Answers · Comparison
They are not alternatives, they are different jobs on different surfaces. Window cleaning is glass, frames, tracks, sills and screens, done by hand. Pressure washing is concrete, brick and other hard surfaces, done with a machine. Siding sits between them and belongs to soft washing, not either one. Most Treasure Valley homes need window cleaning twice a year and pressure washing about once, and booking them on the same visit costs less than two trips.
Last reviewed 3 September 2026 by Perfect Shine Home Solutions, Kuna, Idaho.
Glass on both sides, the frames around it, the tracks and sills underneath, and the screens. It is hand work with a squeegee and a scrubber, and it happens at close range. Nobody should be pointing a pressure washer at your windows: high pressure forces water past the seals into the frame and, on a double-glazed unit, can breach the seal and fog the pane permanently.
Horizontal and vertical hard surfaces: concrete driveways, walkways, patios, brick, stone. Done properly with a flat surface cleaner rather than a wand, so the result is even instead of striped. It is a machine job at range, and it is the right tool for exactly those surfaces and no others.
Your siding is neither. Painted lap siding, vinyl, stucco and wood get soft washed, which is low pressure plus a cleaning solution that does the work chemically. High pressure on siding lifts paint and drives water behind the boards, which on an older Boise home is how a $300 wash becomes a repaint. Most exterior quotes that say pressure washing actually mean pressure on the concrete and soft wash on the house.
If the house looks tired, look at what is actually dirty. Grey, streaked concrete and green growth on the north side is a pressure and soft wash job. Glass you cannot see clearly through, spotted lower panes, and grit in the tracks is window cleaning. Most houses have both, and one is usually much worse than the other.
Pressure washing throws water, dirt and solution around. Do it first, then clean the windows. Booking them as one job means we sequence it correctly, and it costs less than two separate visits because setup time gets paid for once.
| Surface | Service | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Glass, frames, tracks, sills, screens | Window cleaning | Hand, squeegee |
| Concrete driveway, walkway, patio | Pressure washing | Machine, surface cleaner |
| Brick and stone | Pressure washing | Machine, moderated pressure |
| Painted or vinyl siding | Soft washing | Low pressure plus solution |
| Stucco and EIFS | Soft washing | Low pressure plus solution |
| Shingle roof | Soft washing only | Never high pressure |
| Gutter exteriors | Soft washing | Usually added to a house wash |
Swipe the table sideways →
Two fields and a person from Perfect Shine calls you back, usually within the hour.
Get a free quoteCall (208) 954-4864No, and it can damage them. High pressure forces water past window seals into the frame, and on a double-glazed unit it can breach the seal, which fogs the pane permanently and is not repairable. Windows are hand work.
Soft wash the house, pressure wash the flatwork. High pressure belongs on concrete, brick and stone. Siding, stucco, wood and roofs get low pressure and a cleaning solution.
Yes. Setup, travel and equipment time get paid for once instead of twice, and we sequence the work correctly so the wash does not undo the window cleaning.
Windows twice a year in the Treasure Valley, spring and autumn. Pressure washing about once a year for most homes, more if you have heavy tree cover or north-facing concrete that grows algae.
Perfect Shine window cleaning starts at $9 per pane inside and out. Pressure and soft washing starts at $149. Both are quoted before we book them.
More answers