What is soft washing and how is it done?
Soft washing refers to cleaning the roof, but without the use of high-pressure cleaners. Low-pressure cleaning effectively cleans a roof, but at a lower pressure than blast or high-pressure cleaning. If you're worried about our contractors stepping on your shingles, don't be.
Lances are used to reach areas from the safety of a ladder or scaffolding. Gently washing a roof with low pressure is often accompanied by chemicals. These chemicals, which are bleach or biocide based, kill living pathogens (moss/algae/fungi).
In Pennsylvania, lichen, algae, and moss are common issues for lots of homeowners. These unsightly mold infections can grow on the outer surfaces of your home, including the roof, siding, gutters, patio, deck, driveway, and even your outdoor furniture. Our cleaning process not only cleans these surfaces but also treats them to prevent re-growth.
We use only biodegradable water-based chemicals and participate in the Softwash Systems Good Stewards Program. Softwashing is the safest alternative to pressure washing and uses 1/3 as much water as pressure washing.
In addition, soft washing lasts four to six times longer than traditional pressure washing and does not erode the surface. With a 99.9% success rate on mold, mildew, fungus, algae, bacteria, and moss, this treatment lasts up to 6 times longer than standard pressure washing.
Algae is common on roofs and often leaves black streaks on shingles. This substance thrives in moisture and warm temperatures, spreading and having a destructive effect on your roof. It feeds on the moisture retained by certain shingles. When the roof is affected, it loses its ability to reflect UV rays and the shingles eventually rot.
This can shorten the life of a roof by up to 10 years. Gentle cleaning is the prime option for effectively removing the mold without hurting the shingles and probably voiding your warranty.
Metal roofs (and sometimes those made of ceramic shingles) can tolerate less costly pressure washing, while other roof types – such as shingles, tile, tar and gravel, asphalt, and rubber – benefit from gentler washing methods to prevent damage.
Washing your roof is the most cost-effective way to combat mold, algae, and other contaminants. Businesses and homeowners in the Downington PA area can choose from two useful roof cleaning methods: Pressure washing or soft washing. Both methods will get your roof clean and rid them of harmful contaminants, but the high-pressure streams of pressure washing are not suitable for all types of roofs.
For most types of roofs, soft washing is the recommended cleaning method. With soft washing, the roof is sprayed with a biodegradable cleaning solution that works its way into all crevices and onto the underside of the shingles.
The solution adheres to the roofing material and penetrates it to dissolve the accumulated debris. It is then carefully rinsed off with low-pressure water, such as from a garden hose, so that little water reaches the ground. A gentle cleaning usually takes two to five hours; you should wash your roof every one to two years.
If you're looking for a cleaning solution that won't damage your roof, soft washing is ideal. Using high-pressure cleaning methods, such as pressure washing, can damage your roof and significantly shorten the life of your roof. There is even the possibility of water intrusion when pressure washing.
Here at House Wash PA, we clean from the ground as much as possible. This keeps costs down and isn't as risky. When you remove moss and debris from the roof of your home, the whole house looks a lot nicer right away. Even if the roof is older and needs to be replaced, it can last a lot longer with a little diligence and time. If you are going to list your home for sale, roof cleaning and moss removal is a must!
When should you use the soft washing method?
Soft washing is a unique cleaning method that uses pressure washers with lower pressure per square inch (psi). As the name implies, soft washing is simple: it requires less than 500 psi to clean. For this application, the nozzle of the pressure washer is replaced with a wider nozzle or a sprayer to lower the pressure point.
In addition, special cleaning solutions are used to remove dirt and organisms that live on surfaces. The solutions used by House Wash PA in soft washing are environmentally friendly and do not damage the protective layers of your home. It is highly recommended for cedar siding, stucco, coir, outdoor wood furniture, wood siding, screens, shutters, siding, decks, outdoor root plants, vinyl siding, etc.
Many other commercial cleaners use old methods such as bleaching and chemical agents to remove stains. Years of experience have taught us at House Wash PA that these cleaners have limited effectiveness against stains and soiling. Most importantly, these agents are completely ineffective against dust and residues hiding in corners.
Soft washing, on the other hand, easily removes stains, dirt, debris, moss, algae, and all kinds of harmful external influences. Soft Wash protection contributes to the longevity of your roof in two ways.
First, it helps you eliminate destructive outside influences like dirt, debris and algae that can significantly shorten the life of your roof.
