How To Start A Pressure Washing Business

How To Start A Pressure Washing Business - Background Info:

There are several things that really makes pressure washing a good business to run out of one's home. The first point that helps a small business succeed is providing a service that most people simply will not do for themselves.

Owning a pressure washing business provides ample opportunity. There is sufficient demand for your services, but there is also a lot of competition.

Set yourself apart from other pressure washing businesses by offering the best services at the most reasonable prices.

Pressure washing, also called power washing, is the process of cleaning surfaces with high pressure water sprays. With a pressure washer, you can effectively clean concrete, wooden decks, aluminum or vinyl siding on houses, sidewalks, and more.

Owning a pressure washing business opens a lot of opportunities for work because of the wide variety of surfaces that can be treated.
If you've always wanted to own your own business and like doing physical work, owning a pressure washing business could be for you.

Pressure washing removes mold, gum, dirt and other stains from concrete. It helps wash away fading finishes on wood surfaces, and helps keep siding on homes looking new. Pressure washing doesn't require a lot of technical skill.

With planning, a small investment, and your energy and motivation, you can build a business that washes away the competition.

How To Start A Pressure Washing Business- Tasks And Skills Needed:Business

Specific Tasks:

If you are planning to do all the business tasks or hiring or subcontracting tasks, here's a list of tasks that need to be attended to when it comes to the business side of running a pressure washing business:

Bookkeeping

Scheduling

General office

Industry Specific Tasks:

Same as above if you plan to do everything yourself or get help, here are some of the tasks necessary to operate a pressure washing business:

Order supplies

Drive to job sites

Schedule maintenance

Bid on jobs

Do advertising/marketing

How To Start A Pressure Washing Business - Approximate Daily Hours Needed:

General Hours of Operation: - When your business is open - A lot of the work can be scheduled around your schedule on nights and weekends on a part-time basis.

Hours Needed to Prepare - Before Opening and After Hours Activities - Load equipment, plan schedule/job locations, bookkeeping and record keeping of clients, customer service (return calls, check email, schedule appointments, etc.)

Number of Employees Needed To Run This Business:

Minimum Number of Employees -During the Start Up Phase: You can start this business yourself on a full-time basis.

Number of Employees - Once Your Business is Up and Running Successfully:

Website maintenance

Record/Bookkeeping

General office

Customer Service

Crew

Inventory/cleanser stock

Equipment repair

Dispatch

Skill Requirements for This Business:

Ability to use the equipment

Physical strength (you have to carry equipment, then use it at job sites

Licenses:

The specific type of license you will need depends on the area in which you live in. You will also need liability insurance and damage waivers in case of any damage caused to property while you are working. It is also a good idea to become bonded.

When planning how to start a pressure washing business, research your local city codes for water runoff restrictions. Your city may have laws that govern what chemicals may be used with pressure washers.

Approximate Minimum Start up Cost:

Bare essential: - The investment required to start a pressure washing business is relatively low, though pressure washers can cost from only a few hundred dollars to twenty thousand. Hoses can also cost from about $50 to $1,000, depending on the type.

It is best to buy the best you can afford when you're starting. If you have limited startup capital, a smaller, less expensive power washer will be fine. Just keep in mind that it will take you longer to do commercial jobs and you will need to replace it sooner.

Minimal exposure - You can start by cold calling businesses and sending business cards and flyers to neighborhoods. Offer to pressure wash driveways in your neighborhood for free, and ask that owners pass your name on to their friends.

Don't forget to put ads in the free neighborhood flyers. Word of mouth can be your best source for business, so always network wherever you go.

Necessary Equipment to Run this Business:

Necessary Start-Up Equipment & Supplies:

Computer

Printer

Cell phone

Website

Truck or van with trailer

Pressure washers

Hoses

Tips for hoses of varying sizes

Turbo nozzle for cleaning concrete

Surface cleaner

X- Jet (nozzle for houses, roofs, tall structures)

Chemicals and soaps

Supplementary Equipment: - Equipment or helpful products that you can acquire to once your business is off and running:

0" Flat Surface Cleaner - $400 or more

Turbo Nozzle - $60

X-Jet - $130

24' Extension wand - $150

100' of 3/4" quality water hose

13HP HONDA MOTOR PRESSURE WASHER (Comes with full Honda Warranty)

4000 PSI @ 4 Gallons per Min. ( Adjustable PSI for Soft Wash)

100′ 4000 PSI Goodyear High Pressure Hose

110′ Commercial Fill Hose

12′ to 18′ Extension Wand for 2nd story access.

Gutter Cleaning Bar

4800 PSI Rated High Performance Wand

Four Head Aluminum Water Broom

5 Gallon Concentrate Super House Washing Biodegradable Soap ( Will eliminate and kill Moldy Black Vinyl Homes into Clean Beautiful ones.)

