Pressure Wash Or Softwash?

Ron Musgraves

Ron Musgraves

Exterior Restoration Specialist
Staff member
Whats better to pressure wash or Softwash?

Please vote and give your objections.

Please do not be affraid to post them no matter how un-popular you think they are.

So you know I believe roofs can be pressure washed safely. Do I think its better and more efficiant? I think it depends.
 
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I think both methods are fine. I think that Soft washing is faster and safer for the roof, and I think that pressure washing is safer for the landscaping with ZERO possibility for damage. The amount of pressure used is the issue for me,
 
Scott D. said:
I think both methods are fine. I think that Soft washing is faster and safer for the roof, and I think that pressure washing is safer for the landscaping with ZERO possibility for damage. The amount of pressure used is the issue for me,
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Agree, if we're talking about roofs... low psi is not only more marketable but Faster, more "Bang For The Buck". I will not "Pressure Wash" a Roof....Too much time not "Profitable"

Houses? It takes more psi than a 12v or air pump can produce to wash a house properly IMO. Again, to much time, not profitable. 2500 sq. ft and under takes 1 hour or less. Show me a process that takes 30mins and I'm all ears.

Just my .02
 
Some in the industry swear that Softwashing is buyer Beware!!

I personally think that the correct pressure and method is the right answer.

I agree with simple mold and mildew issues that softwashing is safer and more effective.

Still some pressure wash guys that believe its not the correct method, some roof cleaners do the buyer beware on pressure washers.
 
Any type of washing can be damaging if isn't done correctly.
 
Pressure washing a roof is wrong in every aspect. Takes too long, safety, and using water only won't brighten a roof up the way properly used cehmicals will. Also, pressure washing won't kill the spores that caused the problem to begin with. It also hasn't any staying power to increase the logevity of a cleaned roof.

Goes without saying the potntial damage that can be caused by pressure washing.

These aren't my opinions, these are facts.

Jeff
 
Guy Blackmon said:
Agree, if we're talking about roofs... low psi is not only more marketable but Faster, more "Bang For The Buck". I will not "Pressure Wash" a Roof....Too much time not "Profitable"

Houses? It takes more psi than a 12v or air pump can produce to wash a house properly IMO. Again, to much time, not profitable. 2500 sq. ft and under takes 1 hour or less. Show me a process that takes 30mins and I'm all ears.

Just my .02
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too true,

my answer is from the view of a one man crew. i enjoy the luxury of having the extra pressure available with a simple exchange of a nozzle. i have been washing vinyl siding too many times with low pressure and then needing a little more pressure to knock off the black mildew from the brick foundation. can you do that with softwashing? maybe, but not as fast. now if you have two people available you can have one doing the softwash with a diaphragm pump and then have the 2nd person go behind him with the pressure washer and do the rinsing. this would give you the added pressure where needed and also the job time could be reduced.

this to me is the ideal setup for someone wanting to be a softwasher:

http://softwashing.com/

rando
 
A loaded gun in the hands of a 4 yrs old is not such a great idea.... Same applies to Pressure Washing and Roof Cleaning. We have all seen some of the damage that can be caused by un-trained operators. There are precautions that need to be taked when Soft Washing a Roof to prevent any type of damage from occuring. Using high Pressure on ANY Roof is not even an option for us anymore, unless of course we are paint prepping a tile roof for a painter. Same goes with House Washing. Most all customers prefer the newer methods verses high pressure once they are educated about them.
 
Softwash roofs.
Softwash houses.
 
Guy Blackmon said:
Agree, if we're talking about roofs... low psi is not only more marketable but Faster, more "Bang For The Buck". I will not "Pressure Wash" a Roof....Too much time not "Profitable"

Houses? It takes more psi than a 12v or air pump can produce to wash a house properly IMO. Again, to much time, not profitable. 2500 sq. ft and under takes 1 hour or less. Show me a process that takes 30mins and I'm all ears.

Just my .02
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I agree with Guy on this one. Roofs seems to me to be more of a treatment(no pressure) on the mold and mildew. House wash however do at times require some pressure. I usually define softwash as having some pressure under 1000 psi.
 
I am the guy who invented SoftWashing so I am VERY bias................that being said I have seen companies much older than mine clean roofs effectively and safely using low "er" pressure washers. I think for us to be intellectuality honest about the industry the focus needs to be on cleaning the roof safely and what those parameters are not as much as about the style.

Please everyone SoftWash :) but mostly just clean responsibly!

AC
 
Anybody know if its possible to combine the two methods? Enviro Spec sells an Allison Super Suds Sucker that gets up to a 33% chemical draw and this is almost exactly the ratio of 12.5 SH to water in popular roof mixes. So is it possible to downstream a strong enough mix? I know its probably more ideal to have a dedicated chem pump, but I think there might be advantages to ds like if you show up to wash a house and upsell the roof, but all you have is your pw with you.
 
AC Lockyer said:
I am the guy who invented SoftWashing so I am VERY bias................that being said I have seen companies much older than mine clean roofs effectively and safely using low "er" pressure washers. I think for us to be intellectuality honest about the industry the focus needs to be on cleaning the roof safely and what those parameters are not as much as about the style.

Please everyone SoftWash :) but mostly just clean responsibly!

AC
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Very well said. I would really like to talk shop with you sometime. Tim
 
Thursday evening October 20th 2011 Soft Wash Roof & Exterior Cleaning Class.

http://www.instantpresenter.com/PIID=E959D884844D

Cost $10.00 General Audiences, $5.00 Soft Wash Community Members with discount code found here.

Come learn in an open web classroom, where you can use your web cam and mic to directly interact with AC Lockyer and other classroom participants. Please get with InstantPresenter.com the day before the class to make sure your cam and mic are working. I will open the room 15 minutes before class starts so you can make sure your equipment is working. We will start promptly at 8:00 pm e.s.t. and can not wait for you to get set up. Please be prepared before the session starts.

Also please register early so we know how many are attending. The classroom will remain open until 8:10 pm e.s.t. for you to log in. After that we will close the room so there are no interruptions.

This web based classroom environment allows AC to share his screen with participants and show, slides, video, pictures, documents and more that will help you learn more about soft washing.

Hope to see you there,

SoftWashSystems.com
 
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