When you hire someone to wash your home, you're trusting them with one of your biggest investments. At Simple Clean LLC, we don't take that lightly. With over 18 years of hands-on experience, PWNA certifications in House Washing, and a multi-step cleaning process built around protecting your property — not just blasting it clean — we do things a little differently than most companies you'll come across.
Soft Washing, Power Washing, Pressure Washing — What's the Difference?
You've probably seen all three terms thrown around, and honestly, most companies use them interchangeably. But understanding the difference helps you ask the right questions before hiring anyone to touch your home.
Pressure washing and power washing typically refer to using higher water pressure to clean hard, durable surfaces — think concrete driveways, brick, and stone. These surfaces can handle the intensity. Soft washing, on the other hand, is a method of application. It uses lower pressure combined with specific cleaning solutions to safely clean more delicate surfaces — like vinyl siding, painted wood, stucco, and roofing materials. The chemistry does the heavy lifting, not the pressure.
Here's the thing — professional exterior cleaning companies have been soft washing for decades. It's not a new trend. It's just good practice. And it's the approach we use on every house washing job we take on, because high pressure alone on your home's exterior is a quick way to cause damage that nobody wants to deal with.
Our Multi-Step House Washing Process
This is where we really separate ourselves. Most companies show up, spray the house down, and move on. Our process has a few extra steps that make a measurable difference in both the quality of the clean and the protection of your property.
Step 1 — Pre-Wetting All Surfaces
Before we apply anything to your home, we pre-wet every surface that's going to be cleaned. This cools down surface temperatures to prevent our cleaning solution from flashing dry too quickly, saturates porous materials so the solution can penetrate and work properly, and gives your landscaping an extra layer of protection before any chemistry gets involved.
It's a simple step, but it's one a lot of companies skip. We don't.
Step 2 — Sodium Hypochlorite-Based Cleaning Solution
Our primary cleaning agent is a sodium hypochlorite solution — the same active ingredient used to maintain swimming pools, and one of the most effective tools available for eliminating mold, mildew, algae, and bacteria from exterior surfaces.
We pair it with a professional-grade surfactant that enhances the cleaning power of the sodium hypochlorite, which means we can use it at a lower concentration and still get excellent results. This surfactant lifts organic material off the surface so it can be rinsed away safely — no harsh, high-pressure scrubbing required.
Concentration and dwell time matter — a lot. Using too much sodium hypochlorite too fast is what gives soft washing a bad reputation in some circles. As PWNA-certified professionals in House Washing, we know exactly what percentages to use on what surfaces, and we give our solutions the time they need to actually do their job. We're not rushing through your project to get to the next one.
Step 3 — Neutralizing Finishing Soap
This is the step that most companies skip entirely — and one of our favorites to talk about.
After our sodium hypochlorite solution does its job, it needs to be properly neutralized. When sodium hypochlorite dries, it reverts back to salt. Those salts can affect your landscaping, leave residue on metals and trim, and contribute to the soap streaks on windows you've probably heard complaints about from other companies.
Our heavy-duty neutralizing finishing soap takes care of all of that. It breaks down any leftover sodium content on cleaned surfaces, protects your landscaping from residual chemistry, adds a waxing hydrophobic effect that makes rinsing a breeze, and leaves a clean, glossy finish on your windows, trim, and exterior metals. It's included with our house washing service — not an upsell. Because as far as we're concerned, it's just part of doing the job right.
What "Splash and Dash" Looks Like — And How to Avoid It
Unfortunately, not every exterior cleaning company takes the time to do this properly. We've heard plenty of stories — and seen the results firsthand — of companies that show up, blast the house with an overly concentrated solution, skip the pre-rinse, skip the neutralizing step, and move on to the next job.
We call it "splash and dash." It's fast, it looks okay at first glance, and it can do real damage over time to your siding, landscaping, and trim. When evaluating companies to work on your home, ask about their process. Are they pre-wetting? Using appropriate concentrations? Do they have formal training or certifications? Do they finish with a neutralizing rinse?
At Simple Clean LLC, the answer to all of those is yes. Ryan McGowan founded this company on doing the work the right way — every time. That commitment to quality and transparency is what's kept us serving Delaware County and Chester County homeowners since 2017. When you book a professional house washing with us, you're getting a certified, insured team that genuinely cares about your property.
