"Pressure washing" and "soft washing" are two completely different jobs with two different goals. If a contractor is using the same wand on your driveway that they're about to use on your vinyl siding, stop them.

The quick answer

  • Pressure wash: concrete, pavers, brick, commercial flatwork.
  • Soft wash: vinyl siding, wood, stucco, roofs, painted surfaces.

What's actually different

A pressure washer relies on water velocity — typically 2,500–3,500 PSI at 4–5 GPM — to physically dislodge dirt. Great on concrete, disastrous on anything porous or painted.

A soft wash relies on chemistry. Low pressure (usually under 500 PSI) delivers a sodium-hypochlorite-and-surfactant mix that kills algae, mildew, and bacteria at the root. Then a plain water rinse. No scrubbing, no blast.

Why it matters

We get calls every spring from homeowners whose previous contractor pressure-washed their roof or siding. The damage looks like:

  • Stripped paint or stain on wood decks/fences
  • Driven water behind vinyl siding (mold behind the wall)
  • Blasted granules off asphalt shingles (shortens roof life by years)
  • Gouged stucco

All four are expensive to repair and all four are preventable — by using the right method.

The short rule

If you can scratch it with your fingernail, it wants soft wash. Concrete, pavers, brick — go pressure. Everything else, go soft.

Questions? Text us a photo at (404) 668-5522.