It's something everyone should enjoy, and I believe that.”
Carson Brenny, owner
