Power Washing, Pressure Washing & Softwashing A Comparison for Alexandria HomeownersFor the best results and most thorough clean of your Alexandria exterior, a professional cleaning service is a good choice. While a professional exterior cleaning company will know the difference between power washing, pressure washing and soft washing, it is important for you to understand them as well. Knowing the difference between these three services can help you determine if you have hired the right Alexandria power washing company.

 

Power Washing

Power washing is the processes of removing surface material such as dirt, mud, mildew, mold and other contaminates from the exterior features of your house by using pressurized water directed at the surface. While this is a similar feature to pressure washing, the difference is that power washing utilizes heated water.

Water that has been heated to a high temperature will break down contaminate materials from your building much easier than cool water. The act of power washing uses specialized power washing equipment.

While these machines only shoot out water, the extent of the power makes them highly dangerous to someone who is not trained. It is best to hire a certified Alexandria power washing company to handle your power washing service and avoid damage to yourself or your property.

Since power washing is done with such force, it is recommended that it only be used on hard, exterior surfaces such as patios, sidewalks, fences, decks, and driveways. Hard surfaces need the high pressured water to effectively flush out dirt from their pores.

 

Pressure Washing

There are not very many differences between power washing and pressure washing. In fact, some people consider them the same service. While the terms may be incorrectly interchangeable, there is a distinct difference.

Unlike power washing, pressure washing is done with room temperature water. It depends entirely on the force of water rather than the temperature. The force of this water from a pressure washer comes out at a higher velocity, and will blast away dirt, mold, mildew and grime.

Just like power washing, pressure washing is done with heavy machinery and should only be performed by a professional. Since the velocity of the water is so extraordinarily high in a pressure washer, it is important it is only used on very hard surfaces. If these services are done on your house, you could risk damage to your home’s siding or paint job.

It is highly recommended that power washing be used on concrete areas such as sidewalks, driveways, patios and pathways. These areas need the extra pressure to get rid of the dirt, and they are strong enough not to be harmed by it.

 

Soft Washing

Soft washing is a completely different service than power washing and pressure washing. Soft washing uses eco-friendly and environmentally safe, organic compounds to clean exterior aspects of your building.

Materials like shingles, painted wood, siding and other exterior features are too delicate to use pressurized water on. Using water at such high force could easily chip or damage those features. Softwashing offers a deep clean from the soaking in of these cleaning solutions that dissolve stains and dirt at its core. As the solution seeps down into the pores of the material it breaks down dirt, dust, mildew, mold and grime.

A certified professional has access to these powerful chemicals and will often mix them by hand to meet the unique needs of your home’s exterior materials. This guarantees you a deep and thorough clean made just for your home.

When your home needs a deep and thorough clean, the most effective choice is one that combines these three methods based on what was used to build your house.