Soft Washing refers to the process, methods, chemicals, and equipment used to clean organic matter such as mold/mildew and dirt from materials using low pressure.  Often times the culprit for an unsightly appearance on siding, roofs, driveways, and fences is mold and mildew growth.  

Soft Washing most often uses sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) and detergents/bonding agents called surfactants, to kill the mold/mildew.  Often times, the material these organic matters grow on or not suitable for high pressure.  For example, it is highly inadvisable to apply high pressure to asphalt roof shingles, as it would blow away the granules that protect your roof, and it could cause water to be pushed unnaturally into spaces it was not intended to be.  

The soft washing chemicals make for a longer lasting result as well because the problem is killed, instead of lessened.  

Concrete is a slightly different story.  High pressure can be used on concrete, but think about the big picture.  Have you been out there spraying inch by inch of a concrete surface, and the only thing the pressure washer is doing, is allowing you to stand up instead of scrub the concrete by hand?  It takes forever.  Gentle Giant applies a soft washing solution to concrete and then uses a commercial surface cleaning machine which washes all debris away for the cleanest, most long lasting result.

In sum, Soft Washing is best for almost all applications, and high pressure is the exception rather than the rule.  That's where professionals such as Gentle Giant come in.  We use commercial grade sodium hypochlorite at the right strength.  Store-bought bleach just doesn't compare.  This chemical loses its strength quickly, and bleach is just not strong enough.  We get a new batch of chlorine weekly, and have to use protective equipment such as respirators, and gloves.  You do not want to be involved in this process, but we do--we're the professionals.

This is a great summary, and if you're interested in further details and resources, ROOFSCOUR is a good resource.  

Roof washing or soft washing of a roof can be priced by square foot, but that is not the only way to look at it.  Soft washing companies often take into account factors such as severity of soil on the roof, height of the roof, complexity of the roof, the amount and sensitivity of vegetation around a building, the size of the roof, and so on.  

These things equate to how many laborers, how much time, how much equipment will be involved.  Heavy soil makes for higher concentration of commercial sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) and/or multiple applications.  Vegetation must be protected from the chemicals, meaning watered, covered, and so on.  

However, the per-square-foot method of pricing is of course the most effective formula for pricing, and there are a lot of resources on the internet for such pricing.  Here are a few of the resources:  Home Guide; Angie's List.

Home maintenance is a pain.  How daunting is the task of repainting your house?  Routine pressure washing is key to preventing premature deterioration of building materials such as paint and roofing.  Homes.com suggests washing your house at least twice per year.  

Perdue University provides, "Mildew is probably the most common cause of house paint discoloration."  Homes.com also notes that pressure washing is necessary to prime a surface for painting.  So unfortunately, pressure washing needs to happen, but it is the lesser of two evils--repainting versus maintenance.  I think twice per year may be a bit ambitious though.  Once per year seems to be a good balance of spending on maintenance versus spending on repairs.

Remember that while we use the phrase pressure washing often, soft washing is what is best practice, as it is gentler on siding and roofing, and kills organic material such as mold and mildew.  Concrete is a different story.

Proper driveway cleaning usually includes pre-treating with the correct chemical solution, pressure washing, and then post-treating the driveway with the proper chemical solution.  

Southeast Softwash provides a good summary of key considerations in cleaning a driveway.  Among these considerations, is including the proper ratio of sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) in your pre- and post-treatment--and importantly, the pressure washing is best done by a commercial surface cleaning machine that cleans with at least four gallons per minute.

A lot of exterior cleaning companies skip this middle step of pressure washing altogether.  Not Gentle Giant.  We use an 8 gallon per minute machine.  Once the chlorine is applied, concrete typically brightens up considerably, allowing others to pack up and leave.  Watch this video of one of our surface cleaners in action.  Look at all the organic matter being washed away.

This is why you should go with a professional company that does not cut corners in your concrete cleaning and washing.  First of all handling of the chlorine is sensitive, and we do the full job by using machines and techniques that are more than adequate for the job--and we actually use the equipment.  Exterior cleaning, pressure washing, and soft washing are not cheap--you deserve the complete treatment.

Improving curb appeal of your home by getting a house wash, roof soft wash, and driveway pressure wash prior to listing your home for sale, can increase the value by 5-10% says PressureWashr FAQ.

