A question that constantly comes up in the pressure washing community among beginners to the industry is, what is the difference between pressure washing and power washing? And what is soft washing? Luckily these are some of the easiest questions to answer.

What is Power Washing?

Power washing is pressure washing with hot water with the use of a burner. Pressure washing is simply the general cleaning of exterior surfaces both horizontal and vertical with pressurized water. Soft washing is a bit different.

What is Soft Washing?

Soft washing involves very little pressure, typically in the neighborhood of 300 to 700 psi, with a dedicated pump and the use of chemicals to kill organic and inorganic stains. Pressure washing relies on pressure to remove these substances, whereas soft washing heavily relies on mixing a variety of chemicals on a surface, letting the chemicals dwell for a bit, and then rinsing them with gentle pressure to remove the stain or substance.

What is Hybrid Washing?

However, most pressure washing companies use a combination of both pressure and soft washing to remove stains. For instance, a house with heavy algae and mold growth, may require using a soft wash system to spray a “hot mix” (typically 3 to 4 percent sodium hypochlorite and surfactant), let the chemicals dwell for a few minutes, and then use a pressure washer to rinse the chemicals off for faster rinsing.