Soft Washing. It is the NEW Exterior Cleaning BUZZWORD. It’s a term that essentially is becoming the STANDARD of the roof cleaning and pressure washing service industries.
Simply, it means to clean any exterior surface by using a much lower, gentler amount of pressure than traditionally would be associated with a high pressure, power washing company.
In the new millennia however, procedures and methods are changing. There are many reasons for this. Some of these OLD METHODS and routines and chemicals are being reviewed as to their effectiveness and ultimate safety; other methods are now outdated for the surfaces being cleaned, and still others reasons are that new chemical cleaning agent formulations have been developed in recent years that were not available when the pressure cleaning industry first evolved. Still other reasons include change for the sake of liability to the contractor cleaning those surfaces and finally, for the sake of the customer getting the best, most effective, safe, “Bang for their hard earned dollar”.
Today, most of the exterior cleaning services performed by today’s experienced professional power washers and non pressure roof cleaners would fall under the soft washing category.
The reasoning is that old habits and ways of traditional thinking that the term pressure washing are still so widely used in the residential and commercial segments of the markets and has more to do with its industry term recognition than anything else. Frankly, old habits and old mindsets die hard. My personal definition of the term soft washing is to clean an exterior using 50-to-400 pounds per square inch (psi) or less.
Less Pressure = Less Chance for Damage
Our Motto is to “LET THE CLEANING AGENTS DO THE DIRTY WORK”
Different surfaces require different levels or amounts of “soft washing” techniques and pressure. For example, the proper way the clean a roof is to use low, or what many refer to as “non pressure roof cleaning”. Well, if water is coming out of the hose, or wand, there is OBVIOUSLY some pressure, but the non pressure terminology is used more to stress the point (common sense) that the surface is receiving almost no agitated disruption that could damage the surface of the shingle or remove important UV granules from the asphalt shingle surface during the soft wash or non pressure roof cleaning process. In Actuality, this is still technically classified as soft washing.
As mentioned previously, today’s pressure washing markets are evolving, and so just about anybody who does this type of work on a professional level and has the skills, equipment, and know how, will be cleaning most surfaces using a soft washing method or approach.
There are, however, exceptions to the rule, where using a bit more pressure is acceptable. Mainly these exceptions or occurrences are limited to brickwork, masonry or concrete type surfaces, but even then the pressure is just part of the equation; the cleaning agents or “chemicals” are the real story.
The evolution of pressure or power washing to the modern standard today of Soft washing is all possible via the extraordinary power of today’s advanced chemistry.
Now, in this day and age, there are many high quality, cost effective, cleaning compounds that are available to aid the commercial soft washing contractor in cleaning just about any surface. A true, modern, educated, quality exterior cleaning professional in the pressure washing or roof cleaning trades will have a good working knowledge and an arsenal of many different kinds of cleaning solutions and ways and particular methods to safely and effectively use them in the soft washing process in a multitude of environments and circumstances.
Word of Caution; If you are a homeowner and you do hire someone to clean an exterior surface around your house or business and they do not plan to use any cleaning solution to aid in the cleaning process, this a sure fire sign that you may be hiring someone that is either very inexperienced and hasn’t learned how to clean exterior surfaces correctly, or possibly someone that simply doesn’t care to learn and educate themselves on the current standards of how to clean things correctly, using the most modern, effective and safe methods. Personally, we at Roof Clean USA, are always willing to recommend another qualified pressure washing, power washing and non pressure roof cleaning, or soft washing contractors to customers that are out of our service area.
By David Westerman –Roof Clean USA tm Copyright 2009-2010 All Rights Reserved
