What soap is best for washing a house?

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Short answer: The best soap for washing a house is one made for exterior mildew and algae, not a general dish or laundry soap. It also needs to be applied at low pressure and given time to sit against the surface before rinsing, since the product alone isn't what does the cleaning.

Why a general household soap falls short

Dish soap and laundry detergent are built to cut grease on dishes and fabric, not to kill the mold, mildew and algae growing on stucco, vinyl or brick.

A house can look soapy-clean for a day after a household soap rinse while whatever was actually growing on it, the thing that got it dirty in the first place, is still there underneath.

What to look for in an exterior cleaner

A product labeled for house washing or for mildew and algae removal on exterior surfaces is built for the actual problem rather than for grease or laundry.

Some products call out specific surfaces, like vinyl, stucco or painted siding, so matching the product to your home's material is worth checking on the label.

How the soap gets used, not just picked

Even the right product needs low pressure and time to sit against the surface to actually break down mildew and algae rather than just rinse across it.

Spraying it on and rinsing immediately gives it no time to work. Following the label's dwell time is usually the difference between a wash that actually clears the growth and one that just wets it down.

Protecting plants and pets while you work

Wet plants and grass along the house down before applying anything, and rinse them again once you're done, regardless of which product you're using.

Pets are fine staying inside for the visit. There's no need to plan around them beyond keeping doors and windows closed nearby.

Why a soft wash gets more of the cleaning done

Puma's house wash uses a cleaning solution built for exterior mildew and algae, applied at low pressure so it has time to work, then rinsed at low pressure too.

The wash itself never relies on force against the walls, which is the main reason a soft wash tends to clear more than a general household soap does on its own.

In Volusia County

Volusia County property records show 56% of homes in the county were built before 1990. Most of those homes have exteriors that need more than a general household soap to actually clear years of mildew and algae. Puma's house wash starts at $279 and is priced by your home's square footage and story count.

Questions people ask

Can I use the same soap on my driveway?

No. Driveways are typically cleaned with real pressure and a surface cleaner rather than a cleaning solution alone, since concrete can take pressure that walls can't.

Does a stronger soap clean faster?

Not necessarily. A stronger dilution than the label calls for raises the risk of discoloring paint or siding without actually speeding up how fast mildew breaks down.

How long should I let the soap sit?

Follow the specific product's label, since dwell time varies by product and by how heavy the growth is on your particular walls.

Is dish soap ever okay to use?

It can rinse off light dust, but it isn't built to kill mildew or algae, so the actual growth often stays behind even after the house looks temporarily cleaner.

Keep reading

House washing across Volusia →