Softwashing VS Pressure Washing

So in our last post we talked about how often you should get your home cleaned. I ended that post talking about softwashing and said that we would get into that in another post. Well this is that post. Pressure Washing is as we all know a method of cleaning using water at high pressure. Pressure washers can range in a wide variety of pounds per square inch or PSI and gallons per minute or GPM. Pressure washers have a wide variety of uses including residential and commercial cleanings. Using high pressure on soft surfaces like vinyl siding or shutters can be extremely damaging to those surfaces. Sometimes depending on the condition and amount of pressure used it can be damaging to hard surfaces like brick or concrete. Too high of pressure can cause these surfaces to chip or break. We use pressure washers quite regularly in our business but using high pressure is reserved for only those surfaces that can both withstand it without damage and require it for proper cleaning. What are the risks of using high pressure on vinyl siding or shutters? Aside from the obvious risk of poking holes in the siding from using too much pressure you risk disturbing oxidation. If oxidation is present and you clean with high pressure that oxidation will be moved. When moved it can leave the siding looking shiny in some spots and dull in others. Correcting the issues that come with oxidation disturbance are expensive and not always 100% effective. Oxidation can be removed to help blend the damage done by the pressure washer but your home will likely still have some brighter spots than other areas of the house.

So what is a safe effective alternative to pressure washing? I’m sure by now if you’re still reading this then you already know the answer to the question but I will say it anyway….Softwashing! So what is softwashing? Softwashing is done by applying a cleaning solution to the home using either the batch mix method or using a blend manifold to mix the solution. Regardless of how the solution is made the true softwashing method is delivered by using a low pressure pump of some kind. In our case we use 12 volt diaphragm pumps. The pressure coming out of the pump is approximately 60psi and is very gentle. Once the solution is applied we simply allow it to do its work and clean the home sanitizing the surface and killing off organic growth on the house. Once it has thoroughly cleaned the surface it was applied to it is then rinsed off with the pressure of a garden hose. Normally between 60 and 80psi. That’s it! No high pressure no disturbing the oxidation just cleaning and cleaning well. Are there downsides to softwashing? Absolutely, when done