Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing

It’s shocking how dirty the outside of your home can get during a year. Some of the most typical stains include dirt or mud splatter, algae, mold and mildew. These things can give your home an unkempt, uncared for appearance, regardless of if you invest time and care into it.

Some of these materials, like dirt or mud, don’t do much harm, but algae and mildew can be destructive to your health and to your home. These contaminants create allergens that can impact your family, and some, like algae, can even grow underneath vinyl or roofing and enter into your home.

As a professional power washing company in Hawthorne, we recommend you have your home’s exterior cleaned once a year. The spring season is the most popular time of the year to do an intense home exterior cleaning, but you can do it any time throughout the year as long as the weather allows.

WHAT NEEDS PRESSURE WASHING?

All of the following home 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 method to properly clean vinyl, brick and painted home surfaces. Now, homeowners have a second option for exterior home cleaning: soft washing.

Like the names imply, one method is a lot gentler than the other one, but there’s a little more to it than that. Let’s review the features of each to help you determine which one is the right choice for your home.

WHAT IS SOFT WASHING?

The soft wash process uses much less power 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 generated from a nozzle with a wider spray option, only slightly more powerful than your backyard lawn hose.

Soft washing uses a mixture of detergent, bleach and water in combination to get rid of organic matter and debris from your home, roof and other exterior surfaces. The mixture used in a soft washing system can also include algaecides and residual inhibitors to help stop further growth of these organisms in the future.

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

The soft wash chemicals are sometimes cleaned off, but not all of the time. This just depends on the type of chemicals are used in the process, if there is plant or animal life that could be impacted by the solution runoff, and if the chemicals are strong enough to damage surfaces over time.

Soft washing provides the advantage of getting into cracks and crevices to kill even unseen bacteria, meaning that its results can last a lot longer than traditional power washing.

WHAT IS PRESSURE WASHING?

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

This cleaning process uses water only, there are no chemicals, to eliminate stains and mildew from home exterior surfaces. The use of chemical-free water is a major advantage to property owners who don’t want to use chemicals, either for the environment’s sake or to avoid zoning violations.

It can be used on a lot of different materials. Home owners prefer power washing for cleaning their driveway, patio, decks, walkways and patio furniture because it is quick, more efficient and cost-effective.

Pressure washing requires anywhere from 1300 to 3100 PSI water pressure with water being sprayed out from a small nozzle for maximum power. Both organic and inorganic materials are blasted from your home’s exterior surface, prohibiting their growth and restoring the appearance of your home.

One negative about power washing is that the water can sometimes be too powerful and can damage the surfaces you want to clean. Pressure washing is strong enough to put grooves in wood and plastic, and it can push into cracks, breaking off chunks of stone or brick.

IS PRESSURE WASHING OR SOFT WASHING BETTER?

The real question for homeowners is, “Is pressure washing or soft washing better?”

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

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

It kills organisms that are present on the exterior surface, and it stops future growth for a lot longer than power washing can.

A disadvantage of soft washing is that it can kill plant life under the surface you’re cleaning. Remember to spray them with water before spraying the soft wash chemicals on your home or roof, and it shouldn’t be a problem.

Pressure washing is considered the preferred choice for difficult stains, and hard surfaces like concrete, brick and stone. Pressure washing is the preferred method for commercial surfaces. A professional pressure washing company in Hawthorne might use a combination of detergents and water pressure to remove tough stains, but they need to tell you if they are going to be spraying chemicals during your estimate.

It can be used for siding as well (and has been for several years) as long as it is done correctly. Powerful water pressure can break off fragile or smaller pieces of vinyl. A local company that does power washing all the time are going to know how to protect fragile areas, but a DIYer can do a lot of damage.

Your home’s roof is definitely off limits for power washing if you have slate, tile or asphalt shingles. The pressure of the water can damage these materials and require you to replace your home’s roof far faster than expected.

Deciding between pressure washing or soft washing is best left for a pressure washing company. Which method is right for your home? Give Hawthorne Pressure Washing a call at 424-336-0066 and we will send an experienced technician over to take a look!