The terms soft washing and pressure washing are used interchangeably in much of the exterior cleaning marketing. They are not the same thing. The difference between them is significant for homeowners who want their homes cleaned without damaging the surfaces involved.
What Pressure Washing Is
Pressure washing uses high-pressure water delivered through a pressure wand to remove dirt, debris, and surface contamination from exterior surfaces. The cleaning force is mechanical. Standard residential pressure washers deliver between 1,500 and 3,000 PSI. Under those pressures, the water stream is forceful enough to strip paint, crack older materials, force water behind siding panels, and remove the protective granule layer from asphalt shingles.
What Soft Washing Is
Soft washing uses a low-pressure application of professional-grade cleaning solution to remove biological growth and organic staining from exterior surfaces. The cleaning force is chemical rather than mechanical. Soft washing typically operates at under 500 PSI — well below the threshold for damage to siding, roofing, decking, or fencing.
Which Method Is Right for Which Surface
Use soft washing for: siding of any type, roof shingles, wood and composite decking, vinyl and wood fencing, fascia and soffit, stucco and EIFS.
Use commercial surface cleaning for: concrete driveways, concrete sidewalks and walkways, concrete and paver patios, and garage aprons.
Never pressure-wash asphalt shingles with a wand at any professional pressure level, composite decking with a standard pressure wand, or vinyl siding at pressures above the soft-wash range.
Why Soft Washing Produces Results That Last Longer
Pressure washing removes what is on the surface. It does not treat what is causing the surface to look the way it does. Biological organisms responsible for algae streaking are alive. Blasting them off the surface does not kill them. Regrowth happens within weeks.
Soft washing kills the biology. The cleaning solution penetrates the organisms and treats them at the cellular level. The surface stays clean longer because the source of the problem was eliminated.
For a professional assessment of your home’s exterior surfaces and soft wash cleaning in Northumberland, PA, Kleen-N-Brite uses the right method for every surface, every time.
