Anyone looking into getting their roof cleaned will likely have come across the term 'soft washing' at some point in their research. But, unlike pressure washing, this term doesn't immediately bring to mind an image of what exactly it involves.
So what is soft wash roof cleaning? Is it better than pressure washing? Should you hire a professional roof cleaning company like EMS Powerwash to soft wash your roof?
Here's what you need to know.
Both soft washing and pressure washing are frequently advertised by roof cleaning experts as reliable roof cleaning services. But what is the difference?
To understand the difference between soft-wash roof cleaning services and pressure-washing services, you must first understand what soft washing is.
Brought to the UK in 1992, a soft wash is a much more in-depth clean. Soft wash roof cleaning is an environmentally friendly roof cleaning method that uses low-pressure water and biodegradable chemical cleaning products in order to provide high-quality cleaning services. The soft washing cleaning process protects the roof material, nearby plants, windows, and other surfaces while still effectively killing and removing algae spores, dirt and stains, getting your roof clean.
It is a highly skilled service that requires experts, and it is not recommended to try and clean your roof using the soft washing method unless you know what you're doing. The technique involves the right, specifically made soft washing equipment and the correct cleaning solution for the roof.
When done correctly, soft wash roof cleaning can keep your roof clean for extended periods of time by using a careful mixture of sodium hypochlorite and a product called 'green wash'.
Pressure washing, on the other hand, cleans the roof using high-pressure water-fed poles that blast away any dirt, algae spores and stains from the surface. This is sometimes also referred to as power washing, although typically power washing uses hot water.
Pressure washing can be a suitable roof cleaning process in the right situations, but it must be done by experts and can if done incorrectly, cause irreparable damage to roof tiles and materials.
Take a look: How To Clean Roof Tiles Without Pressure Washer
The biggest difference between soft wash roof cleaning and pressure washing is that the former uses low-pressure water and specifically designed cleaning solution mixtures in order to target stains and dirt. Pressure washing uses high-pressure water and no cleaning solution or milder cleaning solutions.
This allows soft washing to really remove moss and dirt. Whereas pressure washing simply scrapes off the debris and grime, soft washing is really good at actually removing dirt and spores, keeping your roof clean for much, much longer.
Learn about: Is Roof Cleaning A Good Idea
For many people, cleaning your roof feels like an unnecessary chore. But, in reality, maintaining your roof is just as important as maintaining the inside of your home.
Moss, algae, twigs, bird droppings - all of it ends up on our roof. So short of the obvious that is just to get rid of the debris, why bother soft washing a roof?
There are a number of reasons as to why roof cleaning is essential:
If you aren't regularly cleaning your roof, you may not notice small amounts of wear and tear that happen over time. By soft washing your roof every few years, you'll be able to check that your roof is in just as good condition as last time. This means you can catch any damage before it becomes an expensive repair job, and allows you to make sure your home is in good condition.
Moss often forms blankets on our roofs, and without moss removal, part of the soft wash roof cleaning process, it will just continue to grow. The issue with this is that moss retains water, and so when left to expand and grow, it can cause our roofs to lose heat more quickly.
In addition to this, moss can grow underneath tiles, causing them to lift and ruining the small amount of insulation that they provide.
When moisture is held against the tiles or grows beneath tiles, it can seep through the material and into the loft of the home. This can lead to persistent issues with damp.
Dirt, moss and algae on your roof will dramatically impact the aesthetic appeal of your home. For anyone looking to sell their home, you will find that this may impact your curb appeal and therefore your property's worth. A regular soft wash cleans all of this off of the roof, providing you with a surface that looks brand new.
When moisture is kept on the roof in the form of moss, it can cause wooden materials to rot and fall away, and can even cause metal to rust and become less structurally sound. When moss removal is done regularly by soft washing, this becomes less of a concern.
Check out: How To Clean Roof Moss
Soft washing as a technique is perfect for roof cleaning, but it can also be used in other home cleaning processes. You can safely clean your render, cladding, driveway, car park, patio, wood cladding, stone, brick, decking and even fences with soft washing!
There are a number of benefits to soft wash roof cleaning that go beyond just getting your roof clean. These benefits are why the method has become so vastly popular in recent years, and make soft washing a prime choice for any roof cleaning project.
