"Power washing" gets used as one word for two very different jobs. Picking the wrong one for the wrong surface is how siding gets cracked and roofs get ruined. Here is the difference, in plain terms.
Pressure washing: water does the work
A pressure washer pushes water out hard enough to blast dirt, oil stains, and grime off a surface. That force is exactly what tough surfaces need.
Pressure washing is right for:
- Driveways and concrete walkways
- Pavers and stone
- Stained or oil-spotted garage floors and pads
Concrete is hard. It can take the pressure, and the pressure is what lifts years of ground-in dirt out of it.
Soft washing: the cleaning solution does the work
Soft washing uses low pressure, closer to a strong garden hose, paired with a cleaning solution that loosens and kills the algae, mildew, and grime on the surface. The water mostly rinses. Nothing gets blasted.
Soft washing is right for:
- Vinyl, wood, and fiber cement siding
- Roofs and shingles
- Decks and fences
- Screens, trim, and painted surfaces
That green film on your siding is not dirt. It is algae, and it is alive. Killing it with the right solution is what keeps it from coming right back, and the low pressure means your siding never takes a hit.
Why blasting siding and roofs goes wrong
Siding is built to shed water that falls down it, not water driven up and sideways at high pressure. Blasting it can force water behind the siding, where it sits against your house. It can crack vinyl, tear the surface off wood, and strip paint.
Roofs are worse. High pressure knocks the gritty granules off shingles, and those granules are what protect the roof from the sun. A roof that gets pressure washed can look clean and age years in one afternoon.
The rule is simple. Hard surfaces get pressure. Your house gets a soft wash.
How we wash
At Wally Power Wash, every house wash is a soft wash. Your siding, roofline, and trim get low pressure and the right solution for what is growing on them. Your driveway and walkways get the pressure they actually need. The surface decides the method, not the other way around.