Exterior cleaning is easy to file under "cosmetic" and defer indefinitely. In Edinburgh's climate that is a costly misfiling. The dirt you can see on glass and stone is not just untidy — it is the visible edge of processes that, left alone, quietly damage the building. The saving from skipping a clean is almost always smaller than the repair it eventually necessitates. Why Edinburgh Is Harder on Buildings Three local factors combine against a property here. Coastal salt in the air settles on glass and stonework and is mildly corrosive. Frequent, prolonged rain keeps surfaces damp for long stretches....