Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing
It is surprising how dirty the outside of your house can get during a year. Some of the most common stains include dirt or mud splatter, algae, mold and mildew. These stains will give any house an unkempt, messy appearance, regardless of if you invest time and care into it.
Some materials, like dirt, don’t do much harm, but algae and mold can be damaging to your health and to your house. These contaminants create allergens that can affect your family, and some, like algae, can even grow underneath vinyl or roofing material and enter your house.
As a professional pressure washing company in Columbus, we recommend you have your home’s exterior cleaned once a year. Spring is the most common time to do an extreme home cleaning, but you can really do it any time throughout the year as long as the weather allows.
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 option to thoroughly clean vinyl siding, brick and painted surfaces. Now, homeowners in Columbus have another option for exterior house cleaning: soft washing.
As the names imply, one method is much gentler than the other one, but there’s a little more to it than that. Let’s cover the features of each to help you determine which is the right choice for your house.
WHAT IS SOFT WASHING?
The soft wash system 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 soap, bleach and water in combination to eliminate organic matter from your home, roof and other outdoor surfaces. The solution used in a soft washing process can include algaecides and residual inhibitors to help prevent further growth of these types of organisms in the future.
Because chemicals, not water pressure, are responsible for cleaning the surfaces, no powerful water is necessary. This means that soft washing should be used for delicate surfaces that could otherwise be damaged by higher pressure washing equipment.
The soft wash chemicals are sometimes washed off, but not always. This just depends on the type of chemicals are used in the process, if there’s plant or animal life that could be affected by the runoff, and if the chemicals are strong enough to harm surfaces over time.
Soft washing offers the distinct advantage of reaching down into small cracks and crevices to eliminate even unseen organisms, meaning that its results can last longer than traditional pressure washing.
WHAT IS PRESSURE WASHING?
Pressure washing has always been the standard for cleaning exterior surfaces. It is highly effective and fast, which is why most home and business owners still prefer it.
This particular cleaning system uses water only, no chemicals, to remove stains and mold from exterior surfaces. The use of plain water is a significant plus to property owners that don’t want to use chemicals, whether for the sake of the environment or to avoid zoning violations.
It can be used on many different materials. Home owners often prefer pressure washing for cleaning their driveway, patio, decks, walkways and outdoor furniture because it is fast, efficient and cost-effective.
Pressure washing needs anywhere from 1300 to 3100 PSI water pressure with water sprayed out of a tiny nozzle for the most power. Both organic and inorganic materials are blasted from your home’s surface, prohibiting their growth and renewing the curb appeal of your house.
One drawback to 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 strong enough to cut deep grooves in wood and plastic, and it can push into cracks, breaking off pieces of stone or brick.
IS PRESSURE WASHING OR SOFT WASHING BETTER?
The ultimate question for most homeowners is, “Is pressure washing or soft washing better?”
Both soft washing and pressure washing methods are good choices for your home’s exterior, as well as sidewalks, driveways and more. Both cleaning systems can be done by a professional – and truthfully, are more correctly done when left to the experts.
Soft washing is excellent for outdoor toys, yard tools, roof shingles, decks, gutters, patios and painted surfaces because it is unlikely to harm plastic and wood. It’s also a safe choice for vinyl siding.
It removes organisms that are present on the surface, and it prevents future growth for longer than pressure washing can.
A disadvantage of soft washing is that it can kill plants underneath the surface you’re cleaning. Remember to spray them down with water before putting the soft wash chemicals on your house or roof, and it won’t be an issue.
Pressure washing is considered the recommended method for difficult stains, and hard surfaces like asphalt, brick and stone. Pressure washing is the recommended method for commercial properties. A professional pressure washing company in Columbus might use a mix of chemicals and water pressure to get rid of problematic stains, but they need to let you know if they are going to be spraying chemicals after your estimate.
It can also be used for siding as well (and has been for decades) as long as it is done carefully. High water pressure can break off fragile or small pieces of the vinyl. A service that does pressure washing all the time will know how to protect vulnerable areas, but a first-timer could do a lot of harm.
Your home’s roof is definitely off limits for pressure washing if there are slate, tile or asphalt shingles. The high pressure of the water can damage these materials and cause you to replace your roof a lot earlier than expected.
Choosing between pressure washing or soft washing is best left for a pressure washing company. Which method is right for your house? Give Columbus Pressure Washing a call at 614-618-3366 and we will send an experienced technician over to take a look!