Small black horizontal line on a white background

EXTERIOR CLEANING

The EPA puts the threshold plainly: material left damp for 24 to 48 hours will usually start growing mold. A north-facing wall in this climate stays damp far longer than that for months at a stretch. Metro Mobile Pressure Washing handles exterior cleaning on siding, brick, stucco, soffits, awnings, and shaded elevations throughout Fort Washington, MD, using low-pressure soft washing so the cleaning solution reaches the organism instead of merely rinsing the color off the surface of the wall.
Construction workers pouring concrete at a building site, with a truck in the background
Wet concrete pouring from a truck chute onto a construction site, forming a gravelly slab surface

THE STAIN IS A SYMPTOM. THE GROWTH IS THE PROBLEM.

Pressure alone takes the visible layer off and leaves everything underneath alive and ready. That is why a wall washed with force in April is gray again by September, and why the owner concludes the wall is simply old. It is not old. It was never actually treated, only rinsed hard enough to look treated for a while.

Soft washing reverses that order. A cleaning solution goes on, sits long enough to work through the growth, and then rinses away at a pressure that could not mark a painted board.

  • Solution and dwell time, not force
  • Safe on stucco, fiber cement, and aged vinyl
  • Plants pre-soaked and rinsed afterward
  • Results that hold through a humid summer
Black horizontal line on a white background
EXTERIOR CLEANING

SHADE IS WHY ONE WALL LOOKS OLDER THAN THE REST.

Walk around almost any house here and the difference is obvious. The sunny elevation looks acceptable while the shaded one has gone green, streaked, and dull. Nothing about the material changed between them. One side simply dries within hours and the other never fully does, so organic growth gets a permanent foothold on the wall that gets the least light and the least airflow. It is a light problem, not a material one.

HUMIDITY TREATS EVERY HOUSE ON THE STREET THE SAME.

Fort Washington sits close to the Potomac, and the muggy season here stretches across roughly 4 months. Add mature tree canopy over most of the older neighborhoods and you get shade, still air, and moisture in the same place all summer. That combination is why exterior growth is a maintenance item in this county rather than an occasional surprise. Most of it is preventable with a schedule.

CHEMISTRY IS THE PART MOST COMPANIES GET WRONG.

Too weak and the growth is back before the season ends. Too strong and you have damaged plants, streaked paint, and an unhappy neighbor. Getting the concentration right for the surface, the growth, and the weather that day is the actual skill in this trade, and 26 years of doing it here is the only reliable way to learn where those lines sit. What is the shaded side of your house doing?

WHY CHOOSE US FOR EXTERIOR CLEANING.

Hand washing a car under running water, black outline icon
RESULTS THAT OUTLAST THE SEASON
Treating the growth rather than the stain buys you far longer between visits. The difference shows up the following summer, when the shaded elevation is still clean instead of already turning.
Hand spraying water over a car illustration, suggesting car washing or cleaning
NO PRESSURE MARKS TO EXPLAIN
Wand scars on stucco and chalky vinyl are permanent, and they show worst in low afternoon light. Low-pressure work removes that risk entirely rather than managing it with a careful operator.
Hand using a spray nozzle to wash a car with water droplets around it
WALLS THAT DRY PROPERLY AGAIN
Organic growth traps moisture against a surface every single night. Clearing it lets the wall behave the way the builder intended, which is quietly good news for the caulk, the trim, and the sheathing.
Hand spraying foam over a car, suggesting washing or cleaning.
SAFE ON DELICATE MATERIALS
Stucco, fiber cement, aged aluminum, and painted wood all fail under pressure that concrete shrugs off. Matching the method to the material is not caution, it is the only way to clean them at all.
Hand washing a car with soap and water spray in black-and-white icon style
CLEAN TO THE EDGE, NOT THE MIDDLE
Corners, soffit returns, behind downspouts, and the strip above the foundation are where a rushed job gives itself away. Those are exactly the places we go back to before packing up.
Hand spraying cleaner onto a car, with bubbles and water splashes
LONGER BETWEEN REPAINTS
Coatings fail from moisture and biological growth long before they fail from sunlight alone. Keeping a wall clean is the cheapest way to postpone the next full exterior painting bill.
Short black horizontal line on a white background

our services

OUR EXTERIOR CLEANING WORK

Exterior cleaning covers everything from the roofline down to the foundation line, across whatever mix of materials your building happens to be wearing. These are the surfaces we treat most often on a soft-wash visit.
Template premium 99
Vinyl and Aluminum Siding

SIDING CARE

Full elevations treated with a dwelling solution and rinsed at low pressure. Aged aluminum and chalky vinyl both need a gentler approach than newer panels, and neither one tolerates spray driven upward under the courses.
Template premium 99
Brick and Stone Walls

MASONRY

Masonry gets cleaned within the limits the Brick Industry Association publishes, which caps pressure at 400 psi with a wide fan tip. Anything harder etches the face and washes sand out of the joints permanently.
Template premium 99
Stucco and Fiber Cement

TEXTURED WALLS

Textured surfaces hold growth in every recess and show damage instantly. Chemistry does nearly all the work here, with rinsing kept gentle and even so no section ends up lighter than the one beside it.
Template premium 99
Mold and Mildew Treatment

