Has the bubble burst on the Soft washing industry?

By Mark Cave February 02, 2020

That is the question that everybody is asking right now. Has the industry started to slow down here in the UK.

Here at SoftWash UK our take on this is as follows.

Over the last few years it is certain to say that the Softwash industry in the UK has grown rather rapidly and followed the same path as the industry in the United States of America. However here at SoftWash UK we have certainly see a slowdown over the last 12 months.

Now the question is this due to Brexit and the uncertainty of people spending money on their home or is it a lack of interest from the cleaning industry in taking this up as a new initiative on their existing cleaning business.

With all new initiatives to enter the cleaning market there is always a rush which will inflate the demand for the service. Given time and the realisation that soft washing is not paved with gold things start to settle out and you see a true level of the markets potential. This has certainly been the case in this instance where a lot of cleaning contractors believe that Softwashing will replace pressure washing.

I’m afraid to tell you that simply is not the case. We would recommend that soft washing compliments pressure washing and also pressure washing compliments soft washing and the two should work together like ebony and ivory working in perfect harmony.

That’s not to say that you could not make a living on Softwashing alone but the chances are you will be a one man band with no signwriting on your van and looking to earn beer money for the week.

Saying that, we do believe Brexit did slow the covers of most of our customers in the last 12 months if not longer. Fingers crossed we will see an increase on business for the next 12 months as it looks like confidence is high going forward.

You will also find that the market has been inundated with new companies offering amazing chemicals and amazing equipment at unbelievable prices which has to be said is excellent for the consumer as you have a choice that’s greater than when the softwashing first started here in the UK.

But be warned these companies that are coming into the industry generally start to bend the truth and in fact through not knowing exactly how soft washing works they make amazing promises of how their chemical carries on working and their machine is sodium hypochlorite proof et cetera.

Here at SoftWash UK we refer to this as fiction and not fact and we are true believers in giving you all the information so you can make an informed decision on how you want to build on your Softwashing initiatives.

If any company out there in the UK says that you need to spray a softwash first and then after removing the moss spray another softwash then the only reason for this is for you to spend more money on chemical.

Once you have sprayed one application of SoftWash whether that be DDAC or sodium hypochlorite you will have completely killed all the organic matter on the surface that you are treating. The only time that you would use a second or third coat of recipe would be on a roof to give the instant colour change or very stubborn black spots on a flat surface like a patio or driveway. And this would only apply to sodium hypochlorite.

In fact with tests that we did many years ago applying one coat of sodium hypochlorite at 4% to a roof did not really change the colour of the roof on the day but after six months the roof started to behave exactly like as if you had treated the roof with the DDAC and within 12 months the roof was pretty much 100% clean.

So if you would like to know the facts and not fiction of Softwashing then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We pride ourselves in how we have always been focused on the truth of the Softwashing industry and to guide people in the right direction so they can make an informed decision and operate safely within the industry.

thank you for your interest and we look forward to your contact.

Safe Soft Washing.

Tags: Moss cleaning, Soft wash, Soft Washing, Softwashing

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Soft Wash Calculator App

Now you can say I've got an app for that!

Available NOW Click Here To Download

Softwashing calculator is an indispensable tool for juggling complicated chemical mixes. It helps reduce wastage and keeps operating costs down by giving accurate proportions

If you are having difficulty getting your head around the maths, trying to work out what percentage of softwash you need, how much chemical, surfactant and water to add, then this is the App for you.

The Soft Wash Calculator App allows you to work out your soft wash recipe by telling you exactly how much chemical, how much water and how much surfactant to add to get the desired soft wash recipe.
It doesn't stop there!.
- It can also remix your leftover softwash to a new stronger or weaker recipe.
- all controls in one place for see at a glance operation
- ease of input via pre-loaded dials. no more calculator style typing
- instantly responds to changes of complex combinations
- works in both Litres and US Gallons
- tested for Protan and Deutan colourblind users
- links to SoftwashingUK website

Take this scenario
You started with a 1% soft wash recipe of 50 gal (or litres) for a deck clean and you’re left with 13 gallons.

You get a call from a prospective customer to clean their roof. Past experience tells you a 4% soft wash recipe is needed, but what about your leftover mix at 1%?.

Do you waste time and effort driving back to base to transfer into a standby tank?
You could consider the 13 gal as just water, top up the tank and start again.
But that’s throwing away the value of the mix and raising your overhead.

Soft Wash Calculator App to the rescue.

You get to the new job and it requires 100 gal / litres.
Switch into remix mode , confirming the 13 gal already in the tank
Move the dials to your new recipe and the app immediately updates the different amounts to add in front of your eyes including the correct amount of extra surfactant.

You now have a 100 gal / litres tank of 4% soft wash recipe ready for your roof clean job!

Not forgetting you’ve saved money too, all without stress and uncertainty . Don’t underestimate what confident calmness has on your customer putting out referrals.

The same applies if you have a 4% recipe left in your tank and you need to dilute it down to 2%. Again the app will tell you how.

Softwashing calculator will also work for any chemical recipe. For instance you can use it for Sodium Hypochlorite, Bleach, Biocide , TFR traffic film remover and degreaser. Even the mathematically-challenged rocket scientist can top up their booster tanks to new fuel mixes after launch delays caused by changing weather conditions.

Using this app you will know exactly what chemical strength to put on any surface giving you the confidence and the knowledge of a professional soft washer and you’ll save money as well.

So if you have little knowledge of how to mix a soft wash recipe then this app is for you.
If you have little knowledge of how to remix a soft wash recipe then this app is for you.
If you want to save money when mixing a soft wash recipe then this app is for you.

This app is also backward compatible to devices running iOS7. We've done this so you can re-purpose an old iPhone 4 or iPod Touch 5 for what could be hazardous work environments. Just toss one in your cleaning van's toolkit.

Once you learn the methods and procedures of how to apply the soft wash to the different surfaces that need cleaning you’ll be unstoppable!

The app also has a guide to what percentage for what surface. And if you are the lucky owner of a Clever Injector it will remind you the correct setting for the job.
However you should always consider and risk assess what soft wash recipe you need to clean the surface.

** A major iOS code-base change may require a re-purchase. The appiverse at the time will confirm our promise that we won't do so unless the necessity is apparent.