Soft Washing in St. Clair
Soft washing cleans siding with a mild solution and rinses it near garden-hose pressure, so old paint, caulk and mortar stay put. In St. Clair it is the method for north walls and walls under street trees, on lots whose runoff reaches the Pine River, Jordan Creek or the St. Clair River.
Soft washing in St. Clair starts at $349, with no travel fee and a written, line-by-line quote within 24 hours.
| Service | Soft Washing |
|---|---|
| Area | St. Clair, St. Clair County, Michigan |
| Starting price | From $349 |
| Travel fee | None |
| Written quote | Within 24 hours |
| Call or text | (586) 284-3810 |
On a St. Clair house the green usually starts in three places: the north wall, the wall under a street tree, and the strip below a gutter that overflows. The city has run a managed street-tree program for 26 years as a Tree City USA, and where one of those trees overhangs a house, its shade keeps the siding wet with dew into late morning. Algae and mildew grow only while a surface holds moisture. They live in a thin film on the face of the siding and in the pores of brick and old paint. A pressure rinse thins that film, leaves living cells in the texture, and the same wall is green again within a season or two.
A soft wash kills the growth instead. A diluted sodium hypochlorite mix with a surfactant clings to the wall, sits until the green turns brown, and then comes off with a gentle rinse. Strength is the decision on a St. Clair lot, because the yard often slopes toward the Pine River as it winds around Pine Shores Golf Club, or toward Jordan Creek, and the rinse has to be kept out of that water. So the mix is set at the weakest strength that kills the growth on each wall, and the rinse uses far more plain water than solution. On a lot along the Pine River, expect the beds to be soaked first and the spray and rinse to be kept away from the bank.
The method also suits the age of the housing. Many walls here carry old paint, old caulk and soft mortar that a pressure wand would damage, and low pressure leaves them intact. Soft washing a typical house starts at $349, and the 35-minute drive from Clinton Township adds no travel fee. Our post on why a north wall stays green explains how shade sets the pattern.
Matching the Mix to Each Wall
Before any solution goes on, foundation shrubs and bed plants are soaked, since leaves already full of water take up little of what drifts onto them. Keep pets inside until the rinse is done and the walls have dried. Each surface gets its own strength. Painted wood and brick take the mildest mix, vinyl a standard one, and a north wall under a street tree the strongest. The solution goes on from the lawn up to the eaves and sits for several minutes while the growth dies. The rinse comes down from the top with lots of plain water, and the plants are soaked once more at the end.
Why Growth Returns After a Pressure Rinse
Three mix errors matter here. A mix too weak for a north wall under a street tree lightens the growth without killing all of it, and the wall is green again by the next damp spell. A mix sprayed too high drifts into the lower canopy of a tree the city manages and browns its leaves. A mix too strong for a yard that drains to the East Branch of Jordan Creek, or one rinsed off with too little plain water behind it, carries solution toward open water.
When to Book Soft Washing in St. Clair
The best window in St. Clair is late spring, after the street trees have leafed out and their shade shows which walls stay wet, and before summer warmth speeds the growth. Fall works too, once the leaves are down and before the first frost. Pick a dry, calm day, so the solution stays on the wall it was mixed for and off the beds.
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Soft Washing in St. Clair: FAQs
I live in Pinery Condominiums or Clairview Condominium. Can I book a soft wash myself?
Ask your board first. Michigan condominiums are run by co-owner associations, and the exterior walls are usually under the association's control, so it may already schedule washing for every unit. St. Clair County records about a dozen condominium projects in the city. If the board approves a single unit, the quote covers just your walls, with each surface priced on its own line.
Can soft washing clean a brick house?
Yes, with a milder mix and a test spot first. The city's history records brickyards that fired clay from the Pine River's banks, and brick of any age varies in how it takes a cleaner. BIA Technical Note 20 advises trying the method on a small, inconspicuous area before the full wall, and keeping water at the nozzle at or under 400 psi unless the brick maker allows more.
Will a soft wash also take off road film on a Riverside Ave house?
Not by itself. The algae mix kills growth but does not cut the oily binder in M-29 traffic film, so a house facing Riverside Ave, River Rd or Oakland Ave needs a degreasing detergent on that wall as well. Both go on the same visit and rinse at the same low pressure, and the quote lists them as one house wash.
How long will a soft wash last under a street tree?
About two to three years on a wall the tree shades, and longer on walls in full sun. A street tree belongs to the city, and a Tree City USA keeps a public tree care ordinance, so ask the city before trimming one. A tree on your own lot can be cut back from the siding, which lets the wall dry sooner after dew and pushes the result toward the longer end.
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