We are called on often to do such cleanings prior to listing photos being taken.  I'm writing this specific blog because I was called on to do it today.  I have not personally looked into the statistics but it makes complete sense because after I do a driveway cleaning or roof soft wash, a first impression is clearly improved.  Black streaks on the driveway and roof make a solid home look questionable at first glance.  It is an uphill battle from there.

Here is my post of this job from today--the homeowners were impressed, and so will be their buyers:

Gentle Giant has an 8 gallon-per-minute hot pressure washing machine available which heats water up to 200 degrees.  The theme/brand involves soft washing to power washing (hot pressure washing).  While Gentle Giant commonly uses soft washing on roofs and houses/buildings/siding, we can apply other more powerful professional grade equipment to address oil, grease, and paint.  The Pressurewashr.com page explains the difference between common pressure washers and professional grade hot pressure washers.  Gentle Giant has equipment and techniques available for any job.  

According to to this Angie article, "having a professional roof cleaning completed every one to two years can help extend the life of your roof by 10 to 20 years."  But, importantly, as this article states, pressure washing is a big no-no for roofs.  The best, and only, practice is soft washing, which, in the case of asphalt shingles for example, minimizes granule loss, thus improving the life's roof without damaging the roof.  Roof cleaning is a serious undertaking, which requires application of sodium hypochlorite (chlorine), specialized equipment, personal protective equipment, and so on.  Accordingly, you should not leave your roof cleaning to just anyone, an insured pro like Gentle Giant is a must.  In sum, roof cleaning improves your roof's appearance, and improves the life of your roof.  But because it is a big and sensitive undertaking, you must rely on a pro to do it right--otherwise, you end up with more problems than when you started.

There are a lot of choices for pressure washers in Jacksonville.  There are a lot of factors to consider when making a choice, including, are they insured, do they have crews operating independently of anyone who cares, are they blasting through jobs at light speed to maximize revenue by volume rather than quality work, is the owner involved, do they have the right knowledge, equipment, chemicals, and experience, what are the business's reviews, and so on.  Gentle Giant is proud to be fully insured, owner operated, completely capitalized, traveling with a trailer capable of anything exterior cleaning, equipt with the right experience and chemicals.  We take the time to protect your plants and belongings, Austin--the owner--is involved in every job.  Check out our reviews here for great insight on how we are vetted by word-of-moth.

Pavers can be really attractive, but I think most homeowners are not aware of the proper upkeep that goes into keeping them attractive.  The full on process for cleaning and maintaining pavers would be to 1) apply the appropriate cleaning agent(s), 2) pressure wash; 3) replace/replenish the sand between the joints; and 4) seal.  Here is a link to a decent Angie Article goes into a little more depth--although the big picture can be more or less complicated than this.  

The bottom line is who wants to deal with the process and cost of sealing pavers every time they need to be cleaned?  Nobody.  I do not suggest sealing pavers every time they are cleaned, but I do suggest having a pro clean them in between sealing them so that sealing is not needed but every couple or more years.  The trick is to know what is needed at any given time to clean the pavers with as little disruption as possible.  Sometimes a 60 degree fan-tip on a pressure washer--used with a brain--is proper as it is a good balance between fanning and targeting.  

When in doubt, I use my 8 gallon-per-minute machine without a tip because it steadily cranks out 8 gallons per minute.  A lot of people focus on PSI, but gallons per minute is just as important.  This has to do with rinsing power that consumer pressure washers just don't have.  Think about a rain versus a flood.  Rain does not move earth but a flood does.  Not because the earth is being pelted but because it rises the earth up and moves it along.

In my opinion, cleaning gas station and restaurant concrete with sodium hydroxide is best.  Sodium hydroxide is usually the most basic and important ingredient in degreasers and detergents, and can be bought in bulk.  This allows us to mix a solution that is strong and active, and tailored to the application, and allows us to keep costs down.  Commercial degreasers are expensive and restaurant and gas station concrete can be very difficult.  Often gas stations have oil and diesel stains that have been there for years.  When the appropriate mixture of sodium hydroxide is applied to the concrete, allowed to dwell, and washed off with hot power washing, this is the best and most effective remediation of the toughest stains.  

Here is more information that is tailored more towards the common homeowner, which outlines details that likely calls for professional application rather than do-it-yourself, such as proper PPE, mixture strength, property protection, and so on.