House Washing

Soft washing uses a professional detergent applied at very low pressure, comparable to a garden hose, that dwells on the surface, breaks down organic growth at the root, and rinses away cleanly. It kills the algae and mildew rather than just blasting the surface color off, which means results last three to four times longer than a high-pressure rinse.

High-pressure washing on siding is one of the most common causes of exterior damage we see: water is forced behind vinyl panels and lap siding, seals around windows are cracked, paint is stripped, and interior water damage often shows up weeks later. Every Elite Exteriors house wash uses the soft-wash method as a rule, no exceptions.

A standard house wash covers all accessible siding, soffits, fascia, gutter exteriors, downspouts, shutters, window frames and exterior doors. Front-porch ceilings, columns, railings and outdoor light fixtures are cleaned in the same visit. Every job includes a pre-wash walk-through so we can flag anything unusual and a post-wash walk-through so the homeowner sees the results.

For concrete flatwork we switch tools to true pressure washing on the same visit so the driveway and walkways match. Roof cleaning is also available as an add-on for shingle roofs stained with black gloeocapsa algae, the same soft-wash chemistry that safely lifts staining from siding is what the manufacturers recommend for asphalt shingles.

Once a year is the right cadence for most Southern Indiana homes. Homes in shaded settings, at the base of hills, near tree lines or on north-facing lots may benefit from a wash every eight to ten months. Homes on higher-and-drier lots with lots of sun can often stretch to eighteen months between washes.

Because algae and mildew often start where water is running incorrectly, most customers pair house washing with gutter cleaning and window cleaning to prevent the results from being undone by roof runoff and to knock out three services in one visit.

The same low-pressure soft wash system that safely cleans siding is the correct method for roof washing on shingle and metal roofs. We run soft-wash routes across every service area: soft wash house washing in New Albany for historic Mansion Row brick, roof washing in Jeffersonville for river-humidity mildew on shingle roofs, and house washing in Clarksville for storefronts and neighborhoods along Veterans Parkway. Northern Clark County homeowners can book house washing in Sellersburg, and Floyd County customers can request roof washing in Georgetown, roof washing in Greenville for wooded lots that grow heavy moss, or house washing in Charlestown for historic downtown and riverside homes.

Vinyl siding is the most common exterior in our service area and responds beautifully to soft washing, most vinyl comes back to near-original color in a single visit. Brick and stone facades hold algae in every mortar crack and window ledge; our chemistry lifts it without discoloring the mortar. Stucco is handled at even lower pressures with a longer detergent dwell to protect the finish coat.

Wood siding (cedar, T1-11, board-and-batten) needs the gentlest touch, low pressure, wood-safe cleaner, thorough rinse, so the surface is prepped without furring the grain. Aluminum and fiber-cement siding are both cleaned with standard soft-wash chemistry with attention to preventing 'oxidation streaking' on older aluminum. Whatever your siding, we use the correct process for it, not a one-size-fits-all blast.

Those black streaks across shingle roofs are not dirt, they are gloeocapsa magma, a hardy algae that literally eats the limestone filler in asphalt shingles and shortens roof life by years. High-pressure washing a shingle roof will strip granules and void the warranty; soft washing is what the shingle manufacturers themselves recommend.

Our roof soft-wash uses a sodium-hypochlorite-based cleaner applied at very low pressure, dwelled, then rinsed. The algae is killed at the root so it will not simply re-bloom in weeks. Metal roofs, standing-seam roofs and tile roofs are all handled with similar low-pressure chemistry appropriate to the substrate.

Plants and landscaping around the foundation are protected before every house wash. We pre-wet all beds so leaves are saturated with clean water before any cleaner touches them, tarp delicate specimens on request, and rinse the beds again after the wash. In all our house washing across Southern Indiana we have not damaged a customer's landscaping.

Best timing here is spring or early fall, avoiding freezes and peak pollen. Pricing depends on square footage, story count, siding type and whether roof washing is bundled in. Most single-story ranches and split-levels in Floyd County fall into a predictable price band; we quote firm before the visit.