Soft Wash
Your roof needs
the opposite of pressure.
Black streaking on a South Florida roof is algae. It lifts with solution at low pressure. High PSI strips granules off shingles and drives water under tile — which is how a cleaning turns into a roof replacement.
Soft washing exists precisely because pressure washing a roof is a bad idea. Low pressure plus the right cleaning solution does the work chemically instead of mechanically. The result looks the same from the street and, unlike blasting, it does not take years off the roof to get there.
What soft washing is for
- Asphalt shingle roofs
- Barrel and flat tile roofs
- Stucco and painted siding
- Screen enclosures and pool cages
- Painted railings and soffits
- Anything that would be damaged by high PSI
What it will not fix
Granules that have already washed off a shingle do not grow back, and a roof that has lost a lot of them is near the end of its life regardless of how clean it looks. Where lichen has sat for years it can etch the surface, so some shadowing may stay. Cracked or slipped tile is a repair, not a cleaning. If we see any of that, we will say so.
Why the pressure stays off a roof
A roof is cleaned with a low-pressure solution that kills the organism and lets rain carry it off, not with force. On tile, high pressure blows out the mortar at the ridge and drives water under the overlap. On shingle it strips the granules that are the whole reason the shingle lasts, and that damage does not show up until the next heavy season. Slower is the only way that does not cost you a roof.
Common questions
Will soft washing damage my shingles?
No. That is the entire point of it. The damage people worry about comes from high pressure, which is exactly what soft washing avoids.
How long before the streaks come back?
It depends on shade, tree cover and how much moisture sits on that roof. South Florida is a hard climate for it. We would rather set an honest expectation than promise a number we cannot control.
Is it safe for plants?
We wet down and rinse landscaping around the work area. Tell us about anything delicate before we start and we will plan around it.
Why not just pressure wash the roof?
Because pressure removes the surface along with the stain. On asphalt shingle it takes the protective granules off; on barrel tile it forces water under the overlap and can break the mortar at the ridge. The stain would go and the roof would be worse.
Will the black streaks come back?
Eventually, yes. Those streaks are a living organism, and South Florida gives it heat and humidity all year. Soft washing kills what is there rather than just rinsing the colour off the top, which is why it stays clean longer than a pressure clean — but nothing makes a roof permanently immune.
Is it safe around plants and pets?
Landscaping next to the house gets soaked before and rinsed after so anything running off is heavily diluted. Keep pets inside while we work and until the area has been rinsed down, the same as you would for any exterior treatment.
Other services
Areas we serve
- Pressure washing in Miami
- Pressure washing in Hialeah
- Pressure washing in Kendall
- Pressure washing in Coral Gables
- Pressure washing in Fort Lauderdale
- Pressure washing in Pembroke Pines
- Pressure washing in Doral
- Pressure washing in Aventura
- Pressure washing in Weston
- Pressure washing in Davie
- Pressure washing in Homestead
- Pressure washing in Miramar
Keep this page.
Your driveway is going to need us eventually. 😉