The question isn't which method is better. It's which surface you're cleaning.
The one-paragraph difference
Pressure washing uses force. High-pressure water blasts grime off a surface. It's fast, it's satisfying to watch, and on hard flat surfaces like concrete it's exactly right. Soft washing uses chemistry. A cleaning solution goes on at low pressure, kills the algae and mildew growing on the surface, and gets rinsed off. It's right for anything that high pressure would damage, which is most of a house.
New to the term? Read what soft washing is first. Otherwise, the table below is the whole guide.
Surface by surface
| Surface | Right method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | Soft wash | Pressure etches vinyl, forces water behind it, and leaves wand stripes. The growth is in the texture; only the solution kills it. |
| Painted wood / clapboard | Soft wash (gentle mix) | Pressure strips paint and raises the grain. Older paint gets a milder mix and a look first. |
| Cedar shingles & shakes | Soft wash (gentle mix) | Cedar is soft; pressure furs it and blows out the edges. Low pressure, wood-safe solution. |
| Brick & stone | Soft wash (usually) | Pressure blows out mortar and drives water into the wall. Solution handles the growth. |
| Stucco & painted block | Soft wash | Pressure chips stucco and leaves pressure lines in paint. |
| Concrete driveway & walkway | Pressure wash (surface cleaner) | Concrete takes real pressure and needs it to lift grime out of the texture. Pre-treat algae so it's killed, then surface clean for an even finish. |
| Pavers & exposed aggregate | Pressure wash (moderate) | Same as concrete, gentler, and mind the joint sand. |
| Asphalt driveway | Low-pressure wash | Asphalt is softer than it looks. Lower pressure, mainly for algae and grime. |
| Gutters (outside face) | Gutter cleaner + hand work | Tiger stripes are bonded oxidation. Neither pressure nor a house-wash mix removes them; a dedicated cleaner does. |
| Windows & screens | Rinse only | Rinsed as part of a soft wash. Pressure breaks seals and glass. |
What each one does to the growth
This is the part that matters for how long the result lasts. Algae, mildew, moss, and lichen are organisms with roots in the surface. Pressure breaks off what you can see and leaves the organism behind. It regrows within a season, and the surface, now roughened by the pressure, gives it a better grip than before.
A soft wash kills the organism. Nothing regrows from nothing. On this coast that's the difference between a house that stays clean for two to four years and one that's green again by August.
What each one does to the house
Pressure damage is common and mostly invisible until later. Water forced behind vinyl siding sits against the sheathing and can't dry. Stripped paint on an old clapboard house is a repaint. Broken window seals fog the glass. None of it shows on the day; all of it shows up on the invoice later.
Soft washing's risk is different: it's the run-off. Unmanaged solution kills plants and stains concrete. That's why the plant pre-rinse, the downspout management, and the fresh-water post-rinse aren't optional on our jobs. Full detail on the water & safety page.
So which one does your house need?
- Green, black, or grey siding: soft wash. Every time.
- Grey, slippery, or stained concrete: pressure wash with a surface cleaner, after pre-treating the algae.
- The whole property: both, on the same visit. Siding soft washed, concrete surface cleaned, gutters brightened. That's the most common job we do.
Not sure? Send two photos and we'll tell you which, and whether it needs doing yet. See every service or go straight to the quote form.