House washing in Oregon City — soft wash, not blast.
The dirt on your siding isn't really dirt. It's a living film of algae and mildew that our wet climate feeds all winter, and it's why the house looks tired even when nothing's wrong with it. We remove it with a soft wash: low pressure, the right cleaning solution, and patience — safe on siding, paint, and seals.
Most house washing jobs start at $350 — exact price from a photo, before we ever show up.
Soft washing vs. pressure washing — and why it matters for siding
Concrete can take pressure. Your house can't. Lap siding, painted trim, window seals, and light fixtures are all built to shed rain, not to withstand a high-pressure jet — which strips paint, drives water into wall cavities, and leaves a house cleaner-looking but worse off. That's why siding gets a different method than the one we use on driveways.
A soft wash works the opposite way: we apply a cleaning solution that breaks down the algae, mildew, and grime film, let it do the work, then rinse it away at low pressure. The growth dies instead of being smeared around, and the finish underneath stays exactly as the painter left it.
- ✓Low-pressure rinse — safe on siding, paint, and trim
- ✓Kills algae and mildew instead of spreading it
- ✓Plants pre-wet, rinsed during, and rinsed after
- ✓Overspray wiped from windows and fixtures
Green streaks, gone at the source
The tell-tale green wash down a shady wall is algae feeding on moisture the sun never burns off. Rinsing it makes it disappear for a few weeks; killing it keeps the wall clean through the seasons. Our mix is dialed to do the second one. North faces, under-eave shadows, and walls behind shrubs get extra dwell time because that's where the colony is thickest.
The whole exterior, one visit
A bright house makes a dingy driveway and green walkways stand out more, not less — which is why most house wash customers bundle. A driveway clean in the same visit brings the whole front of the house back at once, and if the back patio has gone green too, one trip covers it all. Text us a photo and we'll quote the combination that makes sense.
House washing questions, answered.
What's the difference between soft washing and pressure washing?
Pressure washing uses force; soft washing uses cleaning solution and time, then rinses at little more than garden-hose pressure. Siding, paint, window seals, and trim are not built to take high pressure — soft washing gets them cleaner and keeps them intact.
Is it safe for painted siding and older homes?
Yes — that's exactly what the method exists for. High pressure strips paint and forces water behind lap siding; a soft wash doesn't. On older or delicate paint we test an inconspicuous spot first and adjust the mix before doing the whole face.
What are the green streaks on the north side of my house?
Algae, and you're not alone — nearly every house in Clackamas County grows it on whichever side gets the least sun. The soft wash kills it rather than just rinsing the surface layer, so the streaks don't reappear within a season.
Will the cleaning solution hurt my plants?
We pre-wet landscaping before we start, keep it rinsed while we work, and rinse everything again when we're done. That routine has kept flower beds, shrubs, and lawns healthy on every house we've washed. If you have something rare or fragile below the siding, point it out and we'll cover it.
Do you clean windows too?
The wash itself leaves windows noticeably better because the grime film around them is gone, and we wipe obvious overspray as part of the job. It isn't a replacement for a dedicated interior/exterior window detail, but most homes look sharp without one.
Text a photo. Get a real price.
Send the address, a quick photo of what needs cleaning, and your preferred timing. You'll get clear pricing back — no phone tag, no dragged-out quoting.
Average quote reply: under an hour during daylight.
Quick quote request
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