Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing

It is amazing how dirty the outside of your house can get during the course of a year. Some of the most common stains include mud or dirt, algae, mold and mildew. These stains will give any house an unkempt, uncared for look, even though you invest a lot of time and care into it.

Some of these materials, like dirt or mud, are harmless, but algae and mildew can be harmful to your health and your house. These contaminants produce allergens and bacteria that can impact your family, and some, like algae, can even grow directly underneath vinyl or roofing material and enter your house.

As a professional pressure washing service in Forest Hills, we recommend that you have your home’s exterior cleaned once every 12 months. Spring is the most common time of the year to do an intense home exterior washing, but you can do it any time throughout the year so long as the weather permits.

WHAT NEEDS PRESSURE WASHING?

All of the following surfaces need to be cleaned from time to time:

• Vinyl siding
• Rock and stone
• Brick
• Concrete and asphalt

Power washing used to be the only way to properly clean vinyl, brick and painted surfaces. Now, homeowners in Forest Hills have a second option for exterior house cleaning: soft washing.

As the names suggest, one method is much gentler than the other, but there’s a little more to it than that. Let’s review the features of each to help you decide which is the right choice for your house.

WHAT IS SOFT WASHING?

The soft wash method uses less pressure than a typical pressure washer, hence the name. The maximum water pressure used in a soft washing system is 500 PSI. This lower spray is created from a nozzle with a wider spray option, only a little more powerful than your backyard hose.

Soft washing uses a mixture of detergent, bleach and water in some combination to get rid of organic matter and debris from your home, roof and other outdoor surfaces. The cleaning mixture used in a soft washing system can include algaecides and residual inhibitors which will prevent further growth of these types of organisms in the future.

Because chemicals, not pressure, are responsible for cleaning the exterior surfaces, no powerful water is needed. This means that soft washing should be used for fragile surfaces that would otherwise be damaged by more powerful pressure washing.

The soft wash solution is sometimes washed off, but not every time. This just depends on the type of solution is used in the process, if there’s plant or animal life that could be impacted by the solution runoff, and if the solution itself is powerful enough to damage surfaces over time.

Soft washing provides the distinct advantage of reaching down into cracks to eliminate even unseen organisms, meaning that its impact can last longer than pressure washing.

WHAT IS PRESSURE WASHING?

Pressure washing has long been the gold standard for cleaning exterior surfaces. It is very effective and quick, which is why a lot of home and business owners still prefer it.

This cleaning method uses water only, there are no chemicals, to eliminate stains and organisms from exterior surfaces. The use of plain water is a major advantage to home and business owners who don’t want to use cleaning chemicals, whether for the sake of the environment or to avoid zoning violations.

It can be used on several different materials. Home and business owners prefer pressure washing for cleaning their driveway, patio, decks, walkways and outdoor furniture because it is quick, efficient and cost-effective.

Pressure washing uses anywhere from 1300 to 3100 PSI water pressure with water sprayed out from a tiny nozzle for the most power. Both organic and inorganic stains are sprayed from your home’s exterior surface, preventing their growth and renewing the curb appeal of your house.

One negative about pressure washing is that the water can sometimes be too powerful and lead to damaging the surfaces of your home you want to clean. Pressure washing is powerful enough to cut deep grooves into wood and plastic, and it can get into cracks, breaking off chunks of stone or brick.

IS PRESSURE WASHING OR SOFT WASHING BETTER?

The real question for homeowners is, “Which one should I choose?”

Both soft washing and pressure washing methods are good for your home’s exterior, including sidewalks, driveways and more. Both of these cleaning systems can be done by a professional – and truthfully, are more correctly done when left to the experts.

Soft washing is perfect for outdoor toys, gardening tools, roof shingles, decks, gutters, patios and painted surfaces because it is less likely to damage plastic and wood. It’s also a safe and smart choice for vinyl siding.

It eliminates organisms currently present on the exterior surface, and it stops future growth for longer than pressure washing can.

A disadvantage of soft washing is that it can kill plants under the surface that you’re cleaning. Remember to spray them down with water before putting the soft wash solution on your house or roof, and it shouldn’t be a problem.

Pressure washing is considered the best method for severe stains, and hard surfaces like concrete, brick and stone. Pressure washing is the preferred process for commercial properties. A professional pressure washing service in Forest Hills may use a mix of chemicals and water pressure to remove problematic stains, but they need to tell you if they will be using chemicals after your estimate.

It can also be used for siding as well (and has been for several years) so long as it is done carefully. Powerful water pressure can damage fragile or smaller pieces of the vinyl. A local service that does pressure washing often are going to know how to protect vulnerable pieces, but a first-timer can do a lot of damage.

Your home’s roof is off limits for pressure washing if there are slate, tile or asphalt shingles. The extreme pressure of the water might ruin these materials and require you to replace your roof much sooner than expected.

Deciding between pressure washing or soft washing is best left for a professional pressure washing service. Which method is right for your house? Give Forest Hills Pressure Washing a call at 929-238-8533 and we’ll send a trained technician over to take a look!