Maintenance
Pressure Washing or Soft Washing? Getting This Wrong Damages the House
High pressure on the wrong surface drives water into walls and strips finish. Most Florida exteriors want the gentler method.
Florida grows algae and mildew on everything, and cleaning it off is routine maintenance. How it is cleaned determines whether it is maintenance or damage.
What high pressure is for
- Concrete driveways, walkways and slabs.
- Paver and brick surfaces, with care to avoid stripping joint sand.
- Unpainted masonry.
- Heavy soiling on hard, non-porous surfaces.
What high pressure damages
- Painted siding and stucco. Pressure drives water behind the surface and into the wall, and it strips paint.
- Roofs. Pressure washing shingles removes the granules that are the shingle's UV protection. It takes years off a roof.
- Screen enclosures and lanais. It tears screen and forces water into frame joints.
- Window and door seals. Water forced past a seal ends up inside the wall.
- Soffits and vents, which are designed for air, not for a pressurised stream.
- Wood decks and fences, where pressure raises the grain and leaves a furred surface.
What soft washing is
Low pressure combined with a cleaning solution that kills the organic growth rather than blasting it off. Because the algae and mildew are killed at the root rather than removed at the surface, results also last longer.
This is the correct method for painted surfaces, stucco, roofs, screens and anything with a seal — which is most of a Florida house.
What we do and do not do
We clean and prepare exteriors as part of painting work, and preparation is most of what determines whether a paint job lasts. That means the right method for each surface rather than one pressure setting for the whole house.
If somebody is proposing to pressure wash your roof or your painted siding at high pressure, that is worth questioning before they start.
Getting it done
Call (863) 633-5499 or request a free estimate and we will look at it properly and give you an honest number.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pressure wash my roof?
You should not. High pressure removes the granules that protect asphalt shingles from UV, which shortens the roof's life significantly. Roof cleaning is a soft-wash job with an appropriate solution.
Is pressure washing safe on stucco or painted siding?
At high pressure, no. It drives water behind the surface into the wall and strips paint. Those surfaces want low pressure with a cleaning solution — soft washing — which also lasts longer because it kills the growth rather than removing it.
Related reading
Ready to get it done right the first time?
Free estimates across Lakeland & all of Polk County. Licensed, insured, 5.0★ rated.