What actually comes off
House washing removes organic growth — algae, mildew, lichen — plus pollen, dust, spider webbing and the gray film that builds up in the shaded parts of your exterior. On a house that hasn't been washed in a few years, the difference along a roofline or under an eave is usually the part people photograph.
What it doesn't remove is oxidation. If your vinyl has chalked from years of UV, washing brightens it but won't restore the original color. We'll tell you that before we quote it rather than after.
Why soft washing, not pressure
Siding does not get pressure washed. Not by us, and not by anyone you should hire.
High pressure driven at a lap joint forces water behind the siding, where it sits in the wall cavity. On hardboard it swells the board. On stucco it opens hairline cracks. On painted wood it takes the paint with it.
Soft washing uses low pressure — about what a garden hose puts out — and a cleaning solution that kills the growth at the root. The solution does the work. Then it gets rinsed. The house comes clean and stays clean longer, because you killed the organism instead of just knocking the top layer off.
Surfaces we wash
- Vinyl siding — the most common in Cobb subdivisions and the most commonly damaged by high pressure
- Brick and mortar — including the moss that grows in shaded mortar joints
- Stucco and EIFS — low pressure only; these crack easily
- Hardboard and fiber cement — Masonite, HardiePlank and similar
- Painted wood siding and trim
- Soffits, fascia, gutters and downspouts — exterior gutter faces included in every house wash
What it costs
House washing runs on square footage of wall surface, not house square footage — a two-story with a lot of glass has less wall than a ranch of the same size. We price the whole job as one number, not by the hour, so it can't grow while you watch.
Send a photo of the worst side and we can usually give you a number the same day without coming out.
