What Is Soft-Wash Pressure Cleaning — And When Is It Better Than High Pressure?

High Pressure Wash on Pebblecrete- 'NOT recommended'

When most people think of pressure cleaning, they picture a high-powered jet blasting dirt off a driveway — and while that’s effective for some surfaces, it’s not always the safest or most appropriate method.

At Gold Coast Tamborine Cleaning, we use both traditional pressure cleaning and soft-wash techniques, depending on the surface, condition, and environment. Here’s why it matters.

Soft Wash Timber Decking

🧼 What Is Soft-Wash Pressure Cleaning?

Soft-wash is a low-pressure method that uses a specially blended cleaning solution to break down dirt, mould, and organic matter. Once applied, the surface is gently rinsed using minimal water pressure.

This method is:

• Safe on painted surfaces, render, colorbond, and delicate finishes

• Effective at killing mould, algae, and lichen at the root (not just blasting it off)

• Great for homes, decorative concrete or painted surfaces, fences, eaves, outdoor furniture, downpipes, water tanks, garden edging, gates, pots for plants, concrete statues, and surfaces that are older or showing wear etc etc etc.

⚠️ When High Pressure Can Cause Damage

Traditional high-pressure cleaning is not perfect for many surfaces. High-pressure cleaning takes off the top surface of concrete including driveways. It is often used in commercial areas that has high strength concrete such as driveways and your driveways can tolerate this okay, however older driveways may not fare so well. This is true for paving as well. We recommend soft washing for most of these applications. High-pressure cleaning can be useful for:

• Graffiti Removal

• Commercial concrete applications

• Driveways if in good condition  (3200 PSI max)

• Concrete walls  (3200 PSI max)

  
  

High Pressure Can Blast 1-2mm off concrete surface

High-pressure cleaning when used incorrectly, it can:

• Strip paint

• Mark timber or composite surfaces

• Force water into cavities or under flashings

• Erode mortar or grout

  
  

That’s why we always assess each job. Some customers are satisfied with using high pressure on their driveways however in most circumstances are better result is achieved when using a soft wash.

🧩 Our Process (Custom to Your Property)

We usually:

1. Inspect the surface

2. Low pressure clean on heavily soiled areas- around 2600 PSI

3. Pre-treat with environmentally safe chemicals. Usually we use liquid chlorine diluted with water.

4. Soft rinse with a low pressure clean.

5. Apply a second treatment if necessary. Occasionally a third treatment is required.

6. We I found that when this is diluted sufficiently it has no effect on surrounding grass or plants. For obvious reasons we avoid applying it directly to these areas.

   
   

📞 Want a Quote?

We offer soft-wash and pressure cleaning services across the Gold Coast, Scenic Rim, Logan and Hinterland. We can often quote directly from Google Maps or photos — saving you time and a site visit.

📧 admin@gctcleaning.com.au | 📱 0483 841 351