Soft wash and pressure washing in Simcoe County.
Siding, decks and fences washed at the pressure the surface can actually take. Low pressure on vinyl and wood, the right solution to kill the algae rather than just knock it off. Based in Oro-Medonte, no rural travel fees, fully insured.
Why the pressure is the whole job
Most of the damage we get called about after someone else has washed a house comes down to one thing: too much pressure on a surface that could not take it. On vinyl siding, a narrow tip held close forces water up under the lap of the panel, where it sits in the wall cavity and has nowhere to go. On a cedar deck, high pressure tears the soft summer grain out from between the harder growth rings and leaves the boards furred. You cannot sand that back out, and it drinks stain unevenly forever after.
Soft washing works the other way round. The solution does the cleaning and the water just carries it, at roughly the pressure of a garden hose. It takes a bit longer to dwell, but it kills the algae at the root instead of shearing the top off, so the wall stays clean for a couple of seasons rather than greening up again by the following spring.
We work top down, keep the surface wet the whole time so nothing dries on it, and rinse everything below - the windows, the trim, the plants at the base of the wall. Anything living that is going to catch overspray gets watered first and rinsed after.
What we wash, and what we do not
We would rather be clear about the edges of what we do than take on work we are not set up for.
- Siding. Vinyl, aluminum, and stucco. Soft wash for the green algae on the north wall and the black streaking under the eaves. This is the bulk of what we do.
- Decks. Wood and composite. Low pressure so the grain stays intact, which matters most if you are washing to re-stain.
- Fences. Same treatment as decks. Usually the shaded run along a property line is the one that has gone green.
- Driveways, walkways and interlock. Concrete wants a surface cleaner, not a wand. Done with a wand you get zebra striping that shows up worse than the dirt did.
- Roofs. Roof washing risks shingle damage and puts someone on a steep slope with a wet surface underfoot. Not worth it on your roof or our crew.
Ask us either way. If it is not our work we will point you at someone local who does it properly, which is a faster answer than us learning on your house.
What it costs
Every house is different, so we do not list a flat rate. A single-storey bungalow with clear access is a different job from a two-storey with a deck in the way and a hedge along the back wall, and quoting a range wide enough to cover both would be useless to you.
Text a photo of the front and back of the house to (705) 718-1856, or tell us roughly how many square feet, and we will come back with a real number the same day. No site visit needed, no deposit to book, and the number we send is the number you pay.
Cash and e-transfer save you 10 percent.
Book it with your windows
Most of our washing gets booked as an add-on by people already having their windows cleaned or their gutters done. One trip, one crew, and the order is deliberate: we wash the walls first and clean the glass afterwards, so nothing running off the siding ends up on windows we have already finished.
If you are wondering whether weather ruins the result, it does not work the way most people assume, and we wrote about why rain does not undo a proper clean.
Where we work
We are based on Boville Court in Oro-Medonte, which puts us within about thirty minutes of anywhere in Simcoe County. Barrie, Innisfil, Orillia, Oro-Medonte, Springwater, Midhurst, Minesing, Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, Midland, Penetanguishene, Tiny, Severn and Ramara. There is no rural surcharge: the price is the same on a sideroad as it is in town.
Common questions
What is the difference between soft washing and pressure washing?
Pressure washing uses force. Soft washing uses a cleaning solution at roughly garden-hose pressure and lets the solution do the work. Siding, decks and fences almost always want soft washing. A pressure washer on vinyl siding at the wrong angle drives water up behind the panels and into the wall, and on wood it tears the soft grain out from between the harder rings, leaving that fuzzy, furred look you cannot undo. We soft wash by default and only turn the pressure up when the surface can genuinely take it.
How much does it cost to wash my siding?
It depends on the size of the house and how much of it we can reach easily, so we do not publish a flat rate. Text a photo of the front and back to (705) 718-1856, or tell us roughly the square footage, and we will send a real number the same day. No site visit needed and no deposit to book.
Will it damage my vinyl siding or my paint?
Not at the pressure we use. Soft washing is gentler on siding than a garden hose held close, because the solution lifts the algae and grime instead of blasting it. The damage people describe from washing almost always comes from a high-pressure tip held too close, water forced up under the lap of the panel, or an aggressive chemical left to dry on the surface. We work top down, keep the surface wet, and rinse thoroughly.
Do you wash driveways, walkways or roofs?
No. We do siding, decks and fences. Concrete and interlock need different equipment and a surface cleaner to avoid the striping you get from a wand, and roof washing carries a real risk of shingle damage and a serious fall hazard on steep slopes. We would rather tell you plainly that it is not our work than take it on and hope. If you need a driveway or a roof done, ask and we will point you at someone local who does it properly.
When is the best time of year for this in Simcoe County?
Late May through September. The solution needs temperatures above about 10C to work properly, and wood needs a dry stretch afterward before staining. North-facing walls and anything under trees pick up green algae fastest here, so those are usually the walls that need doing first. If you are washing a deck to re-stain it, book the wash at least two or three dry days before the stain goes on.
What is that green or black stuff on my siding?
The green is usually algae, and it shows up first on the north and east walls where the sun does not dry things out. Black streaking under the eaves is generally a mix of algae and airborne dirt washed down by rain running off the roof edge. Neither scrubs off properly with a hose, because the growth has a hold on the surface. A soft wash kills it rather than just knocking the top layer off, which is why it stays clean far longer than a rinse.
Can you do it the same visit as my window cleaning?
Yes, and that is the usual way it goes. Most of our washing work is booked as an add-on by customers already getting windows or gutters done, which saves a second trip. Tell us when you book, or just ask the crew when they are on site. We wash first and clean the windows after, so nothing lands back on clean glass.
Do you charge extra to come out to a rural property?
No. Same price whether you are in downtown Barrie or on a sideroad in Tay. We are based on Boville Court in Oro-Medonte, which puts us within about thirty minutes of anywhere in the county, and we bake the travel into our regular pricing.
Send us a photo, get a number today.
No site visit, no deposit, no pressure. Text the front and back of the house and we will tell you what it costs.