Second, unlike other cleaning techniques that use harsh chemicals and harmful tools that end up causing more damage than they repair, soft washing leaves no damage to your roof thanks to our eco-friendly professional washing solutions and appropriate low-pressure processes.
A clean, well-maintained home is more attractive to potential buyers and can increase the value of your home. A roof that is free of black streaks and moss will look newer for longer and contribute to the overall appearance of your home. Pressure washing can damage roof tiles, so it's important to use a gentle cleaning method instead.
Soft washing is a gentle option for roof cleaning. It removes dangerous bacteria, algae, and mold from your roof without abrasive action. Soft cleaning is not for every home, but if your roof requires a gentler approach, it can be a great alternative to keep it clean.
House Wash PA uses its unique, all-surface cleaning process to clean your roof as gently as possible. It is the perfect combination of several methods (blowing out, sweeping, gentle washing), each gentle in itself, to solve your moss problem.
Washing the roof of your house should be done regularly. You live in a house that looks very nice, but you look up and the view is not encouraging. Sometimes you even see something that grows like weeds on the roof of the house. This happens when you don't think of the roof as a part of the building that needs to be cleaned.
The roof becomes a breeding ground for harmful germs or disease-causing microorganisms, and molds are present when dirt accumulates. That's why it's important to clean your home's roof shingles to prevent dirt from accumulating. Softwash roof cleaning by House Wash PA is a cleaning method that uses a mild or soft detergent that is fed into a low-pressure washer.
Why should you be soft washing your roof?
Can you soft-wash concrete pavers? Absolutely, but be careful. Cement pavers are made of cement and natural stone additives. Harsh soaps will attack the brick veneer, damaging it over time. House Wash PA uses water or liquid soap with an agent that creates a chemically mild solution that will not attack the seal of the brick, affecting long-term performance, for cleaning. Soft washing involves spraying a liquid onto the roof surface. It cleanly removes dirt, leaves, bird droppings, algae, and most debris that accumulates on your shingles.
Regular roof cleaning preserves the life of your shingles by removing harmful algae, sand, dirt, moss, and grime and restoring the color of your roof. Roof washing is especially important for homes in tropical areas or near a large beach, as sand and grit from the nearby beach can settle into the nooks and crannies of a roof and cause severe damage.
Roof Moss Removal/Soft Washing.
Keeping the exterior of your home clean is extremely important. Not only does it keep your home attractive, but it also keeps it healthy by removing mold, mildew, fungus, dirt, and grime. When you have the exterior of your home professionally cleaned, you'll need to decide whether to use a pressure wash or a soft wash.
At House Wash PA, our Downington PA roof cleaning contractors can provide either a soft wash or a pressure wash, and we can work with you to decide which services are best for your property. The first step in deciding which of these services is best for you is to understand the differences between the two, and how each can benefit your home in different ways.
How does soft washing work?
The soft wash involves applying low-pressure cleaners to the roof and then carefully rinsing off the contaminants with clean water. Unlike pressure washing, gentle washing causes less damage to your home and keeps it cleaner for longer. There is no need to remove fly screens, and there is less risk of damaging windows and seals around windows with this method.
Since your home is one of your biggest financial investments, maintaining it should be a top priority. One important part of your home that you should take care of is the roof, which you can keep in tip-top shape with a gentle cleaning. Black streaks, moss, and bacteria can make your roof unsightly and even shorten its lifespan.
When it comes to roof cleaning in Downington PA, we've helped thousands of homeowners clean their roofs so they look like new. So if you live in the area and have an aging roof that needs attention, our soft wash roof cleaning system could be the diamond in the rough you're looking for.
Why spend thousands of dollars on a new roof when a simple soft washing can be the answer? With our unbeatable roof warranty in Downington PA and fair and honest pricing, you don't have to spend a fortune!
As a professional pressure washing company, House Wash PA soft wash and pressure washing can remove the ugly black streaks and stains on your home's roof. We can make your roof look like new again for a fraction of the cost it would cost to replace it. Our roof cleaning process is 100% environmentally friendly and biodegradable.
We use low pressure (less than 100 psi) and high flush rates along with our cleaning solutions to rid your roof of harmful algae and spores. In our roof cleaning work, we don't use harmful solutions that could damage your building or surrounding vegetation. Our soft cleaning methods do not use high pressure, which could damage your shingles and affect the long-term performance of your roofing system.
