What is soft washing vs pressure washing for home exteriors?

Soft Washing vs Pressure Washing What Is the Difference

Both soft washing and pressure washing use water and equipment from a professional cleaning truck but the similarity ends there. Pressure washing uses high-velocity water at typically 1500 to 4000 PSI to physically blast away dirt grime and stains. It is highly effective on hard durable surfaces including concrete driveways and sidewalks brick patios and walkways concrete retaining walls pool decks and painted metal surfaces. Pressure washing is NOT appropriate for vinyl siding wood siding roofing shingles or most painted surfaces because high pressure damages these materials and can force water behind panels causing interior mold. Soft washing uses much lower pressure at typically 40 to 200 PSI similar to a standard garden hose combined with professional-grade cleaning solution. The chemical solution does the cleaning work rather than the pressure. Soft washing is safe and effective for vinyl and wood siding roof shingles stucco and EIFS exterior finishes painted surfaces including trim and shutters screens gutters and downspouts and wood fences and composite decking. Pressure washing removes visible dirt but does not kill mold mildew or algae spores that remain on the surface. Within two to eight weeks organic growth returns to the same level. Soft washing kills biological growth at the cellular level by eliminating roots spores and bacteria so results typically last two to four years on most treated surfaces. The Total Wash Co. uses soft washing for all house washing roof cleaning and fence cleaning and uses pressure washing for concrete surfaces like driveways patios and sidewalks. Many jobs use both methods on different surfaces in the same visit.