Exterior · Soft Wash Method
House Exterior Soft Wash
The black streaks you see on shaded siding aren't dirt — they're algae feeding on the surface. We kill them at the root instead of blasting them off.
01 — What's included
What you get.
- Pre-rinse of landscaping and adjacent plants
- Application of a biodegradable soft-wash solution
- Dwell time for the solution to break down algae and oxidation
- Gentle rinse from top to bottom at near-garden-hose pressure
- Cleanup of windows reachable from the ground
- Typical range
- $250–$600 for a typical single-family home
- Cadence
- Every 1–2 years depending on tree cover and exposure
02 — Why it matters
Why this service matters here.
Most house siding — vinyl, stucco, fiber cement, painted wood — is not designed to take pressure-washer force. The dark streaks people associate with 'dirty' siding are actually gloeocapsa magma and other algae that have eaten into the porous surface. Blasting them off with high pressure removes the visible growth but also forces water behind seams and into wall cavities, and on painted wood it strips coatings unevenly. Soft washing is the method professional cleaners use on every surface that can't take pressure: a low-pressure application of a treatment solution does the cleaning chemically, then a gentle rinse takes everything off the wall.
03 — Our approach
How we work.
We saturate landscaping before, during, and after the wash so detergent and runoff stay diluted. The wash solution itself is a mix of sodium hypochlorite (the active ingredient in pool sanitizer), a surfactant to help it cling, and water. It's applied at less pressure than a garden hose, dwells for 5–15 minutes depending on the surface, then gets rinsed off cleanly. The algae and oxidation are dead at the root, which is why a properly soft-washed house stays clean far longer than a pressure-washed one.
What to expect on the day.
A two-story house takes 2–4 hours depending on access and surface complexity. You'll smell a faint chlorine note during the wash that dissipates within an hour. Pets should stay inside during the work. Plants get rinsed before and after — we'd rather over-water your shrubs than risk any browning. If you have outdoor furniture, cushions, or grills against the house, we move them out of the work zone and replace them when we're done.
04 — Common questions
Common questions for this service.
Don't see your question? Call or text (210) 577-6382.
01Will the cleaning solution kill my plants?
Will the cleaning solution kill my plants?
Not if we do our job. The solution is diluted to a strength that breaks down on contact with water — we pre-soak every plant bed, keep them rinsed during the work, and do a final flush after. The hosing matters more than the chemistry. We do ask you to flag anything especially delicate (ornamentals, edible gardens, koi ponds) so we can take extra care or skip those zones.
02What about my paint?
What about my paint?
Soft washing is paint-safe by design — it uses less pressure than your garden hose. The issue with pressure washing painted wood or aging stucco is that high-pressure water strips coatings unevenly and forces water into the substrate. Soft washing avoids all of that. If your paint is already failing in spots, we'll point it out before we start.
03How is this different from pressure washing my house?
How is this different from pressure washing my house?
Pressure washing relies on mechanical force to scour a surface clean. Soft washing relies on a cleaning solution to do the work chemically, with low-pressure water just rinsing the dead algae and dirt off. On hard, durable surfaces (concrete) you want pressure. On surfaces that can't take pressure (siding, paint, roofs, screens) you want soft washing. Same goal, very different physics.
Related
Other things we clean.
Driveway & Concrete Cleaning
Surface-clean driveways, sidewalks, and patios that look new — without etching the concrete.
Roof Soft Wash
Algae-killing roof treatment that restores shingles and stops the black streaks for years — no walking, no pressure.
Patio & Deck Cleaning
Right method for your surface — pressure for stone, soft wash for wood and composite — restored without damage.
House Exterior Soft Wash estimate
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