Before the advent of soft washing and high-pressure cleaning becoming the standard for roof cleaning, most homeowners needed to clean the exterior of their homes by hand with a scrubbing brush, or hire a professional like House Wash PA with the right specialized equipment to do it.
This usually required intense scrubbing with brushes and other abrasives to remove dirt and grime, which was somewhat effective but also resulted in scratches, abrasions, and discoloration on the exterior of the home. Gentle cleaning, on the other hand, removes dirt, stains, and other contaminants without scrubbing, so there is no damage to the surface of your roof.
Although soft washing, pressure washing, and power washing look similar, different techniques, equipment, pressure, and chemicals are used, and pressure washing is usually done with much hotter water than power washing. The soft washing process is combined with a biodegradable disinfectant cleaning solution to remove mold, moss, and more.
Your home's roof is a valuable asset, protecting everything and everyone underneath. As a homeowner, you know how important it is to regularly inspect your roof and make sure the building materials are in good condition. If you are looking for a roof cleaning service in Downington, PA, that you can trust, then we, the professionals at House Wash PA, would like to introduce ourselves to you.
We are pleased to offer quality, affordable roof cleaning services in Downington, PA, to all homeowners in the area. The cleaning process we use is called soft-wash roof cleaning. This type of roof cleaning does not cause any damage to the roofing, but the roof cleaning does rid your roof of potentially harmful algae called gloeocapsa magma.
The chemicals used for mild roof cleaning are not the same as the cleaners used for interior home cleaning, window washing, and other maintenance tasks. The chemicals and detergents used in soft washing must dissolve coarse dirt and grime to wash away debris without high pressure.
The chemicals used to wash roofs typically contain sodium hypochlorite, a chlorine compound used as a bleach or disinfectant, and must be harmless to the roofing material. Homeowners attempting to clean the roof themselves with a soft wash can also use diluted household bleach along with a small amount of trisodium phosphate and other surfactants. Knowing the best chemicals to use to soft clean a roof, as well as the proper tools and techniques, and mistakes to avoid will ensure a thorough and safe roof cleaning.
What chemicals are used for soft washing?
Soft washing uses a roof cleaning solution with a low-pressure washing technique. This solution consists of algaecides, surfactants, bleach, and water. Many people ask, “Can bleach damage asphalt?”
Bleach will not harm asphalt shingles and is completely safe for your roof. Gentle washing is the best roof cleaner because it uses roof-cleaning chemicals that remove all traces of bacteria, mold, mildew, algae, or whatever you are trying to remove. This eliminates the cause of the problem in a way that does not damage your roof.
Soft-wash roof cleaning (also referred to simply as soft washing) is by far the most recommended cleaning method for delicate roofing systems. Rather than relying on high-pressure water jets to remove stains, soft-wash roof cleaning uses a gentle stream of water and a special blend of biodegradable chemicals to remove stains from the roof surface. Thus our professionals are able to restore your roof to its best.
The construction and maintenance of a home are very important. The need to maintain different parts of a house stems from the different physical and chemical activities that affect the building. The roof is the first action point when it comes to different reactions. This is due to its position on the building.
The accumulation of algae, mold, lichen, etc. on a roof reduces the life expectancy of the roof. In addition, rusting of the metal roof reduces the life expectancy of the roof. As a result of this phenomenon, which in most cases is natural and can not be controlled, the process of roof cleaning was born. To reduce the impact, the presence of algae, mold, and moss on the roof uses various materials.
At House Wash PA our knowledgeable and experienced staff are highly trained in all aspects of roof and exterior cleaning. Our soft washing chemical roof cleaning process fully complies with guidelines for safely cleaning asphalt roofs discolored by algae.
In addition, our unique process and high-quality cleaning tools and chemicals are safe for all roofing materials, including shingles, tile, flat-coated steel, steel, T.P.O., and aluminum. Our customers always come first. That's why we're prepared for emergencies – no matter when you need us, you can count on House Wash PA.
If you're looking for an environmentally friendly way to clean your roof, pressure washing is not the answer. Although there are some environmentally friendly methods for cleaning a roof, pressure washing can have harmful effects on your roof. For example, pressure washing uses toxic chemicals that can damage the roof.
It's also not very effective at removing algae at the root level. If you want to clean your roof in a more environmentally friendly way, you can use a pressureless formula. A soft washing system uses a low-pressure spray pump to wash the roof without damaging it or compromising its structural integrity. This method is not only safer for your roof, but it also prevents roof rot and other health risks associated with mold.