One of the best improvements you can make on your home or commercial building is pressure washing. Pressure washing uses high-powered water to get your exterior surfaces clean of dirt and debris. However, not all surfaces can withstand high-powered pressure or power washing. For areas that aren’t hardy enough, soft washing is a preferred technique to decrease the likelihood of damage. The best way to be sure that you are keeping surfaces safe is by hiring an expert power washing Charleston, SC company.
What is Pressure Washing?
Pressure washers use high-powered and concentrated water to get the exterior surfaces of your home or office clean. Although most people use the terms “power washing” and “pressure washing” interchangeably, they are not exactly the same. Power washing uses a jet filled with heated water, while pressure washers use unheated water. Heated water, if used on safe surfaces, can sometimes work more efficiently to get harder surfaces clean.
What is Soft Washing?
For those areas of your home or office exterior that are either not hardy enough or are too porous to use a pressure or power washing technique, soft washing is a safer method. Soft washing uses a much less powerful stream of water with a combination of bleach or solvents to get things clean. Places where soft washing is safer and more effective include painted surfaces or more fragile materials.
How to Know What to Use Where
Sometimes it is quite obvious where pressure or power washing might pose a risk for damage. If you have painted surfaces like wood shingles or a wooden deck, soft washing is a better method to reduce the risk of painting, chipping, or peeling. Places that are harder and impervious to water, like asphalt driveways and concrete, are typically safe for power washing and pressure washing techniques.
Best Left to a Professional
The best way to know whether a surface can be pressure washed is to have the proper training to use a power or pressure washer. Although most people think that power washing is a great do-it-yourself project, if you aren’t sure which method to use, it is always best left to a professional instead of trying to save money and risking expensive repairs.
Pressure or power washing is an excellent and cost-effective way to make your home or office’s exterior shine like new. But if you aren’t sure what you are doing, there is a good chance you can end up unwittingly damaging surfaces that aren’t hardy enough to stand the harsh nature of a power washer and that would be better off with soft washing. At Soft Wash Charleston, we have the experience, state-of-the-art equipment, and education to know what to use where and to make your home or office shine like new without the risk of damage. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.