Soft Washing That Cleans Without Wrecking the Surface
Pressure washing removes dirt by force. Soft washing removes it by chemistry. We apply a cleaning solution at roughly garden-hose pressure, give it time to work on the organic growth, then rinse it all down. Nothing gets blasted, scoured, or driven under a seam.
That matters because most of what people want cleaned can't take pressure. Asphalt shingles shed their protective granules. Cedar fuzzes and splinters. Stucco chips at the aggregate. Vinyl takes water behind the panel and holds it there. On those surfaces a pressure washer doesn't solve the problem — it trades a stain for damage.
Those Black Streaks on Your Roof Are Alive
The dark stripes running down a roof aren't dirt, and they aren't asphalt bleeding through. They're gloeocapsa magma — an algae that colonizes shingles and feeds on the limestone filler in them. It travels by air, which is why once one roof on the street has it, the neighbours follow within a few seasons.
You can't rinse a living organism off and call it finished. Knock the surface layer away and the colony grows straight back out of what's left in the granules. A soft wash treats the growth itself, which is why the streaks come off and stay off far longer than any rinse.
Vinyl, Stucco, Cedar and Painted Siding
Siding almost never needs pressure. It needs the right detergent, enough dwell time, and a complete rinse. We soft wash whole houses — walls, soffit, fascia, trim, gutter faces — and the difference on a north wall that hasn't been touched in five years is not subtle.
Anything painted, sealed, or bedded in a seam is a soft-wash candidate. If we get on site and decide a surface can safely take pressure, we'll say so — we'd rather use the faster method when it's the right one.
- Vinyl siding — cleaned without forcing water behind the panels or chalking the finish
- Stucco and EIFS — no chipped aggregate, no blown-out control joints
- Cedar and painted wood — grime and mildew lifted without raising the grain
- Aluminum siding and soffit — oxidized film and cobwebs off, no streaking
- Composite and PVC trim — safe detergent, low pressure, full rinse
Soft Washing vs. Power Washing — Which One You Actually Need
Simple rule: hard surfaces take pressure, soft and porous surfaces take chemistry. Concrete driveways, interlock, patios, garage floors — that's power washing, and we do it with pressure matched to the surface. Roofs, siding, stucco, cedar and anything painted — that's soft washing.
Most houses need both, and we do them in the same visit. Typically we soft wash the roof and walls, then bring pressure to the driveway and walkway. If your job is all hard surface, our power washing page covers that side of it.
Plants, Gardens, and Everything Below the Wall
Soft washing runs down the wall and into the beds — so prep is most of the job. Landscaping in the work zone gets pre-soaked with clean water before we start, sensitive plantings get covered, and everything gets a full rinse after. Dilution is the whole game.
Same goes for pets, cushions and patio furniture: they come off the deck before we start. Tell us about anything fragile, newly planted, or precious and we'll plan the approach around it.
“Kevin did a great job — inside and outside windows, screens and gutters. He was efficient and effective. I would have him back. Very impressed.”
★★★★★Leith McKay · Google review
Why Georgian Bay Roofs Streak So Badly
This is algae country. Lake-effect humidity, heavy tree cover on the older lots in Collingwood, Thornbury and Meaford, and long shoulder seasons where nothing fully dries out. The north slope of a roof gets the least sun and holds moisture the longest, which is exactly why the streaking shows up there first and worst.
Cottage and chalet properties get it worse still — closed up for months, shaded by hardwood, and nobody's standing where they can see the back roof plane. How long a clean holds depends on the same factors: a heavily treed north face will come back sooner than an open south face. We'll give you a straight read on your property when we look at it.