Soft Washing in Utica
Soft washing is the method for a floodplain town. Algae and mildew grow only while a surface is wet, and the blocks along the Clinton River stay wet longer than the open lots by Hall Rd, so the growth has to be killed, not rinsed, or it returns by fall.
The Clinton River runs through the center of Utica, and its moisture sets the washing calendar. When the river crests near 12 feet, Clinton River Heritage Park and Memorial Park flood; above 13 feet the water is on Davis St and River Vista, and even in a dry year those river-bottom lots hold dew until late morning. The mature canopy over the old blocks around downtown keeps the north and east walls in shade after that. Algae, mildew and the roof algae behind black streaks all need that wet time, and they get more of it here than on the open lots along M-59.
Soft washing treats that growth as a living thing. A mild bleach-and-surfactant solution goes on at low pressure, sits long enough to kill the algae and mildew down to the roots they sink into siding texture and paint film, and comes off with a rinse no stronger than a hose. Nothing is blasted. That matters on the painted wood and old brick near Auburn Rd and Cass Ave, on chalked aluminum ranches, and on vinyl alike, because each of those materials fails under pressure in its own way and none of them fails under chemistry that is matched to it.
The difference shows the second year. A rinse-only wash takes off the visible layer and leaves the root, and on a shaded wall near the river the green is back the following summer. A soft wash kills the colony, so a shaded wall holds two to three years and a wall in full sun longer, which on a Utica lot often means the front and the back of the house are on different clocks. Soft washing starts at $349 for a house, the quote lists each wall on its own line, and our Clinton Township shop is about 12 minutes down Hall Rd.
What Happens on the Day
We start at the wettest wall, which in Utica is usually the one facing the river or the north, and read where the growth is thickest to set the dwell. Plants and grass along the foundation get wet first and again at the end. A low-pressure pump puts the solution on from the ground, strongest on the north and east elevations and milder on painted wood, brick and anything with a failing finish. It dwells ten to twenty minutes while the color changes, then a rinse at garden-hose pressure carries the dead growth down and off. Windows, light fixtures and the meter are worked around by hand, and before-and-after photos go into the file.
The Two Ways a Soft Wash Goes Wrong
The first is not enough chemistry. A weak mix bleaches the top of the growth so the wall looks clean for a month, then the roots push new color through by September. The second is too much pressure to make up for a weak mix, which lifts the finish on painted wood, carves the joints in old mortar, and drives water behind vinyl laps. Both leave the same evidence: a wall cleaned in May and green again by fall. The fix is a mix strong enough to kill the colony and a rinse that stays at hose pressure.
Timing It Right
Book after the river has dropped and the walls have dried, usually mid-April on, and the results hold through the season and into the next two. Overcast days are good days for a soft wash, because the solution stays wet and working longer. Late summer is a sound second window for houses near the historic district that want to look right before the leaves come down, and there is no month we avoid short of a hard freeze.
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Soft Washing in Utica: FAQs
What is the difference between soft washing and a regular house wash?
In our shop they are the same method, because we do not pressure-wash siding. Soft washing is the name for a low-pressure application of a cleaning solution that kills growth, followed by a hose-pressure rinse. The name matters when you compare quotes: a wash that relies on pressure to remove the green is removing the top of it, not the roots.
Why is my north wall green every spring when the front looks fine?
Sun. The front wall dries by mid-morning and the north wall under the canopy may stay damp until afternoon, and algae only grows on wet surfaces. A house near Clinton River Heritage Park or along River Vista has the river's humidity on top of that. Soft washing kills the colony so the north wall gets two to three clean years, and a single-wall refresh is a normal order.
Will the solution hurt my hostas and the boxwoods along the foundation?
Not when the beds are handled correctly. We soak the plants and the soil before the wash so the roots are drinking clean water, keep the solution off the leaves where we can, and rinse everything again at the end. Diluted that far, the solution breaks down quickly in sunlight. Owners with prized beds can ask for tarps, and we bring them.
Can you soft wash the brick storefronts downtown?
Yes. The rebuilt brick along Auburn Rd and Cass Ave takes a mild mix and a rinse, never pressure, because the old mortar in those walls is softer than the brick and washes out of the joints under a strong stream. We schedule storefronts early in the morning or after close, and the sidewalk in front can be cleaned in the same visit.
More in Utica
Deeper reading: Why One Side of Your House Is Always the Green Side and What Chemicals Do Power Washing Companies Use?.
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