Overview: Pressure & Power Washing
Once the snow is gone, the damage shows. Salt crust on the walkway, sand packed into the paver joints and a grey film on the siding all come from winter, and they're what most spring pressure washing jobs are about. The season is short, so good crews fill their calendars early.
Frost makes the method matter more here. Water blasted into brick, stone or soft mortar stays inside, and when it freezes it pushes the surface apart. A careless wash late in the fall can mean flaking brick by spring. Siding, stucco, cedar and shingles get soft washing instead: low pressure, a cleaner left to work, then a gentle rinse.
Ask where the dirty water goes. Toronto's sewer bylaw says only rain and melted snow belong in the catch basins on your street, because they drain straight to rivers, streams and the lake. Your own city's rules are worth a look before a crew aims the runoff at the curb.
Our listings show what each washing company states on its own website: the surfaces it names, whether estimates are free, its hours, and what customers say in public reviews. The province and city lists lead to companies in your area.
Frequently asked questions
What is soft washing, and when is it used?
It's cleaning with low pressure and a solution that stays on long enough to kill what's growing, followed by a gentle rinse. It's the right method for vinyl and painted siding, stucco, roofs and fences. A product sold to kill moss or algae is a pesticide in Canada. Its label should carry a registration number under the Pest Control Products Act, so ask to see the jug.
Which surfaces should never take high pressure?
Cedar and other soft woods, vinyl and painted siding, asphalt shingles, stucco, soft old mortar, and the seals around windows and doors. Anything with a gap lets water in behind it. In a Canadian winter that water freezes, so a joint that looked fine in the fall can crack open by spring. A crew that can't tell you what it refuses to blast hasn't thought about it.
Is it worth sealing concrete after the spring wash?
Often, yes. Clean, dry concrete takes a penetrating sealer well, and the sealer slows the water and salt that soak in over winter. Freeze and thaw plus de-icing salt is what flakes the top layer off driveways and front steps. Ask which product the crew uses and how long the surface has to dry first. Pavers need their joint sand topped up before any sealer goes on.
Can pressure washing stir up lead from old paint?
It can, if the house is old enough. Health Canada warns that older homes were often painted with lead-based paint, and it advises against sanding that paint because of the dust. A hard wash that strips peeling paint scatters chips into the garden beds around the house. Ask how the crew plans to catch those chips, or have the paint tested before anyone starts.
What goes wrong on a driveway or patio?
Stripes are the classic mistake, left when someone walks a bare wand across concrete instead of using a surface cleaner. Etching comes next, where too much pressure cuts into soft pavers or old concrete. Then there's the sand between pavers, which washes out. Joints left empty over winter let water in, and frost heaves the stones out of line. Ask whether refilling the joints is in the quote.
