House Soft-Wash · Stucco · Hardie · Vinyl · Brick
House Soft-Wash, the Way it Should Be Done.
The Gold Standard, Every Time.
Soft-wash isn't "less pressure." It's a chemistry-first method — sodium hypochlorite, surfactant, dwell, and neutral rinse — applied at the correct concentration for each substrate. Stucco gets one ratio. Hardie gets another. Painted wood gets a third. The right answer for every surface on your home, calibrated by trained exterior discipline before the wand ever turns on.
The Distinction
Soft-wash kills the organism. Pressure-wash relocates the dirt.
When most homeowners say "pressure wash my house," what they actually want is what soft-washing delivers: a clean, restored exterior that stays clean. Pressure-only methods strip the visible layer but leave the mold, mildew, and bacterial colonies alive in the porous substrate. Within weeks the bloom returns — sometimes within days on humid Northeast Florida walls. Soft-wash is a chemistry-first method derived from the same lineage that pioneered roof soft-wash in Florida in the 1990s. The chemistry — sodium hypochlorite at 0.5–2% solution depending on substrate, blended with a roof-and-house surfactant for dwell — kills the organic load at the cellular level. After dwell, a low-pressure rinse carries the dead material off the wall. The result is two-to-four times the longevity of a pressure-only clean.
Soft-Wash (FCPE Method)
- Pressure under 500 PSI on siding — most work happens at 60–150 PSI
- Hypochlorite + surfactant calibrated to the substrate
- Dwell time 5–10 minutes — chemistry does the work
- Neutralizing fresh-water rinse closes the job
- Mold/mildew kill at the root — bloom return delayed 12–24 months
- Manufacturer-friendly on Hardie, James Hardie warranties intact
Pressure-Wash on Siding (What to Avoid)
- 2,500+ PSI strips paint, oxidizes vinyl, gouges Hardie texture
- Forces water behind J-channel, into soffits, behind stucco
- No biocide — bacterial load survives in pores
- Algae returns in 4–8 weeks on shaded walls
- Stucco hairline cracks expand from impact
- Hardie texture loss = visible "stripes" after
Substrate Library
Different walls. Different chemistry. Same standard.
Stucco
Lower hypo concentration (0.5–1%) and longer dwell. Stucco is porous and holds chemistry — under-rinsing leaves bleach residue. We rinse to neutral pH, every wall. Hairline cracks logged before chemistry — never after.
Hardie / Fiber Cement
Manufacturer-approved soft-wash chemistry. Pressure capped at 200 PSI. We never pressure-wash Hardie — texture loss is permanent and visible. James Hardie warranty preserved.
Vinyl Siding
Gentle hypo solution to kill mildew without oxidizing the vinyl. Low-pressure rinse from below up — the only correct angle for vinyl, because top-down forces water under the lap.
Brick
Properly-bonded brick can take more pressure on flatwork-grade nozzles, but mortar joints are the weak point. We soft-wash mortar lines and use measured pressure on the brick face only. Tannin streaks get oxalic post-treatment.
Painted Wood
Lowest hypo concentration, shortest dwell, fastest rinse. Painted wood expects to lose paint; we want to remove zero. Hand-detail any peeling area before chemistry hits it.
Cedar / Exotic Wood
No hypo on cedar — it lifts the natural oils and grays the surface. We use a pH-neutral wood-cleaner system and a brightener pass instead. Different chemistry family, same trained crew.
Stone & Coquina
Coastal Northeast Florida coquina and natural stone get a softener-free chemistry. Acidic post-treatments only on calcium-tolerant stone — never on travertine or limestone.
Pool Cage Screen
Pool cages need their own playbook — see pool cage softwashing. Different concentration, different rinse pattern, never high pressure on screen.
The Three Pillars
Why FCPE soft-wash lasts longer.
Calibrated Mix
Hypochlorite ratio set per substrate, not "one mix for everything." Mix logged on the job ticket so any return service can use the same recipe.
Honest Dwell
5–10 minutes of chemistry working. Cheap operators rush dwell to clear the next job. We let dwell complete — that's where the kill happens, not in the rinse.
Neutral Rinse
Fresh-water rinse to neutralize residue, protect landscaping, prevent metal-fixture spotting. The rinse is half the job, and most operators skip it.
Plan or Project
A clean house is a moment. A maintained house is a calendar.
A one-time house wash buys you a quarter of clean. The annual exterior plan keeps your home maintained year-round — chemistry calibrated to season, the bloom curve worked from above, and a documented service history that travels with the house. Most Northeast Florida homes land between $295 and $725 on a single soft-wash; annual-plan clients pay roughly 15% less per service and lock in priority scheduling during peak season.
Common Questions
What homeowners ask before booking a soft-wash.
Will soft-wash chemistry hurt my plants?
Pre-saturation, drift control, and fresh-water rinse on every bed at job close. We've cleaned thousands of homes in Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, World Golf Village, and Amelia Island without plant loss. Insured against the rare case it happens.
Can I be home during the wash?
Yes. Stay inside, keep windows and doors closed, AC running normally. We knock when we start, knock when we finish, and you can be working from home through the entire visit.
Will it remove the streaks under my gutters?
Yes — but if the streaks are aluminum-oxide tiger striping (the dark vertical lines on the face of the gutter itself), that's a different chemistry job: gutter brightening. Ask the trained exterior discipline at the start of the visit and we'll bundle both.
What about my windows after the wash?
A house soft-wash leaves windows clean of bulk grime but typically leaves spots from the rinse. Most clients pair house wash with a pure-water window cleaning on the same visit — that's where the truly streak-free finish comes from. House-wash + windows is our most-booked exterior bundle.
How much does a house soft-wash cost?
Pricing scales with exterior square-footage (base + upper levels + finished garage). Most Northeast Florida homes land between $295 and $725 a-la-carte, with annual-plan clients paying roughly 15% less. Custom pricing over 5,000 sqft.
How long does a soft-wash last?
Twelve to twenty-four months on most exterior surfaces, depending on canopy, sun exposure, and humidity. Shaded north-facing walls with heavy oak canopy bloom faster — those walls get visited at a tighter cadence on the annual plan.
Ready When You Are
Stop relocating dirt. Start killing the source.
The Gold Standard, Every Time.
