Render and exterior walls · not roofs

Soft washing in Hertfordshire

Low-pressure cleaning for render and exterior walls. A biocidal foam that clings, kills the algae and black mould at the root, then rinses away. No jetting, no damage.

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Front of a rendered house in Hertfordshire after soft washing, render back to its original colour
Mid-clean on a rendered semi-detached house – a water-fed pole is soft washing the upper render, with a clean strip already showing through the algae and black streaks
The method

Chemistry doing the work instead of high pressure

Soft washing (also written softwashing) is exterior cleaning that uses a biocidal treatment at very low pressure instead of a high-pressure jet. It is how render and painted walls should be cleaned, and it is the process we have used on them since 2008.

A foamy biocidal chemical is applied by pole and brush so it clings to the wall rather than running straight off. It kills the algae, black mould and lichen at the root, and the wall is then rinsed at low pressure. Nothing is forced off the surface, so nothing gets driven into it either.

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Surfaces

Walls, not roofs

Anything vertical, porous and covered in living, organic growth. These are the surfaces we are called out to most.

Rendered houses

The main one. Full elevations treated from the ground and rinsed at low pressure – render cleaning has its own page for the detail.

Painted and masonry walls

Painted masonry, stucco and cement-painted walls cleaned without stripping sound paintwork off them.

Brick and garden walls

Boundary walls, retaining walls and porches that have gone green or black, brought back to match the house.

Garage and outbuilding walls

The walls of garages, garden rooms, sheds and outbuildings, done while we are on site.

House with cream render above exposed brickwork after cleaning, showing the two surfaces together
Straight answer

We do not soft wash roofs

Most people searching for soft washing are looking for a roof clean. We do not clean roofs, gutters, conservatories or solar panels, and we would rather say so here than take the call and disappoint you.

What we do is walls: render, painted masonry, brick and the boundary walls around them. If your roof is the problem, you want a roof cleaning specialist. We specialise in the soft washing of rendered walls, removing green and black organic staining.

You can see more of our render and wall cleaning work on our specialist site, Herts Render Cleaning.

Render cleaning
How it works

Four stages, one visit

1

Photos and a price

Photos of the walls and how many storeys they are. Priced for the whole property, no VAT to add.

2

Protect what is underneath

Planting, paths, furniture and anything the run-off would reach is covered or wetted down before a drop of chemical goes on.

3

Foam on by pole

The biocidal foam is applied from the ground with extension poles and brushes, and left on the wall long enough to kill the growth rather than just wet it.

4

Rinse and check

Rinsed at low pressure and the ground washed off, then every elevation is walked before we leave. Anything still holding on gets treated again, not scrubbed.

Soft washing across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and NW London

We soft wash render and exterior walls in Elstree, Borehamwood, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, Potters Bar, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City, along with everywhere else in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and NW London.

These towns have pages of their own: Harpenden, St Albans, Luton and Dunstable, Watford, Radlett and North London from Barnet to Stanmore. Anywhere not listed, send a postcode and we will tell you straight away whether we are out that way.

Areas we cover
Soft washing a rendered house wall with cleaning foam
Credentials

Trained in the chemicals we use

Soft washing is a chemical process, so it matters who is holding the pole. We are trained and experienced in the biocides used on algae, mould and weed growth. COSHH information and RAMS documents can be supplied on request, and the treatments are safe around children, pets and planting once rinsed away.

Behind that: trading since 2008, CSCS accreditation and approved-contractor status with seven councils and organisations – plus £5m public and employers’ liability cover with Hiscox.

Why choose us

What customers say

  • “Great service, render looks amazing!”

    Charlie

FAQs

Soft washing questions

Can’t see your question here? Give us a call or drop us a message on WhatsApp and we’ll give you a straight answer.

Soft washing is exterior cleaning that uses a biocidal treatment at very low pressure rather than a high-pressure jet. A foamy chemical is applied by pole and brush and clings to the surface. It kills algae, black mould and lichen at the root, then is rinsed off gently.

Pressure washing removes growth by force and suits hard surfaces such as drives and paving. Soft washing kills it chemically and suits anything that force would damage – render, painted walls, masonry. Same firm, different tools, chosen by what the surface needs and can take.

No. We clean walls only – render, painted masonry, brick and garden walls. Roofs, gutters, conservatories and solar panels are outside what we do, and a roof cleaning specialist is the right call for a roof. It is worth knowing before you book.

Yes, once it has been rinsed away. We are trained in the biocides we use, planting and paths are covered or wetted down before application, and the treatment is rinsed off at the end. COSHH information can be supplied if you would like it.

Yes. Green algae, black mould and lichen are all living growth, and the biocidal treatment kills all three at the root. Heavy black staining on a shaded wall can take longer to clear as the dead growth weathers off, but it does go.

All of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and NW London, including Elstree, Borehamwood, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, Potters Bar, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City. Harpenden, St Albans, Watford, Radlett, North London, Luton and Dunstable have pages of their own.

We need an outside tap. Power is not an issue because our jetting units are petrol-engined commercial machines rather than domestic ones, so nothing runs off your supply. For commercial sites without a tap, our Affinity Water licence lets us draw from hydrant washout points.

Not in itself. It is priced the same way, as a fixed price for the job, and the figure reflects the size of the property, the access and how far the growth has gone rather than the method used. Chemicals cost more; the labour is often less.

Get in touch

Get a fast, no-obligation quote

Send us a couple of photos on WhatsApp and we’ll come back with a price – usually the same day.

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Established 2008

4.9★ from 80 Google reviews

Council approved