Soft Washing Melbourne
The safe alternative to blasting — low pressure and the right cleaning chemistry dissolve dirt, mould and algae from render, painted surfaces and cladding without damage.
Some surfaces simply can't take pressure. Render blows out, painted weatherboard strips, old mortar rakes away, cladding dents and roof tiles lose their surface. Soft washing cleans these surfaces the opposite way: gentle pressure — barely more than a garden hose — paired with cleaning solutions that dissolve the dirt and kill the growth, then a thorough low-pressure rinse.
The chemistry is the real cleaner. Biological growth — the mould, algae and lichen that turn Melbourne render green and black on the weather side — is killed at the root rather than shaved off at the surface, which is why soft-washed walls stay clean two to three times longer than pressure-blasted ones. The growth doesn't regrow from live spores, because there aren't any left.
Render is our most common soft-wash call-out: rendered homes across Melbourne's newer estates streak green within a few years, and owners are often told the only fix is repainting. It usually isn't — a soft wash restores rendered walls at a fraction of repaint cost. Exterior mould is also worth dealing with for more than looks, as Better Health Victoria notes about mould around the home.
What's Included
- Rendered walls — green and black growth killed and washed away
- Painted weatherboard, brick and hardiplank
- Vinyl, composite and timber cladding
- Delicate roof surfaces where pressure isn't safe
- Fences, retaining walls and rendered boundary walls
- Growth treated at the root — stays clean far longer than blasting
How It Works
Surface check
We confirm what the wall is made of and how established the growth is — that sets the solution mix and the fixed quote.
Apply & dwell
Cleaning solutions go on at low pressure and are given time to dissolve grime and kill growth.
Gentle rinse
Everything rinses off at low pressure, taking the dead growth with it — no blasting, no damage.
What Drives the Price
Soft washing is quoted on wall area and storeys, surface type, and growth level — a lightly soiled rendered wall is quick, an established black-mould weather side takes proper dwell time and a second application. It's comparable to pressure washing in cost, and dramatically cheaper than the repaint it often replaces.
Photos of the affected walls to 0414 078 847 get you a fixed quote — usually the same day.
Common Questions
What's the difference between soft washing and pressure washing?
Pressure washing uses force; soft washing uses chemistry at low pressure. Hard surfaces like concrete suit pressure — render, paint and cladding need soft washing or they get damaged.
Is soft washing safe for rendered walls?
It's the only right way to clean them. Render is porous and brittle at the surface — soft washing cleans it without the blow-outs and stripe marks pressure leaves.
How long does a soft-washed wall stay clean?
Typically 2–3 times longer than a pressure-cleaned one, because the growth is killed rather than trimmed. South- and west-facing walls regrow fastest but still take years, not months.
Are the cleaning solutions safe for my garden?
We manage application and rinsing to protect plants, pre-wetting gardens and rinsing them after. It's a standard part of every soft-wash job.
Related Services
We service the whole metro area — see our Melbourne service locations, including the western suburbs, north-west, northern suburbs, inner Melbourne and Melton & Sunbury.
Green render? Don't repaint. Wash it.
Free, no-obligation quotes — over the phone or from photos in minutes. Fully insured, 5.0★ from 126+ Google reviews.