If you have been hit with fever to power wash (as I was) and you want to get started now (as I did), then here is a quick start guide to help you avoid pitfalls. Most of the major pitfalls are covered here but there are so many applications for power washing that not all of them can be anticipated. Thus, you will be on a learning curve. But take heart, it’s an easy one. I did not run into a situation I could not solve and neither will you.

Power washing is financially rewarding. It is great fun to put that big money in the bank on a daily basis. But only after you shower, eewwwww! That’s right. It’s gonna get messy out there. The splash back from your work is constant, and while it can feel pretty good on a hot day, it will leave you in no condition to kiss your sweetie. If you take on houses, the splash back from overhead work and from the base of the skirting of mobile homes will typically cover you from head to toe. Some power washers elect to wear rain suits but I always found these to be restrictive and hot. It was easier to just look like hell until I got home and cleaned up. Keep a set of rags with you and always carry one in your back pocket. Flat work such as decks and concrete will still get you messy eventually, though with a little practice you can keep this to a minimum.

The money is great in power washing, but as with any service oriented business you don’t get paid until the job is done.  There are a few things that can hamper this.  Weather may hamper, although only two things come to mind here.  Lightning is a biggie.  You are passing water through a steel reinforced hose from a steel machine to a steel lance.  Can you say “Lightning Rod?”  I thought so. Also, some chemicals used in flatwork will not start to work until surface temperatures reach 55 degrees F or better.  This, for example, can delay your start on a deck on a cold morning in May. 

If you live in the Midwest, the pricing structure will be higher than if you live in, say, Florida.  In states where the weather tends to be better year round the prices can be lower.  A mobile home cleaning in the Midwest can be priced at $75.00 while in Florida it may be as low as $29.99.  Calling around to a few pressure cleaning companies in your area will help to determine where you should fall in your pricing.  And don’t feel so smug if you live in the Midwest either.  In Florida they can clean nearly year round while in a good year you may get 8 months of mobile home cleaning.  But don’t worry either.  There are many winter applications for power washing available as well.

Machine

There are so many machines to choose from!  How do you know what’s best for you?  Here are the main things to look for.  I started with an electric PW with a 15 foot hose and chemical injection.  It lasted for 2 weeks, and that was with a lot of goading on my part.  Depending on the size of your bank account, you will at the very least want a gas powered machine.  The minimum horsepower here should be 4 +.  These packages will usually come with a wand and 25-50 ft. of wand hose.  These will be pull start machines typically on two wheels.  A word on wheels here.  4 are better than two and inflated is better than solid.  If you do have to move your machine around you want it to move easily.  They can be very heavy and struggling through someone’s yard with undersized wheels is the pits. 

If you want to avoid moving your machine altogether, purchase more wand hose. I ran with 150’ of wand hose. When you consider the fact that you have to get behind an 80 foot long mobile home to clean the backside, you will understand the importance of this. Buy double insulated wand hose if possible. This does a superior job of resisting tears and cuts. Every foot of double insulated hose will typically cost one dollar. You will want to purchase quick connects for the hose as well. This will make your life so much easier during set up and tear down. Make sure the machine you purchase has the standard quick connect sizes so you can buy these couplings anywhere. If you cannot afford wand hose, then pay attention to the wheels. Even with inflated wheels you will find that you will soon be turning over that money for more wand hose. One last thing about hose, if you go with more than 50’ you will want a hose reel. If you have a hot shot (small cold water machine) then you will need to buy one that mounts directly on the machine.

There are two main components to a pressure washing machine. Everything else is secondary. These are the pump and engine. I recommend Briggs and Stratton and Honda. I’ve had good luck with both kinds but prefer Honda if you have to pull start. Getting an electric start engine is highly recommended. It’s a drag to put in half days work before you even start washing. The best pumps on the market today are Cat and General. These two pumps are used more than any other and easily rebuilt if necessary minimizing your downtime should you need a repair.

Don’t worry about Cleaning Units (CU) that are advertised on a machine. The important factors here are Gallons per minute (GPM) and Pressure per square inch (PSI). The single most important factor in a quick and thorough cleaning is NOT PSI, but GPM. The more gallons of water you put on a surface the faster and better the cleaning job is going to be. PSI is great for cutting power when stripping paint or getting into tight places but GPM is the deciding factor. Pay attention to this last, it is important.

I started out in the back of my station wagon. You may not want to do this but it can be done. I eventually settled on a pickup truck and ran with that for the next 6 years. It is conceivable that you can work out of the trunk of a sedan if you are so motivated. Some power washers prefer a van to pick up. This will also depend on whether or not you are pulling a trailer and what equipment you carry. But for a quick start up most any vehicle will do at first.

I did not advertise at first. Word of mouth kept me going along with the occasional passerby that stopped while I was at a job. There is so much demand for this type of work that it is not necessary to take out ads in the paper or Yellow Pages. Sending out some letters of introduction is a good idea. I targeted realtors for this and landed Re-Max on my first mailing. I did thousands of dollars with them and generated a lot of other business while doing their work.

You will want a dual lance wand. These are far superior to the adjustable nozzle type. Buy adjusting the handle of the wand you will be able to regulate the force of your spray as well as call for chemicals from your injector. These will run about $125.00 but are well worth it. Invest the money.

You will also need a gas can. The plastic ones that are vented are best. A selection of nozzles for your dual lance should include 0°, 15°, 25°, 40° and 60° inserts. The ones you will use most are the 15 and 25 so buy extras. They are easily lost. In fact, extra hoses and wands and anything else will only minimize down time and make you look a whole lot smarter. It is a bad deal to have a job interrupted simply because you lost a nozzle or broke a hose.

The only chemicals you will need for a quick start concern mold and grease. For your siding a good bleach is recommended for mold and mildew removal. Buy a name brand like Clorox. Bleach has a limited shelf life of 6 months. House hold bleach is 6% bleach and 94% water. After sitting in a warehouse for 5 months, off brand bleaches simply won’t work. You can tell this by putting your nose to a gallon of Clorox and a gallon of an off brand.

There are many wood care products that do a good job of cleaning decks. CV Flood is available at most super stores as is Wolman’s. Grease and oil can be removed with products like Tide detergent and a scrub brush. If you have the money, there are no touch de-greasers out there available from chemical houses that are environmentally friendly.

An inexpensive insurance can be obtained through Delco Cleaning systems.  The link is on this page.  But I found my insurance through American Family as a janitorial package. It ran me less than $300.00 a year for a million in liability.  Check with your local agent and see what they offer.

Gather as much knowledge as you can. A great place to do this is Delco Cleaning Systems out of Fort Worth, Texas. They have many programs to help you but best of all is their power wash bulletin board. This is a forum for power washers and you can get any and all questions answered here. Here is the link:

http://www.dcs1.com/

Go to work! Get out there and drum up that first job. Clean up your own property first. People may stop by and ask you to do the same for them. A mailer is inexpensive and only requires a letter and business card. I printed out all my own cards from stock that is readily available in any office store today. Talk to your friends. Call your relatives. Once you get rolling it will take on a life of its own. Good luck keeping up with it!