Your home has six sides, and the ones facing the weather get dirty in ways that aren't always cosmetic. Pressure washing and soft washing are two different jobs, and using the wrong one on siding or a roof causes real damage, so the method matters as much as the cleaning. ENTER SIX matches you with one vetted, insured professional in your area who does the work — we don't hand your number to a list of companies.
Pressure washing drives high-pressure water at a hard surface to knock dirt loose. Soft washing uses low pressure — closer to a garden hose — plus a cleaning solution that kills the organism causing the stain, then rinses it away. They aren't interchangeable.
High pressure on vinyl, fiber cement, or stucco siding forces water behind the panels and can etch the surface permanently. On asphalt shingles it strips the granules that protect the roof, and it can void a roofing warranty. Save real pressure for concrete, brick, and most stone. Use soft washing on siding, roofs, painted wood, and anything with a seam water can get behind. A professional who uses the same wand on every surface is a warning sign.
Those black streaks running down a north-facing roof in Seattle or Portland are usually algae feeding on the limestone filler in the shingles. Green fuzz is moss, and moss is the one that causes structural damage: it holds water against the surface, lifts shingle edges, and works into deck boards and mortar joints. Boise sees it in shaded, irrigated yards; New Jersey sees it on north walls after humid summers.
Worth acting on now:
Ask which method the professional plans to use on each part of the job. The answers should differ.
PSI is the number printed on the machine, so it's the number homeowners shop on. It's the wrong one. The result comes from nozzle angle, tip size, distance from the surface, water temperature, how long the solution is allowed to dwell, and whether the person moves in steady overlapping passes.
Hot water dissolves oil on a driveway that cold water at higher pressure only pushes around. A wide fan tip at moderate pressure cleans concrete evenly; a narrow tip cuts a visible line you'll be looking at for years. Surface cleaners exist because no one can hold a wand at a constant height across a whole driveway. Ask how someone plans to approach your surfaces — that answer tells you more than any pressure rating.
Cleaning solutions are hard on landscaping when nobody plans for them. The standard approach is to pre-wet plants and shrubs with clean water so the leaves can't absorb runoff, cover what's sensitive, and rinse the area again when that section is finished.
Before work starts, someone should walk the exterior with you to close windows, check for failed seals and gaps in caulking, note screens that should come off, cover exterior outlets and light fixtures, and move furniture, grills, and cars out of overspray range. On older homes, flaking paint is a real question — washing a house built before 1978 can disturb lead paint, which changes how the job has to be handled. Mention it if your paint is original.
Late spring through early fall is the working window in the Pacific Northwest, since surfaces need to dry and most solutions work better in mild temperatures. Boise's dry summers open that window wider. New Jersey's best stretches are usually May through June and September into October. Selling? Schedule two to three weeks before photos so concrete dries to an even color.
What affects cost: total square footage, number of stories, roof pitch and access, how established the moss is, whether there's a usable water source, and whether pavers need re-sanding. ENTER SIX matches you with one vetted, insured professional — licensed where required — and we verify required licenses in the applicable public contractor registry, where available.
It can, which is exactly why the method matters. High pressure can force water behind siding panels and strip protective granules off asphalt shingles. Siding and roofs should be soft washed at low pressure with a cleaning solution instead. If someone quotes you a high-pressure wash for either surface, ask why.
It depends on shade, tree cover, and climate more than on the calendar. Shaded, damp exposures in Seattle and Portland tend to need attention more often than sun-exposed walls in Boise. Rather than picking an interval, watch the surfaces: green film on siding, streaking on the roof, or a walkway that stays slick after rain means it's time.
Yes, eventually — cleaning removes growth, it doesn't change the conditions that caused it. Shade, moisture, and organic debris bring it back. Trimming branches to open up sunlight, keeping gutters clear, and blowing debris off the roof and deck all stretch the time between cleanings. Ask the professional what they'd do at your specific house.
No. ENTER SIX is an advertising and referral company. We match you with one independent, vetted, insured professional in your area — licensed where required — and that professional performs the work and stands behind it. You approve the price before anything starts, and you pick the time you want to be contacted.
One request. One professional. Never a lead list. You choose when we call.
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