Soft Washing or Pressure Washing: Which Surface Needs Which

Soft washing uses a low-pressure spray and a soft wash solution. The solution kills green algae, black mildew, and the algae behind black roof streaks. Then we rinse at low pressure. The cleaning comes from the solution and the dwell time, not from force.

Pressure washing uses high-pressure water to strip dirt and grime off hard surfaces. On concrete we run a rotary surface cleaner. It holds the spray nozzles at a fixed height and spins them across the slab.

Here is how the surfaces split:

• Vinyl siding, brick, stucco, painted trim, eaves, and soffits: soft wash. High pressure forces water behind vinyl laps, etches mortar, and strips paint. See house soft washing.
• Asphalt shingle roofs: soft wash only. Pressure knocks granules off shingles and shortens roof life. Black streaks, moss, and lichen come off with low-pressure application and dwell time. See roof cleaning.
• Driveways, sidewalks, patios, and pool decks: pressure wash. Concrete takes the force, and embedded dirt needs it. See pressure washing.
• Wood decks and fences: a cleaner, low pressure, a wide tip, and a low-angle wand. Wood fibers tear and fur under a tight, high-pressure spray. See deck and fence cleaning.
• Windows: neither. Glass gets a squeegee or a water-fed pole with a purified water rinse. See window cleaning.

For more on the growth itself, read our guide to mildew and algae on exteriors.

We walk the property first. We check the siding type, the roof shingles, and the condition of paint and wood. We find where rinse water will drain. We note plants, outdoor furniture, outlets, and light fixtures that need protection.

We pre-wet the plants. Before solution touches siding or a roof, we soak shrubs, flower beds, and grass along the foundation. Wet leaves absorb less. We rinse them again when the job is done.

We apply the soft wash solution from the bottom up. Starting low keeps solution from running down over dry siding and leaving streaks. We let it dwell long enough to kill the growth, and we keep it from drying on the wall.

We rinse from the top down. The rinse carries loosened mildew and solution down and off the house. We clean eaves and soffits and brighten gutter faces in the same pass. Tiger striping on gutters takes direct work; a plain rinse does not remove it.

On roofs, we apply at low pressure and never blast shingles. We work tied in with a roof harness. We rinse the gutter line, flush the downspouts, and manage runoff so solution does not pool in the beds below.

On concrete, we pre-treat, then run the surface cleaner. Oil stains and rust stains get their own treatment first. Then we make even surface cleaner passes with overlap so the slab dries without stripes. We rinse edges and walls with a rinse wand and post-treat to slow the growth coming back.

On wood, we clean, then brighten. We move furniture aside, wash the boards with a low-angle wand, and apply wood brightener to lift the gray. If you plan to stain or seal, we tell you the dry time before that work starts.

We clean the glass last. Once the house and roof rinse is finished, we clean windows, screens, frames, and sills so overspray does not spot fresh glass.

Newport News sits on the water. The James River runs along the city from Huntington Park to Riverview Farm Park, and Jefferson Avenue runs down to King-Lincoln Park on the waterfront. Homes near that water, and homes backing up to wooded ground like Newport News Park, stay damp longer after rain and morning dew.

Warm, humid air sits over eastern Virginia for long stretches of summer, often with rounds of heavy rain. Algae and mildew grow fast in that. We find green algae on the north side of houses, black mildew under eaves, and black streaks on shaded roof slopes. Mature trees along Warwick Boulevard and through older neighborhoods add shade and drop heavy spring pollen. That pollen film coats siding and windows and feeds new growth.

Most homes in Newport News are single-family houses. Our typical job is one house with siding, a shingle roof, a driveway, a walkway, and often a back deck or fence. That mix is why we use both methods on nearly every property. We soft wash the house and roof, pressure wash the concrete, clean the wood at low pressure, and hand clean the glass.

The humidity changes our timing too. On damp days, solution dries slower, so we check dwell time on the wall instead of going by the clock. On hot, dry afternoons, we work in smaller sections so solution never dries before the rinse. During pollen season, we book window cleaning after the heaviest pollen drop so fresh glass does not go yellow the next week.

We do the same work in Hampton, Yorktown, and Tabb, where shade and moisture put the same growth on houses and roofs.

Can you pressure wash vinyl siding?

We don't. High pressure pushes water behind the laps and into the wall, and it can crack older vinyl. Soft washing kills the mildew and algae, and a low-pressure rinse carries it off.

Why not pressure wash a roof?

Pressure strips the granules off asphalt shingles, and those granules protect the shingle from the sun. We soft wash the roof instead. The solution kills the Gloeocapsa magma algae behind the black streaks, and we rinse at low pressure.

Will soft wash solution hurt my plants?

We pre-wet the plants, cover the delicate ones, and rinse everything again when we finish. We control runoff at the downspouts and along the foundation.

How often does my house need cleaning?

In Newport News, most houses need a soft wash once green or black growth shows on the siding. Shaded sides and homes near water or heavy trees grow back faster. Roofs usually go longer between cleanings. Shaded concrete needs cleaning more often than sunny driveways.

Why does my driveway have stripes after it was cleaned?

A handheld wand held at changing distances leaves stripes. We use a rotary surface cleaner with overlapping passes, then post-treat, so the slab dries even.

Is a deck a soft wash or a pressure wash job?

It sits between the two. We use a wood cleaner, low pressure, a wide tip, and a low-angle wand. That lifts mildew and graying without tearing the wood fibers.

Can you do the house, roof, and driveway in one visit?

Yes. We work top to bottom: roof, then siding, then concrete, then windows. Each step rinses down onto surfaces we have not cleaned yet.

Call (757) 697-5416 or contact us for exterior cleaning in Newport News. Tell us which surfaces have mildew, algae, streaks, or stains, and whether you have plants close to the house. We will walk the property, match each surface to the right method, and put the work in writing. You can also learn about our family business or head back to our home page.