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Know Before You Book

Soft Washing vs.
Pressure Washing

Two completely different processes that people use interchangeably — and picking the wrong one is how siding gets water behind it and roofs lose their granules. Here's which surface takes which.

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The short answer: soft washing cleans with a biodegradable detergent at low pressure — roughly 100–500 PSI, about garden-hose force — and the chemistry kills the algae at the root. Pressure washing cleans with high-force water at 1,500–4,000 PSI and relies on that force alone. Hard flatwork like concrete and pavers gets pressure washed. Siding, roofs, stucco and painted wood get soft washed.

The difference in one table

Soft WashingPressure Washing
Pressure at surface~100–500 PSI1,500–4,000 PSI
What does the cleaningDetergent and dwell timeWater force
Kills algae at the rootYesNo — removes the visible layer only
How long results last12–18 months typicalWeeks to months on organic growth
Risk to siding & paintMinimalHigh — water intrusion, stripped paint
Right for concreteWorks, but slowerYes — the correct choice
Right for roofsYes — the only safe methodNever
Typical equipmentChemical injector, wide fan tipRotary surface cleaner, narrow tips

Surface by surface: which method yours needs

If a contractor tells you otherwise on any row below, ask why before you hire them.
SurfaceMethodWhy
Concrete driveway, sidewalk, patioPressure washHard and porous — takes the force, and a surface cleaner gives an even finish.
Brick or stone paversPressure wash (moderate)Fine at moderate pressure; too much blows the joint sand out.
Vinyl sidingSoft washForce drives water up under the laps into the wall cavity, where it can't dry.
Aluminum sidingSoft washOld aluminum has chalked; pressure grinds the oxidation into permanent streaks.
Brick and mortar wallsSoft washAged mortar joints erode under pressure and let water behind the wall.
Painted wood sidingSoft washPressure strips the paint film — and pre-1978 paint may be lead-based.
Stucco and EIFSSoft washPressure cracks the finish coat and water gets into the system behind it.
Asphalt shingle roofSoft wash onlyPressure strips the UV-protective granules and shortens roof life dramatically.
Wood deckLow pressure + detergentHigh pressure raises the grain and furs the boards; ruins a stain job.
Composite deckingSoft washForce can gouge the cap layer and void some manufacturer warranties.
Wood or vinyl fenceLow pressureSame as decking — clean the mildew out of the grain without shredding it.
Gutters (exterior face)Soft washTiger striping is a bonded oxide film. Detergent lifts it; pressure dents the trough.
Window glass and screensSoft wash / handPressure blows seals and tears screen mesh.

Why "it came back in a month" happens

This is the single most common complaint we hear about a previous contractor, and it has one cause. Green algae and the black staining on roofs (Gloeocapsa magma) are living organisms with structures that reach into the pores of the surface they're growing on. High-pressure water removes the visible layer on top. It does not remove what's below, and what's below regrows — fast, in an Ohio summer.

Soft washing applies a solution that kills the organism outright and gives it time to work before rinsing. It looks less dramatic while it's happening. It's the reason a soft-washed house stays clean through a season instead of greening up by August.

How to vet a contractor in two questions

1. "What PSI will you put on my siding?" — anything over about 500 is the wrong answer. 2. "Do you use a detergent, or just water?" — "just water, we turn the pressure up" means the algae will be back before fall. Two questions, thirty seconds, and you'll know.

What we do

We run both, and we switch methods as we move around a property — surface cleaner on the driveway, soft wash on the siding above it, hand work on the glass. That isn't unusual for a job; it's most jobs. If you want the detail on either method, we've written both up: soft washing and pressure washing. And if you just want a number, the instant estimator takes about a minute.

See the Difference

Soft Wash Results

Siding and roofs cleaned with chemistry instead of force.

Full house soft washing before and after — Tipp City, Ohio Roofline and panel soft washing before and after — Tipp City, Ohio Vinyl siding close-up before and after soft washing — Tipp City, Ohio Driveway pressure washing before and after — Tipp City, Ohio
Common Questions

Soft Washing vs. Pressure Washing FAQ

What people ask us once they realize these are two different things.

Neither is better — they're for different surfaces. Pressure washing is right for hard, non-porous flatwork: concrete, brick pavers, stone. Soft washing is right for anything that can be damaged by force: siding, roofs, stucco, painted wood, screens. A company that only owns one method will use it on everything, and that's where damage comes from.
It kills it. That's the entire point. Pressure blasts the visible growth off the surface but leaves the root structure in the pores, so it regrows in weeks. A soft wash solution kills the organism, which is why a properly soft-washed house stays clean for 12–18 months instead of one season.
Roughly 100–500 PSI at the surface — about what a strong garden hose delivers. Pressure washing runs 1,500–4,000 PSI. The difference isn't a dial setting on the same machine; soft washing uses a different tip, a much wider fan and a chemical injector, and the water is only there to rinse.
Yes, in two ways people usually don't notice until later. Water driven up under the lap of the siding gets into the wall cavity where it can't dry, and a concentrated stream can crack or melt-mark older vinyl outright. Vinyl gets soft washed.
No. Never. High pressure strips the mineral granules off asphalt shingles — those granules are the shingle's UV protection and the reason it lasts twenty years. Take them off and you've traded a cleaning problem for a roof replacement. Roofs are soft washed, which is also what the ARMA industry guidance calls for.
Pressure washing, with a rotary surface cleaner rather than a wand. Concrete is hard and porous and takes the force fine — and the surface cleaner is what gives you an even finish instead of the striped wand pattern. See concrete cleaning.
Handled correctly, yes. We pre-wet the landscaping, cover what's sensitive and rinse the beds down again afterward. The solution is diluted and breaks down quickly. Keep pets inside during the wash and off the treated surfaces until they're dry — same as you would for anything else applied to a yard.
Ask them what PSI they'll put on your siding, and ask whether they use a detergent or just water. If the answer to the first is a number over 1,000 or the answer to the second is "just water, we crank the pressure," you've learned what you needed to know.

Not Sure Which One Your House Needs?

Send us a photo. We'll tell you which method it takes and what it costs — in about a minute.

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