We have mentioned many times in our blog that pressure washing things yourself can be dangerous to your property and to your health — but what about a soft wash?
Many people don’t know the difference between a power wash and a pressure wash, let alone a soft wash! It’s easy to think of a soft wash as simply spraying off your deck with a garden hose, but that’s not the case!
What is Pressure Washing?
Pressure washing is any time you are using compressed water from a pressure washing machine to clean any number of surfaces. These machines can be either gas or electric-powered, with the gas-powered machines being noticeably stronger. A pressure washer is a very powerful machine and can even be used to strip paint from surfaces. We recommend against DIY pressure washing because it can be easy to handle the machine incorrectly and accidentally injure yourself or your property. Even just shooting it at the ground has been known to cause small pieces of gravel to shoot up and ship windows and paint.
Pressure washing should be left to a professional.
What is Soft Washing?
Surprisingly enough, soft washing doesn’t involve using your garden hose spray nozzle. Unlike a power wash, a soft wash is done with the same machine as your typical pressure wash. The difference is that it is done at a lower PSI, or pressure level. This makes it safer and less likely to damage paint and other delicate surfaces.
A soft wash is performed at PSI levels of less than 500, and the nozzle tip is replaced with one that will give a wider spray area, further lessening the potential damage that can be done.
Soft washing is usually done on soft surfaces, such as:
- Vinyl siding
- Trees and other strong-rooted plants
- Wood panel siding
- Cedar shake siding
- Outdoor wood furniture
So, Can I do a DIY Soft Wash?
For the same reasons that we recommend against DIY pressure washing, we recommend against DIY soft washing as well. While soft washing is safer than your standard pressure washing, the fact is that if you are untrained, there still stands a chance you may misuse the machine and cause damage to property or injury to yourself.
If you want a professional to soft wash your home, contact us today!
