Frequently Asked Questions

Same family of equipment. The only real difference is heated water — power washing uses it, pressure washing does not. Heat helps on grease and gum, which is why it shows up more on commercial work. For a house or a driveway, the detergent and the technique matter far more than the temperature.

Full pressure is not. It cracks panels, strips the finish and drives water behind the siding where it has no way to dry. Siding gets soft washed instead: under 500 PSI, with a detergent that kills the growth so it can be rinsed away.

Not the way most people mean. Brick laid before roughly 1930 uses soft lime mortar, and high pressure will strip the joints out of it. See our brick and masonry page.

Yes — sodium hypochlorite, diluted well below household strength, with a surfactant, neutralised and rinsed. It is what actually kills algae. Anyone advertising a “chemical-free” house wash is using pressure alone, which damages siding and does not last.

We pre-soak landscaping so foliage cannot absorb, cover anything delicate, bag fixtures, and rinse everything down at the end.

Most homes run comfortably on 12 to 24 months. Heavily shaded lots, anything close to the river, and houses with mature trees on the north side tend toward annually.

Late April into May, after the oak and tulip poplar pollen has finished dropping. Wash in March and you will be looking at a fresh yellow film within a fortnight.

Two to four hours for most Richmond homes. It is a same-day job either way.

Typically three to five years in this climate. Heavily shaded roofs return sooner.

No, as long as the exterior spigot is turned on and any gates are unlocked. We text before we arrive and again when we are finished.

No. Most quotes are done from an address and a couple of photos, same day.

Water access, unlocked gates, cars moved off the driveway, and windows closed. That is it.

Every provider we work with is required to carry a license and liability insurance. Ask and proof is sent before any work starts.

We walk the job with you before we leave. If a cleaned area does not look right, we re-clean it — at the time if we are still there, or on a return visit at no charge.

We publish our ranges. See the Richmond pricing guide.

📞 Call or Text (804) 571-7226 Get a Free Quote Most quotes go out the same day.

Soft washing applies detergent at roughly garden-hose pressure and kills growth at the root. Pressure washing uses mechanical force. Siding and roofs get soft washed; concrete gets pressure. Full explanation on our soft washing vs pressure washing page.

Twelve to twenty-four months for most Richmond homes. Shaded and north-facing walls come back first. A pressure-washed house typically looks clean for a couple of months, which is the real difference between the two methods.

No, and we will tell you which ones before we start. Oxidized siding, deeply embedded artillery fungus and old oil in porous concrete all improve substantially rather than disappear.

A properly diluted sodium hypochlorite mix, yes, and we would rather say so plainly than hide behind a brand name. It is what the entire soft wash industry uses. The landscaping gets soaked before and rinsed after.

Usually within the week. March through May is our heaviest stretch and can run longer. Quotes go out the same day either way.

Only for the walkaround at the start if you want one. We need an outside spigot and access to gates on both sides.

Light rain after the rinse is harmless. Rain during application is not, so we reschedule — and you hear from us that morning rather than finding out when we do not arrive.

Siding, yes, down to about freezing. Masonry we stop well before that, because water in brick that freezes causes spalling.

No, when the beds are soaked before and rinsed after. That takes a few extra minutes and it is not optional in our process. Nearly every plant-damage story traces back to a crew skipping it.

Keep them inside during the wash and off treated surfaces until dry, typically an hour or two. After that it is fine.

Not at the pressures we use. The damage people worry about — lap marks, water behind the siding — comes from high pressure, which we do not point at any part of a building.

Yes, general liability, and a certificate naming your entity is available before the first visit.

Because if nobody publishes, you cannot tell a fair quote from a bad one, so you take the lowest — which is how vinyl ends up pressure washed. Every number is on the pricing page.

Yes. Once we have looked at the property the number does not move.

Yes, genuinely. Most of the cost on a small job is setup, and that is the same whether we clean one surface or four.