Soft washing is one of the best ways to clean your home’s exterior surfaces. However, not everyone knows about this effective cleaning method. If you’re a new homeowner who is still asking, “What is soft washing?” Here’s everything you need to know.
Everything You Need to Know About Residential Soft Washing
“What is soft washing?” To answer this question, homeowners need to know about pressure washing first. While more people may be familiar with pressure washing, they often think that soft washing is the same thing. These two cleaning methods are very related, but they are not the same. Here’s an explanation of soft washing vs pressure washing.
Pressure Washing
Pressure washing is a cleaning method that uses high-pressure water to clean exterior surfaces. It is typically used on hardscapes such as driveways, sidewalks, and decks.
Most of the time, the high pressure alone is enough to blast away dirt, dust, mold, mud, gum, and other unwanted substances. There is another version of pressure washing called power washing. It is essentially the same technique, except for the use of hot water.
Soft Washing
Soft washing is a cleaning technique that uses low-pressure water to safely clean the exterior surfaces of a house. This method also uses cleaning solutions to effectively kill mold, mildew, moss, bacteria, and other microorganisms. The cleaning solutions are made up of three main ingredients:
- Bleach: The primary agent for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.
- Surfactant: This goes in between surfaces to loosen up dirt, mold, and other substances
- Water: This is used to dilute the bleach concentration
Due to the use of lower water pressure, this method is ideal for cleaning more the more fragile surfaces of your home’s exterior. These surfaces would be damaged if you used higher water pressure. Here are the best surfaces for this type of cleaning method:
- Roof shingles
- Windows
- Glass doors
- Lanais
- Screens
- Patio enclosures
- Stucco
- Coquina
- Vinyl siding
- Cedar shake siding
- Wood panel siding
- Outdoor furniture
What Are the Benefits of Soft Washing?
Regular soft washing of your home’s exterior will boost curb appeal and help maintain property values. Apart from that, here are soft washing benefits you can enjoy.
1. You Can Clean Even Hard-to-Reach Areas
A soft wash allows you to clean even the hard-to-reach areas of your exterior. From the ground, the water can reach up to 50 feet high. Thus, you won’t need to use ladders, extension poles, or scaffolding to reach areas like the roof or gutters.
2. There Is Less Damage to Your Home’s Exterior
A low-pressure wash system reduces the potential damage to your home’s exterior. If you used high-pressure water to clean delicate surfaces such as roof shingles or windows, you may end up with a granular loss or broken glass. In addition, pressure washing can remove the roof’s coating, which will reduce its ability to reflect sunlight.
3. You Can Achieve a Longer-Lasting Clean
High-pressure water is not always enough to remove mold, mildew, algae, or moss from your home’s exterior. There’s also a chance that they could return. With soft-washing, cleaning solutions contain bleach so it can kill mold and other microorganisms at a molecular level. Not only are they removed from the exterior, but they also won’t grow back.
4. It Is Less Labor-Intensive Than Pressure Washing
With pressure washing, you need to be close to the surface you are cleaning. If you want to clean the second-story exteriors or the roof, you will need time to set up a ladder or scaffolding. It may also take a long time because you have more precautions when using high-pressure water. In comparison, a soft wash requires less labor and set-up times.
5. You Can Avoid Safety Hazards and Accidents
Since you are not using ladders or high-pressure water, there is a lower risk of falling or slipping. The water pressure is also low enough that if it comes into contact with your hand or other body parts, you will not feel any pain.
6. Cleaning Solutions Are Eco-Friendly
Soft washing solutions are biodegradable and eco-friendly. Even if these solutions contain bleach, it is diluted with water. Thus, it is safe to use. It is the same concentration that you would typically see in swimming pools or when disinfecting drinking water.
7. You Can Enjoy a Healthier Home Environment
If left unchecked, the presence of mold, mildew, algae, dirt, grime, and pollen can lead to health issues for your family. With soft washing, the combination of low-pressure water and cleaning solutions effectively removes these contaminants from your home.
Should You Contact Professionals for Soft Washing?
Soft washing can be done by anyone. However, if you do not have experience with this cleaning method, you may end doing more harm than good. Here are some reasons why soft washing should be left to the professionals.
Professional Soft Washing Is More Cost-Effective
It may seem like DIY soft washing will be cheaper than calling the professionals. However, think about all the costs that come with renting pressure washers and buying cleaning products. There are even more expenses if you choose the wrong model or product.
Without prior experience, DIY soft washing can also take longer than expected. Thus, more money is spent on renting the machine.
Hiring professionals will be more cost-effective in the long run. In addition, you can also skip all the stress, hassle, and frustration that may come with trying to soft wash an entire house by yourself.
Have an Expert Team of Technicians Cleaning Your Home
With professional soft washing, you will have a team of technicians that know how to clean your home effectively. They know which cleaning methods are appropriate for the different surfaces in your home. They also use professional-grade equipment and have the best cleaning procedures so you won’t have to worry about any property damage.
Professional Soft Washing Gets the Job Done Quickly
Professionals can get the job done in a day or a couple of days — depending on the size of your property. Whereas it can take you at least a week or longer to clean the same surface area. There’s also no guarantee that you won’t have to repeat the process again. Rather than waste your precious time, you can just relax and leave all the extensive cleaning to the professionals.
Keep Your Home Safe and Clean with Soft Washing
By now, you already have a clear understanding of what is soft washing. Given all the benefits, consider adding this low-pressure cleaning method to your preventive maintenance checklist. It’s worth it because your home will be safe and clean for your family. There are also long-term benefits such as enhanced curb appeal and higher property values.
If you’re looking for professional soft washing in Charlotte, NC, feel free to contact Washh today! Call us at 704.321.8000 or contact us online to receive a free estimate.
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