Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing
It is amazing how dirty the siding, wood or brick of your home can get throughout a year. Some of the most common stains include mud or dirt, algae, mold and mildew. These stains can give any home an unkempt, uncared for look, even though you invest time and maintenance into it.
Some materials, like dirt, don’t do much harm, but algae and mildew can be harmful to your health and to your home. They produce allergens that can impact your family, and some, like algae, can even grow directly underneath vinyl or roofing material and enter your home.
As a professional pressure washing company in Melbourne, we recommend you have your home’s exterior cleaned once a year. The spring season is typically the most common time of the year to do an intense home cleaning, but you can really do it any time so long as the weather permits.
WHAT NEEDS PRESSURE WASHING?
All of the following surfaces need to be pressure washed from time to time:
• Vinyl siding
• Rock and stone
• Brick
• Concrete and asphalt
Power washing used to be the only option to properly clean vinyl, brick and painted surfaces. Now, homeowners in Melbourne 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 that. Let’s go over the features of each to help you decide which one is the right choice for your home.
WHAT IS SOFT WASHING?
The soft wash system uses much less pressure 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 generated from a nozzle with a wider spray setting, only a little more powerful than your standard backyard hose.
Soft washing uses soap, bleach and water in combination to get rid of organic matter from your home, roof and other exterior surfaces. The mixture used in a soft washing system can also include algaecides and residual inhibitors which will slow further growth of these organisms in the future.
Because chemicals, not pressure, are responsible for cleaning the surfaces, no powerful water is needed. This means that soft washing can be used for more delicate surfaces that might otherwise be harmed by harsher pressure washing equipment.
The soft wash solution is sometimes cleaned off, but not always. This just depends on what type of solution is used, if there’s plant or animal life that might be affected by the solution runoff, and if the chemicals are strong enough to damage surfaces over time.
Soft washing offers the advantage of getting down into cracks to eliminate even unseen organisms, meaning that its results can last longer than standard pressure washing.
WHAT IS PRESSURE WASHING?
Pressure washing has long been the standard for cleaning exterior surfaces. It is highly effective and quick, which is why a lot of home and business owners prefer it over soft washing.
This cleaning system uses water only, no chemicals, to eliminate stains and mold from exterior surfaces. The use of plain water is a significant advantage to home and business 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 several different materials. Home owners prefer pressure washing for cleaning their driveway, porches, decks, sidewalks and patio furniture because it is fast, more efficient and cost-effective.
Pressure washing requires somewhere from 1300 to 3100 PSI water pressure with water being sprayed out of a small nozzle for the most power. Both organic and inorganic stains are blasted from your home’s surface, stopping their growth and restoring the appearance of your home.
One negative about pressure washing is that the water can sometimes be too powerful and can damage the surfaces of your home you’re attempting to clean. Pressure washing is strong enough to put deep grooves in wood and plastic, and it can push into cracks, breaking off pieces of brick or stone.
IS PRESSURE WASHING OR SOFT WASHING BETTER?
The obvious question for homeowners is, “Is pressure washing or soft washing better?”
Both soft washing and pressure washing methods are good choices for your home’s exterior, including sidewalks, driveways and more. Both cleaning systems can be done by a professional company – and honestly, are more correctly 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 choice for vinyl siding.
It eliminates organisms currently 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 plant life under the surface you’re cleaning. Remember to spray them down with water right before spraying the soft wash solution on your home or roof, and it probably shouldn’t be an issue.
Pressure washing is considered the preferred choice for difficult stains, and hard surfaces like concrete, brick and stone. Pressure washing is the recommended process for commercial surfaces. A local pressure washing company in Melbourne might use a mixture of chemicals and water pressure to remove tough stains, but they need to tell you if they will be using chemicals during your estimate.
It can also be used for siding too (and has been for decades) so long as it is done carefully. Powerful water pressure can break off weak or small pieces of the vinyl. A service that does pressure washing often will know how to protect vulnerable areas, but a amateur can do a lot of damage.
Your home’s roof is definitely off limits for pressure washing if there are slate, tile or asphalt shingles. The pressure of the water will likely ruin these materials and cause you to replace your home’s roof much earlier than expected.
Deciding between pressure washing or soft washing is best left for a professional pressure washing company. Which process is right for your home? Give Melbourne Pressure Washing a call at 321-221-5499 and we’ll send an experienced technician over to take a look!