Why We Use Liquid Chlorine for Soft Washing Homes: The Science of Clean
Living in Tallahassee, Florida, we all know the drill: high humidity, frequent rain, and plenty of shade trees. While we love our local environment, it creates the perfect breeding ground for green and black algae on your home’s exterior.
At Hot Water Pressure Washing, we believe an educated customer is our best customer. A common question we get is, “Do you use bleach on my house?”
The short answer is: We use a professional-grade sanitizer called Sodium Hypochlorite. However, the secret to a safe clean isn’t just what we use, but how we mix it.
1. The “Secret Ingredient”: Sodium Hypochlorite (SH)
Sodium Hypochlorite is the industry standard for Soft Wash House Washing because it is the only sanitizer that effectively kills the root of the problem.
It’s an Algaecide: Pressure washing with just water often only blasts the surface “scab” off the algae. It looks clean for a few weeks, but the roots remain in the pores of your siding or stucco, and it grows back quickly.
It Eradicates Spores: Our solution penetrates the surface to kill the algae spores completely, keeping your home cleaner for much longer.
2. The Art of the Mix: Why Ratios Matter
One of the biggest risks to your property comes from DIY homeowners or less experienced contractors who don’t understand the chemistry of soft washing.
The most common mistake we see is the “Hot Mix”—using a solution that is far too strong for the surface being cleaned. An inexperienced washer often guesses at measurements or uses a “one size fits all” approach. This can lead to burnt landscaping, oxidized siding, or damaged paint.
At Hot Water Pressure Washing, we rely on science, not guessing. Not every surface on your home’s exterior needs the same strength.
Roof Cleaning: Shingles often require a stronger mix to remove stubborn black streaks.
Siding Washing: Vinyl, painted wood, and stucco require a much milder mix to remove surface algae without risking damage.
Our Goal: We always aim to sanitize and clean the surface using the lowest concentration possible. By custom-blending our solution on-site for your specific needs, we limit the amount of chemicals used. This minimizes the risk to your plants and property while still ensuring a perfect clean.
3. Store-Bought Bleach vs. Professional Bulk Supply
You might wonder, “Is this just the same stuff I buy at the grocery store?” Not quite.
While they share the same active ingredient, Liquid Pool Chlorine (which we use) is vastly superior to household bleach for exterior cleaning. Because we are a high-volume professional company, we have logistical advantages that benefit you:
Unmatched Freshness: Chlorine degrades over time. Bleach at the store may have been sitting on a shelf for months, losing half its strength. During our busy season, we go through over 100 gallons a week. We fill our bulk tanks with fresh, professional-grade solution every single week. You are getting a product at peak potency.
Purity: Household bleach is often loaded with additives and thickeners (“Splashless” varieties) designed for laundry. These can leave sticky residues on your siding. Our bulk solution is pure, ensuring a rinse-free finish.
4. A Trusted Sanitizer: You Use It Every Day
If the idea of using chemicals on your home sounds worrying, it might help to know that Sodium Hypochlorite is one of the most trusted sanitizers in the world. You likely encounter it daily without realizing it:
Swimming Pools: This is the exact same sanitizer used to keep pools clean. If it is safe enough for your family to swim in, it is safe enough for your home’s exterior.
Restaurants: It is the standard sanitizer for commercial dishwashers. If you eat out, your plates were likely sanitized with it.
Drinking Water: Municipal water treatment plants use it to purify drinking water and keep it free of bacteria.
Hospitals: It is used to disinfect surfaces and equipment to prevent the spread of illness.
If it is safe enough for the water we drink and the pools we swim in (in the right concentration), it is certainly safe for washing your siding when handled by a professional.
5. The “Soap” Factor: Why It Sticks & Smells Better
We don’t just spray raw chlorine on your house. We mix it with a specialized surfactant (a professional soap). This small addition plays a huge role in the quality of the wash:
Masking the Scent: The surfactant helps mask the strong “pool smell” of the chlorine, making the process more pleasant for you and your neighbors.
Performance & Dwell Time: Water naturally wants to run down your walls immediately. Our soap breaks the surface tension, allowing the cleaning solution to “cling” to vertical surfaces. This gives the solution time to break down dirt, spider webs, and algae effectively without us needing to use high pressure.
6. Is It Safe for My Plants and Property?
Sodium Hypochlorite is a powerful oxidizer, but it has a fascinating safety feature: it degrades into salt. Once the solution dries and completes its reaction with the algae, it breaks down into harmless salt and water.
However, safety starts with dilution and protection. Because we use the lowest effective concentration, the risk to your landscape is already minimized. We then follow a strict “Water: Before, During, and After“ process:
Pre-Soak: We saturate your plants with fresh water before we start. A thirsty plant will drink up chemicals; a hydrated plant will not.
Dilution: We keep the plants wet during the wash to immediately neutralize any overspray.
Post-Rinse: We do a final heavy rinse of the landscape to ensure the only thing left behind is a clean home.
Conclusion
Using Sodium Hypochlorite is the difference between simply rinsing dirt off your home and truly sanitizing it. It is the gold standard for soft washing in humid climates like ours here in Tallahassee, Florida.
When used by a professional who understands the chemistry, uses the correct dilution ratios, and ensures fresh product quality, it is the safest, most effective way to restore your home’s curb appeal.
Nick LoomisOwner-Operator
Since 2012, Nick Loomis of Hot Water Pressure Washing has been a trusted expert in Tallahassee's pressure washing industry. With over a decade of experience, he's passionate about two things: delivering incredible results for his customers and finding innovative solutions to do the job right.
