 from North American Exterior Cleaning. Here to break down as briefly as I can the differences between a power wash and a soft wash. A power wash is more of a high-pressured wash with hot or cold water, with or without soaps or detergents. Generally applied for harder surfaces such as concrete, pavers, patios, driveways, granite, and heavy equipment. Now a soft wash is basically a low-pressured, cold water application that contains soaps and detergents not only to clean, but to rid your valuable property of all things moss, mold, mildew, and lichen.