Soft Washing or Pressure Washing - Which Do You Need?

Sometimes, a property can be a little bit of a fixer-upper. Washing the surfaces is a great way to see the actual material and watch a place come to life. However, you have to assess whether a building would benefit more from pressure washing or soft washing. 

Pressure washing uses high-powered water sprays that can help deal with large grimy surfaces. However, the strong pressurized water can cause some damages. It should be used for tough surfaces and by experienced hands to gain the full effect.

Meanwhile, soft washing requires lower pressurized water. The gentle washing method uses chemicals as compensation. Don’t worry, as professionals do use chemicals that are a little more harmless.

Here are four examples of materials that can help you determine if you need soft washing or pressure washing.

Painted Exterior

If the home you’re working in has painted surfaces, you may want to assess its condition first before deciding to pressure wash or soft wash it. Paint can chip away when faced with a lot of pressure. This may cause more expenses when trying to repair and fix the paint job.

You can test a small area if you’re adamant about pressure washing. If you would rather be careful, though, just go with soft washing. Even with the chemicals, you can be more gentle and clean that surface.

Corroded or Worn-out Wood

Seeing aging or rotting wood is a sign that the property you’re working with is a lot older. As a result, its surfaces are probably much more fragile than others. Skip the pressure washing and go for soft washing instead.

Using a home-safe solvent will help remove the dirt building up on the wood. It’s also a little more convenient when you’re working with vintage furniture and an older deck in the home. There’s more precision when it comes to pressure washing those items.

Non-Porous Substances

Pressure washing works best for non-porous materials. Stone and concrete can withstand high volumes and powerful sprays of water, especially if it’s good as new. It’s assuring to know that you won’t cause any damage to them.

However, if you find that a material is vulnerable to water like drywall, untreated wood, rubber, and other porous substances, turn off the pressure washer. Soft washing may cause fewer cracks and damage to appear on that material.

Stained Terrace

Stains can come from all sorts of things. It could be a paint stain, varnish stain, dye stain, or more. Although pressure washing is great for exterior parts of your property, pressure washers solely use water. You might not be able to remove the stain using that equipment alone.

Opt for some stain-removing chemicals to soft wash the planks and surfaces instead of using a pressure washer. You can also choose to commit to some restaining, but that’s a whole other project in itself.  

Conclusion

To sum it up, pressure washing is best for concrete and solid materials. Use soft washing if you’re handling materials that can be a little more fragile. It’s also best to get cleaning professionals’ input to ensure you don’t have to pay for affairs and use the possible method.

Need some residential power washing? Kingwood All Star Window & Power Washing provides window washing and roof cleaning services, whether it’s pressure washing or soft washing. Contact us today!

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