Soft wash uses low-pressure water plus a biocidal cleaning solution to safely clean siding, stucco, and painted exterior surfaces, without the risk of damage that high-pressure washing creates. Sonlight has soft-washed thousands of Colorado homes since adding the service in 2012.
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Soft wash kills mildew, algae, and bacteria on exterior surfaces using low pressure (~500 PSI) and a biocidal cleaning solution.
Enter your address. Our autoquoter sizes the home; we'll confirm siding type and any add-ons when scheduling.
Plant covers, lawn pre-rinse, window pre-coat (plain water). Pets indoors. We tape any wall outlets or vents that need protection.
Top-down soft-wash with the biocidal solution. Dwell time 5-15 minutes, long enough to kill the biological staining, not long enough to damage paint.
Plain-water rinse from top to bottom to remove all solution and dead biological material. We watch for any streaking and re-apply if needed.
Walk-around to confirm clean coverage, plants and lawn rinsed, no overspray on neighbors. Before/after photos emailed.
Every job is priced individually for the property. These are ballpark ranges to set expectations. The autoquoter on our home page returns an exact firm price for any address in our service area in 30 seconds.
| Profile | Price range |
|---|---|
| Single-story ranch (~1,200 sqft) | $300–$400 |
| 2-story 2,000 sqft home | $400–$550 |
| Larger home (3,000+ sqft) | $550–$800 |
| Bundle with windows | 10-15% off both |
| Deck or fence soft-wash add-on | $150–$300 each |
Colorado's freeze-thaw cycle is brutal on siding and stucco, water gets into hairline cracks during the day and freezes at night, expanding the cracks and creating perfect conditions for algae and mildew to colonize. Annual soft-wash kills the colonization at the root.
North-facing walls get little direct sun and stay damp longer after snow or rain. That's where Front Range homes show the worst biological staining. Soft-wash is the only safe way to clean these surfaces without damaging the substrate.
Heavy hail (Boulder, Fort Collins, Loveland), hail-dimpled siding catches more biological growth in the dimples. Post-hail soft-wash slows the colonization significantly.
Soft wash uses low pressure (~500 PSI) and a biocidal cleaning solution. Pressure wash uses high pressure (~3,000 PSI) and mechanical force. Soft-wash is for siding, stucco, painted wood. Anything that high pressure could damage. Pressure wash is for concrete, brick, and other durable hard surfaces.
Most homes run $300–$800. A typical 2-story 2,000 sqft home is $400–$550. Bundling with window cleaning saves 10-15% on both. Larger homes (3,000+ sqft) or full-property bundles run higher.
No, when done properly. We pre-rinse plants and lawn before applying the biocide, use a surfactant during application, and do a full final rinse so nothing accumulates. Plants are the same green color when we leave as when we arrived.
It kills the current colonization completely. New algae will eventually colonize again, typically 12-18 months in Colorado, faster on north-facing walls in shaded yards. Annual or bi-annual soft wash keeps it at bay.
Yes. Soft wash is the right tool for stucco, high-pressure washing damages stucco by pushing water behind the surface and eroding the texture. Soft-wash cleans without any mechanical force on the surface itself.
Yes. Wood decks, composite decks, and painted wood decks all benefit from soft wash. The biocide kills the black mildew that builds up between deck boards. Pre-stain or pre-paint prep is a common request.
Most homes 3-4 hours total, including prep, application, and rinse. Larger homes 5-6 hours. We typically schedule a half-day or full-day depending on scope.
Yes. Annual soft-wash plans get a 10% discount, with the appointment auto-scheduled at the same time each year. Many HOA-conscious owners bundle annual soft-wash with semi-annual window cleaning into a single service contract.
Sonlight provides soft wash house washing across Colorado's Front Range, the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas of New Mexico, and greater Los Angeles: pick your city for local pricing examples, FAQs, and example homes:
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