SHADED FACES

Targeted treatment for north walls, fence-line elevations, and anywhere a tree keeps the surface damp. The solution reaches the organism rather than the discoloration, which is what makes the clean actually last.
Template premium 99
Soffits, Fascia, and Eaves

OVERHEAD

The underside of a roofline collects spider webbing, dust, and streaking that nobody sees from the driveway but everybody sees from the porch. Vents get protected so no water finds its way into the attic.
Template premium 99
Awnings and Canopies

SHELTER

Fabric and metal awnings cleaned at a pressure that will not stretch a seam or lift a coating. These take the full weight of pollen and airborne soil, and they look tired long before the wall below them does.
A short black horizontal line on a white background.

THE WORD ON OUR WORK

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY.

The comment we hear most is that the house looks newer rather than merely cleaner, which is exactly what happens when the growth is gone instead of pushed around. Customers also mention the speed of the response and the fact that the price held from quote to invoice.
Black horizontal line on a white background
FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

Soft washing is still unfamiliar to a lot of property owners, so these questions come up constantly. Here is the plain version of what it is and what it does.

    What is the difference between pressure washing and soft washing?

    Pressure washing relies on force to remove soil. Soft washing relies on a cleaning solution that is applied at very low pressure and given time to work. One is right for concrete, the other for anything that force would mark.


    Does pressure washing kill mold or only remove it?

    Force removes what you can see and leaves the rest of the organism in the texture of the surface. A cleaning solution with dwell time addresses the growth itself, which is why the two methods produce such different lifespans.


    Why does mildew keep coming back after washing?

    Because it was never treated, only knocked off. Shade, humidity, and still air put it straight back, often within a single season. A treated wall in the same conditions stays clean considerably longer than one that was only rinsed.


    Why is my vinyl siding turning green?

    Algae, and it favors the elevations that stay damp longest, usually north-facing walls and anything under tree cover. It feeds on airborne organic matter caught in the surface texture rather than on the vinyl itself, and it will return.


    How long does soft washing last?

    Commonly 1 to 5 years, and the spread is entirely down to conditions. A sunny wall with airflow stays clean for a long while. A shaded elevation under mature trees will need attention nearer the shorter end of that range.


    What surfaces can be cleaned with soft washing?

    Vinyl, aluminum, stucco, fiber cement, painted wood, brick, roof shingles, awnings, and fencing. Metro Mobile Pressure Washing uses it on almost every residential exterior we handle around Fort Washington, MD, reserving higher pressure for flat concrete and hardscape.


    Is soft washing safe for my home?

    It is gentler on the structure than a conventional wash, since the water pressure involved is closer to a garden hose than a machine. The care goes into getting the concentration right, covering the surface, and protecting the plants below.


    Is soft washing environmentally responsible?

    Solutions are diluted for the surface, applied only where needed, and rinsed thoroughly. Metro Mobile Pressure Washing pre-soaks beds before any application in Fort Washington, MD and rinses them again afterward, which is what keeps runoff from concentrating anywhere.

    Black horizontal rounded bar on a white background
    HOW WE WORK

    FROM SHADED WALL TO CLEAN ELEVATION, HERE IS HOW.

    STEP 01

    Identify what is actually growing
    Algae, mildew, lichen, and plain atmospheric film all look similar from the driveway and all respond differently. What we find on the wall determines the strength of the mix and how long it needs to sit there.

    STEP 02

    Soak the landscaping first
    Beds, shrubs, and anything planted against the foundation get thoroughly wetted with clean water. Wet foliage dilutes drift on contact, and it is the single most effective protection available on any soft-wash job we run.

    STEP 03

    Apply low and even
    The solution goes on from the bottom upward so nothing streaks ahead of the clean, at a pressure that would not disturb loose paint. Coverage has to be complete, because a missed band will show later.

    STEP 04

    Let it do the work
    Dwell time is the step people skip, and it is the one that decides how long the result lasts. We watch the surface rather than the clock, since heat and sun change how quickly a solution acts.

    STEP 05

    Rinse from the top down
    Clean water comes down the wall in overlapping passes, carrying everything with it. Angles stay level or downward at every point, so nothing gets driven up behind a panel or into a soffit vent.

    STEP 06

    Rinse the beds and inspect
    Landscaping gets a second thorough rinse, covers come off, and we look at every elevation in daylight with you. Shaded corners get checked last, because that is where any missed section is going to be hiding.
    Black horizontal line on a white background
    GET YOUR FREE ESTIMATE

    LET US LOOK AT THE SIDE YOU AVOID, FREE.

    Point us at the wall that has been bothering you and we will tell you what is growing on it, what will take it off, and how long the result should hold. In writing, no obligation. Start on the contact page.
    WHAT YOUR FREE ASSESSMENT COVERS:
    • What is actually growing on each elevation
    • The method and strength each material needs
    • An honest estimate of how long it will hold
    • Any trim or caulk we notice on the way round
    • Landscaping protection explained before we start
    • A written figure with nothing attached to it