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Pressure Washing vs. Soft Washing, what is the difference and which is better?  Answer is PSI and it depends.  Just about everyone knows what a pressure washer is.   

Pressure washing is the use of high-pressure water spray to remove loose paint, mold, grime, dust, mud, and dirt from surfaces and objects such as buildings, vehicles and concrete surface.  Typically a pressure washer use an electric or gas pump to accelerate water from a spigot and a variety of "tips" to restrict the flow of the water and ultimately increasing the final PSI (pounds per square inch.). Typical residential flow is less than 100 psi and final psi from a pressure washer with its most restrictive tip pressures can reach 2000 psi, 3000 psi or higher.

Soft washing is applying chemical or detergent to a surface to kill organic growth or loosen soil or grime and then rinsing the surface with low pressure water.  Detergent may be applied with a pressure washer with a chemical injector and a low pressure, high flow tip, a dedicated electric or gas chemical pump, or even a pump up garden sprayer.  Rinsing can be done with pressure washer with again with a low pressure, high flow tip, a dedicated soft wash pump, or even a garden hose. 

Which one is better?  Depends on the surface.  It is typically safe to use 2000 to 3000 psi pressure washer on fully cured concrete (concrete two to three years old.).  Cured concrete driveways, curbs and sidewalks, concrete pavers, and bricks are the only surfaces Clean Slate ProWash LLC will use high pressure to clean.  All other surfaces, we soft wash.  For stucco, Hardie plank and wood siding and vinyl siding, we use a mixture of Sodium Hydrochloride  (Chlorine/bleach) and surfactant (soap) to kill algae, mold and other organic growth and then thoroughly rinse with low pressure.  *** before using a pressure washing equipment or cleaning chemicals, please read all manufacture instructions and safety warning and use proper PPE***. If you have any questions about whether pressure washing or soft washing is right for your, please call us today.