Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing

It’s amazing just how dirty the outside of your home can get throughout a year. Some of the most common stains include mud or dirt, algae, mold and mildew. These types of stains will give your home an unkempt, messy look, even though you invest a lot of time, money and maintenance into it.

Some of these materials, like dirt or mud, are harmless, but algae and mold can be damaging to your health and your home. These contaminants produce allergens that can affect your family, and some of them, like algae, can even grow directly underneath vinyl or roofing material and enter into your home.

As a professional power washing company in Fort Lauderdale, we recommend that you have your home’s exterior cleaned once every 12 months. The spring season is typically the most popular time of the year to do an extreme home cleaning, but you can do it any time as long as the weather permits.

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 siding, brick and painted home surfaces. Now in 2021, homeowners have a second option for exterior home cleaning: soft washing.

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

WHAT IS SOFT WASHING?

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

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

Because chemicals, not pressure, are key to cleaning the surfaces, no powerful water is needed. This means that soft washing should be used for more fragile surfaces that might otherwise be damaged by higher pressure washing equipment.

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

Soft washing offers the advantage of reaching down into cracks to kill even unseen organisms, meaning that its effects can last a lot longer than power washing.

WHAT IS PRESSURE WASHING?

Pressure washing has always been the standard for cleaning home exterior surfaces. It is highly effective and efficient, which is why a lot of home and business owners still prefer it over soft washing.

This particular cleaning method uses water only, no chemicals, to remove stains and organisms from home exterior surfaces. The use of chemical-free water is a significant plus to home and business owners who don’t want to use cleaning chemicals, either for the environment’s sake or to avoid zoning violations.

The pressure washing process can be used on several different materials. Home owners prefer power washing for cleaning their driveway, patio, decks, sidewalks and outdoor furniture because it is quick, more efficient and affordable.

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 sprayed from your home’s surface, stopping their growth and renewing the curb appeal of your home.

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

IS PRESSURE WASHING OR SOFT WASHING BETTER?

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

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 performed by a professional company – and honestly, are more correctly done when left to the experts.

Soft washing is perfect for outdoor play sets, yard tools, shingle roofs, 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 that are present on the surface, and it prevents future growth for a lot longer than power washing can.

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

Pressure washing is the preferred choice for severe stains, and hard surfaces like asphalt, stone and brick. Pressure washing is the recommended choice for commercial surfaces. A professional pressure washing company in Fort Lauderdale may use a combination of chemicals and water pressure to clean offf difficult stains, but they need to let you know if they are going to be using chemicals during your consultation.

It can be used on siding as well (and has been for decades) as long as it is done safely. Powerful water pressure can damage fragile or small pieces of vinyl. A service that does power washing often will know how to protect weak areas, but a first-timer could do a lot of damage.

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

Deciding between pressure washing or soft washing is best left for a professional pressure washing company. Which method is right for your home? Give Fort Lauderdale Pressure Washing a call at 954-231-0522 and we will send a trained technician over to take a look!