Performing a regular deep cleaning for our home or business building is recommended to achieve a good exterior appearance and a healthy living environment. Deep cleaning is ideal for cleaning a variety of exterior surfaces such as roofs , vinyl and brick siding.
Soft washing is a type of deep cleaning method which is perfect for cleaning exterior surfaces. It works against different types of dirt without damaging the property surface and it is eco-friendly.
Pressure washing involves spraying a concentrated flow of water at a specific spot. This cleaning technique is effective in removing contaminants and restores the surface to an almost-new condition. Soft washing is a type of deep cleaning that offers many benefits to our property and our health too.
No matter if we are planning to sell the property or live inside proper and regular clean-up is important. Deep cleaning of different surfaces is not only good for the property’s good appearance but also for our health. Soft washing is one of those cleaning methods that are done to achieve both good aesthetic look of the building and make it a safe place for either working or living.
It doesn’t matter if we own mid-high or low-rise building of commercial or residential type, deep cleaning and especially soft washing provides numerous benefits for both business and residential properties.
What is soft washing?
Soft washing is a popular cleaning method in the property cleaning sphere during which the cleaning detergents are applied at a low pressure. The method involves low pressure pumps which uses cleaning solution mixed with water. This solution is applied onto the surface and it’s left for some time in order to start working and reach all the bacteria including this in the cracks and crevices.
The soft washing machine uses a soft washing pump to rinse the cleaning solution afterwards by applying a low pressure stream of clean water. The water pressure is similar to this that is produced by a standard garden hose. This type of cleaning technique for exterior surfaces uses less than 500 PSI (pressure per square inch) for cleaning or rinsing purposes. The tip of the pressure washing machine is substituted with one that makes the spray wide and it decreases the point of pressure in this way.
Pressure washers can also perform soft washing. They are designed to apply the so called pressure per square inch (PSI). Soft washers create a water stream that is weak enough to allow us to place our hand in front of the water spray nozzle without causing us any pain.
Pressure washing machines work with a foamy cleaning solution that contains bleach called Sodium Hypochlorite, a foaming agent or a surfactant. The percent of bleach content in the cleaning solution for soft washing is just a little bit more than the normal percent of bleach content in swimming pools.
Sodium Hypochlorite is a completely safe cleaning solution that fights different contaminants. It has different applications such as disinfection of swimming pools, drinking water treatment and other sanitary purposes.
So, after the soft washers apply the cleaning solution with sodium hypochlorite on a given exterior surface, any dust, mold, mildew or algae build-up is dissolved efficiently and it can be rinsed quickly afterwards by the low pressure water flow.
Different types of dirt accumulate all over the exterior of our building (under sidings, between cracks, around the stones, the patio furniture) over time. Using a hose with a standard cleaning soap isn’t enough to remove all the dirt debris and stains effectively from the exterior. All the dirt build-up sticks to different spots at the outside surfaces of the property which the hose cannot reach and clean properly.
Soft washers also operate with special cleaning solutions that break down dirt build-up effectively as well as all the bacteria that lives on the outside surfaces. It is effective against mold, mildew, algae, pollen, spider webs, decaying matter and other types of dirt debris.
The existence of dirt accumulation does not only spoil the appearance of our property but it is also bad for our health. When we leave different contaminants uncleaned on the exterior surfaces for a long time, this may make us get sick more often. We may not realize that the culprit of why we get sick lives hidden at our property’s exterior.
This is one of the reasons why it’s a good idea to invest in a professional cleaning company that offers soft washing services. Professional soft washing provides effective cleaning of different dirt debris and leaves the surfaces in an almost new state.
The cleaning solutions soft washers use aren’t harmful to the environment and they also keep the protective coating of the surfaces intact. This makes them suitable for using on the home’s exterior.
Is soft washing better than pressure washing?
We are not saying that high pressure is not effective but it’s more suitable for stubborn types of dirt when the material of the exterior surface can survive the application of a more rough cleaning force. Soft washing is more gentle on the outside surfaces than pressure washing and it involves minimal risk of structural damage.
Moreover, it’s very easy to make mistakes and damage a particular surface especially in the case with pressure washing. Of course these mistakes come with a price. In order to save our budget for property repairs we should choose the right cleaning method for our property.
One of the biggest advantages of soft washing over high pressure washing is that the risk of creating damage to the building’s surfaces is limited as much as possible. Another plus side of soft washing is that by using this cleaning method we can clean our entire property starting from ground level.
It’s important to know that soft washing brings not only cleaning benefits but also protects our health. As you may already know each cleaning method is suitable for specific types of wood surfaces. As the name suggests soft washing is suitable for soft surfaces such as cedar shakes/shingles, wood panel siding, vinyl or brick siding , cedar shake siding, screens, enclosures, and lanais, stucco and coquina, outdoor wood furniture and outside rooted garden plants.
How soft washing is performed?
The process of soft washing is pretty simple when done with the right equipment. But it should be applied with high grade soft washing machines otherwise it won’t be as much effective as it should be. Soft washing is a preferred cleaning method over pressure cleaning in different types of cleaning tasks.
Soft washing is most effective when it’s done by a professional cleaning company. If we try to handle this task alone, we will spend more time in general (it can take up to one week for the whole property) compared to getting the service complete by a professional cleaning company. The time duration of the soft washing task will depend on factors like how tall is our building, what is the level of dirt debris and what is the surrounding area.
Professional contractors are equipped with specialized soft washing machines and cleaning equipment designed for cleaning high-rise buildings. It enables them to reach up to 15 meters from ground level.
A professional cleaning company can complete a soft washing job more quickly and safely than us. Their work doesn’t involve ladders and extension poles that can do damage to the building’s exterior.
We need to consider also the weather factor from which the successful completion of the cleaning project depends. The sun rays for example can really impede the progress with our cleaning.
The soft washing services usually includes two stages. The first soft washing stage involves cleaning the building’s hard surfaces. During the second soft washing stage the cleaning solution and the nozzle are changed before continuing the cleaning process for the other more soft parts of the property.
Benefits of soft washing
Effective
Thanks to the characteristic features of the cleaning solution used by soft washers, soft washing offers us a different result at the end when compared to high pressure washing procedure. It is proven that only the use of sodium hypochlorite cleaning solution works against organic growth no matter how much pressure we use in our attempts to clean it.
Another fact about soft washing is that it offers us both cleaning and disinfection. Soft washing kills the bacteria at a molecular level and leaves our building in a clean state for a longer time than the other cleaning methods.
Safe
It avoids the possibility for structural damage to the property and also water penetration into its surface. It is a safer cleaning method in comparison to pressure washing. Soft washers also use eco-friendly cleaning solutions that are fully harmless to our health and also the surfaces we are trying to clean.
Cost-efficient
Because there is no need to use ladders and scaffolding during the soft washing method, this decreases the amount of needed labor and thus the price falls down. Also, soft washing utilizes less water than high pressure washing which is another great economic advantage.
When we should do soft washing?
The frequency of soft washing depends on the way our property is built, what materials its structure consists from and also its location (what kind is the surrounding area of the property). We can either get our property soft washed from top to bottom or get just one part cleaned. Usually, it is recommended to do soft washing to roof, windows and sidings.
