Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing: What’s the Difference?

Nothing is as satisfying as watching years worth of dirt and grime washing away as a pristine layer of brick, tile, or siding is revealed. A professional pressure washing job can work wonders on your home’s exterior, leaving a better impression and curb appeal. Driveways, entryways, decks, and more can look brand new thanks to some professional help with the right equipment.

When hiring a service to clean your home’s exterior, you may be wondering about the differences between their listed services. You may see a few options when it comes to pressure washing, power washing, and soft washing. It’s essential to know the best service to choose when considering cleaning your home’s exterior as there are benefits to each we will dive into with this guide. After reading this article, you should be able to know the differences between professional wash types as well as added health benefits.

Related: Find the Best Home Exterior Cleaning Services in Texas

Pressure Washing

Pressure washing may be the most commonly thought of washing technique when it comes to exterior cleaning. It is the perfect technique to cut through grime on durable surfaces such as stone, cement, and hardwood. Pressure washing does not add heat to the water and uses a hose connection to a standard exterior faucet on your home.

Pressure washing is a powerful cleaning method that is ideal for blasting stubborn dirt from surfaces. However, it is easy for the inexperienced user to damage sensitive areas if they aren’t using it properly. There are a variety of factors that users need to consider, such as nozzle type, velocity, distance from the surface, and washer type.

In short, pressure washing is beneficial for deep cleaning on hard surfaces. However, using a pressure washer can be dangerous to those who have never used one before as the extremely high-pressure water can cut through the skin. Hiring a professional service will ensure that you get the best clean with no hiccups along the way.

Ready to find the best pressure washing professionals in your area? Shine offers superior home cleaning services — take a look at the locations in your area!

Power Washing

Power washing has some distinct differences from pressure washing and is typically used in heavier-duty industrial applications. Power washing uses hot water to blast surfaces, resulting in an incredibly powerful cleaning. This type of cleaning is best used for things that even pressure washing cannot remove, such as grease marks, salt stains, oil spills, or chewing gum.

Power washing is most commonly found in commercial spaces, but it can be used for homes and ranches as well. Since it uses such a powerful heated stream of water, it can heavily damage some surfaces if misused. You don’t want to power wash any painted, stained, or finished surfaces as the water will quickly strip away any protective layer.

Unlike pressure washers, power washers aren’t usually available for any DIY applications, for a good reason. If you feel like your project would benefit from power washing, take a look at some professional cleaners in your area that offer this service.

Soft Washing

Soft washing can provide a more careful cleaning to delicate surfaces such as roofing, wood shake siding, screens, and others to ensure they aren’t damaged in the process. A normal pressure washer is used to soft wash, but with a lower pressure, and with special equipment.

Professionals use a lower-power stream when washing and attach a nozzle that dissipates the water more gently. Another difference is that soft washing employs special solvents to make dirt removal easier at lower pressures. The solvents won’t strip any protective layers or enamels and are environmentally friendly. The chemicals can get rid of organic material such as algae, fungus, stains, or mildew.

The more careful alternative to pressure and power washing, soft washing is frequently considered a safe and gentle solution. Choosing to soft wash over pressure wash is often the best idea when washing siding,  windows, and your roof.

Health Benefits of Pressure or Soft Washing

A professional wash can leave more for you than a sparkling clean home. An unwanted build-up of dirt, dust, mold, mildew, and other allergens can degrade the air quality of your home over time. These pollutants can collect on the surfaces and textures of your home in both wet and dry environments. Trying to clean these places with a hose or traditional cleaning supplies can even exacerbate the problem by washing organic material into other areas or increasing mildew.

Related: House Detailing Services for Total Health

Why Hire Professional Cleaners?

Doing it yourself is often the most economical way to tackle a home project, but in the case of using pressure washing equipment, the results can be costly and damaging if not done correctly. Professionals have the right tools such as solvents and nozzles to get the job done, often at a lower cost than renting or buying the supplies yourself. Specialized techniques like soft washing will be hard to DIY as well since they require added equipment. Professional cleaners are experienced in using equipment properly, safely, and quickly to get your home looking its best.

Looking for a service to get the job done right away? Check out the Shine locations near you for all your home cleaning needs.

Power washing

Get a Better Clean

Now that you know all of the differences between these cleaning methods, you can get the project done with the confidence that you made the right choice. Washing your home or business yourself can be a huge and time-consuming process that can damage delicate surfaces if not done properly. Having professionals handle the job in a day is a much better option for you to relax and be able to notice the satisfying results stress-free.

Related: House Washing and Gutter Cleaning Services Near You

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