If the north side of your Portland home is going green, or you’re seeing black streaks creeping up the siding, that’s algae and mildew, and Maine’s damp, tree-shaded summers feed it. The fix isn’t blasting it with a pressure washer. It’s soft washing.
Here’s the difference. A pressure washer uses brute force, 3,000 PSI and up, to shear dirt off a surface. On siding, that’s a problem: it can crack and chip the material, strip paint, blow out seals, and drive water up behind the panels where it does real damage. Soft washing does the opposite. We apply a cleaning solution at low pressure, gentler than a garden hose, and let the chemistry do the work. The solution kills the mold, mildew, and algae at the root, and a surfactant helps it cling to the siding and soak in instead of running off. Then we rinse it clean.
Because we’re killing the growth and not just knocking it loose, it stays clean a lot longer than a quick blast would. And because the pressure’s low, it’s safe on vinyl, wood, and painted surfaces alike.
We handle the details that matter: we protect your plants and landscaping from runoff, test a spot first on painted surfaces, and keep the solution off anything it shouldn’t touch. Pressure washing still has its place, on concrete walkways, patios, and brick, so we match the method to the surface instead of forcing one tool to do everything.
Portland’s coastal air and humidity mean most homes build up growth every year or two, especially on shaded and north-facing walls. A soft wash clears it and leaves the siding looking like new.
FAQ
Will soft washing damage my siding or paint? No. It’s low pressure and safe for vinyl, wood, and paint, and we test painted surfaces first to be sure.
How long does it stay clean? Longer than pressure washing, because we kill the growth at the root instead of just rinsing it off.
Get your free Portland house washing quote today, call (207) 579-8441.