What is Soft Washing?

Soft washing is the act of using soap or other chemicals to clean a surface instead of high pressure. Soft washing has several benefits, such as:

• Soft washing is typically faster than pressure washing an entire surface.
• Soft washing is less harmful to the surfaces as it doesn't use high pressure to clean. High pressure can chip paint, deposit water under the panels, etch the siding or cause other damage.
• Because soft washing uses chemicals, surfaces cleaned with this technique are usually cleaned more thoroughly.

If you are new to soft washing, you will find a variety of equipment used to soft wash. But it's important to understand that there are two primary methods of performing soft washing.

The first is achieved by relieving the pressure from a pressure washer using a larger orifice nozzle and siphoning chemicals in the hose line. This method is typically referred to as downstreaming or this can be accomplished at the nozzle with an X-Jet. We will get more into these pieces of equipment in future sections.

The second method uses a completely separate machine designed specifically for soft washing use cases. This equipment can be as simple as a hand pump but includes more sophisticated setups like a 12-volt system, gas-powered pump, or air-powered pump. More on these in future sections.

Each method has their pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages. We will review each of them and their equipment in future sections so that you can make the best decision for you and your business.