Stratus Soft Wash
Algae, the green film
It grows on the shaded and north-facing walls first. Rinsing knocks the top layer off and leaves the roots, which is why it looks clean for a month and then doesn't.
Home / Services / House washing
House washing that cleans the siding instead of stripping it
A soft wash runs at roughly garden-hose pressure and lets the detergent kill what's growing on your house. Siding, soffits, fascia, trim, shutters and downspouts, in one visit.
Hate phone calls? Text us a photo of the worst wall and we'll quote off that.
300+Projects completed
5+Years on the ladder
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What's actually on your siding
Almost none of it is dirt. What makes a house look grey and tired is living, and that's why rinsing it never works for long.
Mildew and lichen
Black speckling in the texture of vinyl and the grain of painted wood. It has to be killed chemically — no amount of pressure gets it out of the surface.
Chalking and oxidation
Older vinyl and aluminum break down into a chalky powder. Pressure smears it. The right cleaner lifts it and the rinse carries it off.
Salt film and pollen
Shore homes carry salt that dulls everything at once. Inland it's spring pollen and road film. Both need a surfactant, not force.
Webs, nests and mud daubers
Soffits, corners and under the eaves. That's the part people notice from the front door and the part a quick wash skips.
Not sure which of those you've got? Send a photo and we'll tell you what it is before you spend anything.
Price my houseWhat's included
A house wash means the whole exterior envelope, not just the four flat walls you can see from the street.
Before and after
Same wall, same angle, one visit. The green side is the one people photograph.
How the visit goes
We soak the beds
Plants and shrubs get watered down before anything else. Wet foliage dilutes whatever drifts, which is the actual protection — plastic sheeting mostly isn't.
Apply and let it dwell
Detergent goes on low and stays on the wall long enough to kill the growth. This is the part that gets rushed by everyone charging half price.
Agitate where needed
Heavy mildew, chalking and soffit corners get worked by hand. Most walls don't need it. Some always do.
Rinse top down
Low pressure, full rinse, beds soaked again. We walk the house with you or send photos if you're not home.
Surfaces we wash, and how
Same crew, different mix and different pressure on each one. Getting this wrong is how houses end up with streaked siding or stripped paint.
- Vinyl and Hardie. The straightforward ones. Low pressure, standard mix, careful not to drive water up under the laps.
- Aluminum. Oxidizes into chalk with age. Needs a cleaner that lifts it and a rinse that carries it away rather than down onto the brick.
- Stucco and EIFS. Holds dirt in the texture and chips under pressure. Dwell time does the work here, not force.
- Brick and old mortar. Soft wash only. High pressure erodes lime mortar and pushes water into the wall.
- Painted wood and clapboard. Pressure lifts old paint in sheets. Low pressure and a gentler mix keeps the paint where it is.
- Cedar shake. Weathered grey is not dirty. We treat the mildew and leave the weathering alone.
What people say after a wash
Patricia had the house washed alongside her windows. The rest are people telling you what we are like to deal with.
These fellas did a very good job on my windows, and they also power washed my house. All three of them were very pleasant to work with. Very nice personalities
Wonderful superb experience with extremely meticulous and thorough job. Professional attitude and reasonable prices. Would highly recommend. Adam is a pleasure to work with.
I just switched from another provider to Stratus Cleaning and have been remarkably impressed. This company is well run, has polite, and Extremely talented employees! While I was not necessarily dissatisfied with my former company; I’m glad I made the switch to a top shelf quality company.
A very professional service and extremely hardworking crew with integrity and honesty! We highly recommend Stratus Cleaning!
Wash it before the algae roots in
The longer a wall stays green, the deeper the colony gets and the harder the wash. Quotes take about ten minutes.
Questions about house washing
Including where we work and what else we clean, since most people book two things at once.
How much does a house wash cost?
It comes down to square footage, how many stories, and how long it's been. A single-story ranch done every year sits at one end, a three-story shore home nobody has touched in five years at the other. Either way the number is fixed before we start, so nothing moves once we're on site.
How long does it last?
One to three years inland. Closer to a year at the shore, because salt and humidity speed everything up. Heavily shaded walls come back faster than sunny ones no matter where you are.
Will it damage my siding or paint?
Not at the pressure we use. That's the whole reason soft washing exists. The damage people worry about — stripped paint, water behind the panels, chipped stucco — comes from high pressure, which we don't put on the house.
Is it safe for plants and pets?
Yes. Beds get soaked before we start and rinsed again after, which dilutes anything that drifts. Keep pets inside while we're working; they're fine once surfaces dry.
Do you need me there on the day?
No. We do need to get at all four sides, so gates unlocked and bins moved helps, plus a working outside tap. You'll get photos of every elevation once it's dry.
How often should I have it done?
Most South Jersey homes want it every one to two years. Shore properties closer to annually. If you can see green on the shaded side, you're past due.
Do you wash houses in my town?
Probably. We work two distinct areas: the inland townships of Gloucester and Camden counties, and the shore towns across Cape May and Atlantic counties.
Gloucester and Camden counties
- Mullica Hill
- Sewell
- Mantua Township
- Glassboro
- Pitman
- Woolwich Township
- Swedesboro
- Cherry Hill
- Haddonfield
- Collingswood
Cape May and Atlantic counties
- Avalon
- Stone Harbor
- Sea Isle City
- Ocean City
- Margate
- Ventnor
- Longport
- Brigantine
If your town isn't listed, it's still worth asking. Anything inside roughly 60 minutes we'll usually come out to. Send the address and we'll confirm.
What else can you do while you're already here?
A house wash is the most common thing we get called for, and it's rarely the only thing that needs doing. Adding a second service to the same visit is always cheaper than booking it separately.
- Window cleaningInside, outside, screens, tracks
- Roof washingTreated chemically, nobody walks it
- Gutter cleaningAdd-on to any roof wash
- Pressure washingDriveways, patios, decks, concrete
- Commercial cleaningStorefronts, offices, apartments
Gutters paired with a roof wash and windows paired with a house wash are the two combinations we do most.
Not sure what your siding is or whether it can take a wash? Describe it on the phone and we'll tell you.
Call (215) 605-1017Get a house washing quote
Tell us roughly how long it's been since the last wash. You'll get a number back the same day. Or skip the form and call (215) 605-1017.
You're in.
We'll call you back today from (215) 605-1017. Two taps and we'll lock in a discount before we do.
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✓What are we cleaning?
Changes how we quote the access.
✓How often should we come back?
Every plan gets the same treatment. Come back more often, pay less.
✓Last one — where's the property?
We'll pull it up before we call so the number is real, not a guess.
Add the address or town.$100
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We'll call you today from (215) 605-1017.