Soft washing
House Washing (Soft Wash) in Fort Myers and Lee County
Stucco, siding, soffits and screens, cleaned with low pressure and the right solution.
Signs it is time
What you are probably looking at
Green or black patches on the shady side of the house
Dark streaks running down from the eaves
Chalky, faded looking paint that is actually a film of dirt
Spider webs and wasp nests collecting under the soffits
A lot of Lee County homes are concrete block finished in painted stucco, and stucco is porous. The green and black on the north walls, under the eaves and behind the shrubs is algae and mildew living in that texture, and blasting it with high pressure mostly drives water into the wall and chips the paint.
Soft washing does the opposite. We apply a cleaning solution at low pressure that kills the growth where it lives, let it work, and rinse it away gently. The house comes out clean without the surface paying for it.
How we do it
Step 1
Protect
Plants and turf around the house are soaked with water first. Outlets, lights and anything delicate are checked before we start.
Step 2
Apply and dwell
The cleaning solution goes on at low pressure, from the bottom up, and sits long enough to kill the growth instead of just rinsing the surface.
Step 3
Rinse
A thorough low pressure rinse of the walls, windows and plants, top to bottom, so nothing is left behind.
What we clean
- Stucco, block, siding and trim
- Soffits, fascia and eaves, where the mildew hides
- Exterior light fixtures, door surrounds and garage doors
- Pool cage and lanai walls on the house side
- Gutter faces, brightened as part of the wash
Year round humidity and no hard freeze mean growth never goes dormant here. A soft washed house typically stays clean for one to three years, depending on shade, sprinklers and how close it sits to water.
How we protect your property
Low pressure is the whole point. The cleaning does the work, not the force, so paint, stucco, screens and window seals are not at risk. Plants are pre-wet, rinsed after, and we watch for wind so the mist goes where we want it.
What we will tell you
If the paint is already failing, washing will show it. We will point out peeling or chalking before we start, so a clean wall is never a surprise.
Gutter brightening
The black tiger stripes on the outside of white gutters are oxidation and grime, not something that rinses off. We clean the gutter faces as part of the house wash so the trim matches the clean walls.
FAQ
House Washing questions
What is soft washing?
Soft washing cleans with a solution at low pressure instead of relying on high pressure water. The solution kills algae and mildew, and a gentle rinse carries it away, so painted and delicate surfaces are not damaged.
Is soft washing safe for my plants?
We soak the plants with water before we start and rinse them after, which is what protects them. If something is especially delicate, tell us and we will cover it.
How long does a house wash take?
Most single family homes take a few hours. You usually do not need to be home as long as we can reach an outside spigot.
Do you wash windows too?
The house wash rinses the windows along with the walls, but we do not do detailed window cleaning.
Where we do it
House Washing across Lee County
Often booked together
Call or text Paul
A real person answers, and we show up when we say we will. Send a photo by text and we can usually quote it without a visit.