A lot of people use "pressure washing" for any exterior cleaning. In practice there are two different methods, and the right one depends on what you are cleaning. Using the wrong one is how paint gets stripped, stucco gets etched and roofs get damaged.
Pressure washing: for hard surfaces
Pressure washing uses high-pressure water to blast dirt, mildew and stains off a surface. It is the right tool for hard, durable surfaces:
- Concrete driveways, sidewalks and patios
- Pavers, before they are sealed
- Pool decks
- Some commercial surfaces like dumpster pads and drive-thru lanes
On flat concrete we use a surface cleaner, a spinning attachment that cleans evenly. A wand alone tends to leave the striped look you see on a lot of driveways.
Soft washing: for the house and the roof
Soft washing uses low pressure, close to a garden hose, with a cleaning solution that kills the algae and mildew. The solution does the work instead of the water pressure. It is the right method for anything that can be damaged by force:
- Roofs, shingle, tile and metal
- Stucco and painted block
- Vinyl and Hardie board siding
- Screen enclosures and soffits
What goes wrong with the wrong method
High pressure on a house can force water behind siding and around windows, chip paint and leave marks in stucco. On a roof it strips granules from shingles and can crack tile. Because pressure does not kill algae at the root, it also tends to come back faster.
Going the other way, soft washing alone will not lift ground-in dirt and tire marks from a concrete driveway. That is why a full exterior job usually uses both.
Why it matters more in Florida
Our humidity means algae and mildew are the main thing we are removing, not just dust. Killing the growth matters more than knocking it loose. That is why the house and roof get soft washed here, even when the concrete gets a full pressure cleaning.
What a typical Jacksonville job looks like
On a normal house we soft wash the walls, soffits and screens, then pressure clean the driveway, walks and pool deck with a surface cleaner, and rinse the plants and windows when we finish. Each surface gets the method that suits it.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Will you soft wash the house and roof, or pressure wash them?
- Do you use a surface cleaner on the driveway?
- How do you protect the plants and landscaping?
Our FAQ page covers a few more, or you can see how we handle homes on our house washing page.
Want a price for your property? Send a few photos and we will reply, usually within 24 hours.