Soft washing lasts for a longer time than other roof cleaning methods, meaning that it is a very cost effective solution. The process is relatively quick and simple, and will need to be re-done much less frequently than manually cleaning your roof!
In addition to the cost and how long the effects last, soft washing will not cause damage to your roofing materials. Sometimes, pressure washing roofs leads to costly repairs which can add unnecessarily to your roof maintenance costs.
Discover: How Much Does Roof Cleaning Cost
The chemicals used in soft washing are very effective, but they are also environmentally friendly. This means that any surface runoff should not cause any harm to your local area, and should any of the biodegradable cleaning solution mixture get into your plants or shrubbery, you shouldn't have issues!
Since soft washing is so much more gentle than pressure washing, it is a much safer choice for exterior cleaning. This is especially true if you've got fragile roofing materials like asphalt tiles.
Being a lower-pressure cleaning solution, soft washing relies on much less water than pressure washing. This means it is often cheaper, and it is even more environmentally friendly!
When you hire a professional team of soft wash roof cleaning experts, they will do a number of preparatory tasks before they start to soft wash the roof. These preparatory tasks include:
Once the preparation is complete, the EMS Powerwash team can get on with soft washing the roof. Generally, that process looks something like this:
Following all the safety precautions necessary for the chemicals at play, the team will prepare the cleaning solution, ensuring that there is enough of it for the job at hand.
The solution will be loaded into the equipment so that is is ready to wash the roof.
The soft washing sprayer consists of a hose connected to a low-pressure pump and an industrial-grade sprayer. This equipment is used to spray the roof evenly and safely.
Should the roof need it, there is also the option of washing the roof with biocide treatments to prevent the regrowth of any of the organic material just removed.
With many DIY jobs, people often assume that it can't be that hard and that it'll be cheaper and easier to simply do it themselves. The same is often assumed of soft washing. However, the soft washing method is not something that you should attempt at home alone, especially on a roof.
To correctly soft wash a property you need specialist soft washing equipment and you must have been trained in how to soft wash effectively. The soft wash equipment in question must be manned by two people in order to keep everyone safe.
Without this training, you will not know how to correctly curate the soft wash cleaning solution, and could therefore cause damage to your roofing materials. You will also not know how to safely hold and use the equipment, meaning you could overspray, damage the equipment, or waste your chemical mixture.
Beyond that, though, roof cleaning is a risky job. It involves working at heights and with tools that are often heavy and hard to navigate. Doing it yourself without the proper know-how, tools and safety gear could be really risky. Instead, hire a team like EMS Powerwash, who have all the soft wash skill, technique and kit. Whether your home needs a cherry picker or just a sturdy ladder, we'll get the roof clean in no time.
While soft wash roof cleaning should keep your roof pretty clean for up to five years, there are a few things that you can do to really help maintain your roof.
As mentioned above, keeping an eye on your roof is a sure fire way to ensure that you can maintain your roof. Regularly checking out your roof tiles or roofing materials allows you to notice as soon as there is any damage or change to their condition.
As with any damage to the structure of your property, catching roofing damage early is the key to fixing it and saving significant amounts of money!
Regularly checking your roof will also allow you to see if it is, for any reason, dirtier than normal, or if there is a need for you to give it a bit of TLC between soft washes to extend the gap between them.
Just like checking your roof, you should also check your gutters on a regular basis. If your gutters get blocked up or damaged, you might find that your roof gets dirtier as there is nowhere for debris and water to go.
A blocked gutter may also lead to flooding and clogging around the property, which you always want to avoid!
If your property is surrounded by trees that lean over the roof, clipping the branches back is always a great way to keep your roof clean! By reducing the branches hanging over the roof, you can reduce the leaves and the twigs that fall from the tree and onto your roof.
A little more technical, one way to keep your roof clean is to install metal strips. These prevent the growth of moss and algae and kill any that are already present. These are especially great if you live in a damp area or a place where there is a lot of rain (like the UK!).
With these installed, you shouldn't find much dirt or moss building up between soft wash roof cleaning services at all.
If soft washing sounds like the solution to your roof cleaning needs, simply contact EMS Powerwash today for a free no-obligation quote.