1 Gallon Simple Awesome Degreaser ( Great for Driveways and Walkways)

20″ Hammerhead Surface Cleaner Rated at 4800 PSI. Poly Shroud with dual spinner action. Cuts cleaning time by 60%.

1 Commercial grade rotating turbo nozzle ( Great for Gum Removal and Oil Spots)

Full Set of pressure tips

Monthly Expenses To Consider:

Wages
Phone/cell phone
Internet access
Advertising/Marketing
Electricity
Water
Equipment rental/purchases
Cleansers

Special Requirements and Considerations For This Pressure Washing Business:

Find out all you can about the trends in the industry. Know your competition, in particular, their strengths and weaknesses. This will help you identify your competitive advantage. In other words, this will help you figure out what you can give your customers that they're not getting from the other businesses. And keep from emulating the competition's strategy. Instead, make the most of your own advantage points.
Rent a pressure washer for the weekend or if you already have one or can borrow one, pressure wash your own house. Keep in mind it will be harder for you at this stage because you will not have all the right tools and the experience (it gets easier).
When you are choosing which pressure washers to purchase when you start a pressure washing business, the decision between cold water pressure washers and hot water pressure washers is somewhat complex. You need to consider what you plan to offer in terms of services and you need to consider how much you want/need to spend in cleaners and cleaning chemicals.
Hot water is a natural emulsifier, which means it doesn't need a lot of additional chemical help to get off grime and other stubborn and sticky substances. Hot water/steam's natural cleaning power will reduce your dependence on cleansing agents, which will save you money.
Unlike cold water machines, hot/steam water machines can take care of business in cold weather. You can use hot/steam water machines in fleet washing, flat work, environmental cleaning, and house washing. You don't want to use hot/steam water on wood surfaces. The wood fibers soften and swell. (Sort of like your skin when it's been in a hot tub too long.
The larger pressure washers will contain more water. If you're focusing on residences, you may be able to start with a smaller pressure washer, but if you're working on businesses, you may need a larger one.
The amount of pressure the washer has is also important. The higher the psi (pounds per square inch), the harder the water will come out of the hose, which will make the work quicker and more effective.
Try to outdo your competition. Do better, charge lower, and meet whatever your customers needs have that they can't meet. You need to be cutthroat and aggressive especially during the early stages of your business. This is the only way you can survive the competition.
If you plan on investing on a pressure washer, make sure you choose a vendor that can provide you with the best technical support available. Also, see to it that the equipment you buy is easy to maintain and that its parts are readily available. This is for when your washer conks out (maybe not soon but it will eventually). In line with this, make sure that the components (pressure regulator, pop-off valve, inlet regulator, by pass line etc) of the equipment you get are not molded together. This will make repairing and replacing defective parts it so much easier.

Pros And Cons of Opening A Pressure Washing Business:

The Pros of Running a Pressure Washing Business:

Wide variety of surfaces to clean.

Concrete is omnipresent - you can clean sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, and more.

It will need to be done on a regular basis, so the potential for repeat clients is good.

Large contractors often decline to take small jobs - these are perfect for your business.

You have the option of purchasing a turnkey power washing business.

The earning potential can be about $40 to $60 an hour.

Can work on auto detailing, awnings, gutters, roofs, and even sewers.

The Cons of Running a Pressure Washing Business:

Competition for jobs, especially small ones.

Homeowners can buy their own pressure washers and do it themselves.

Some areas may experience periods of drought.

There may be zoning restrictions that limit your work hours.

There may be environmental protection laws (for use with chemicals, soaps).

Type of Customers You Need to Attract:

Your market can be classified into two groups: commercial and consumer/residential markets. The advantage of servicing the consumer market is you will only need a fraction of the start up capital you need to invest should you opt to cater to the commercial market. The latter on the other hand may cost you more initially but it also allows you to earn more because the service contracts in this market tend to be larger.

You need to choose your preferred target market. Once you have made up your mind, then you can look into the competition in your area. Find out who the major players are and how big a chunk of the market they've been able to sink their teeth into. Find out why your competition has this few or this many clients.

Winter can be a difficult time for the power washing business. Consider expanding to kitchen exhaust cleaning for restaurants as well. Kitchen exhaust cleaning, done well, helps prevent grease fires. The International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association (ikeca.org) has guidelines and tips on safety codes.

Pressure Washing Business Statistics:

Crest Capital: Businesses maintain a wide array of information about the business they are in and the industries they compete in. On a regular basis data is collected and reported on topics such as profit and loss statements, financial ratios, customer satisfaction, product usage, and peer comparisons. This data is used by investors, potential investors, equipment financing companies and other lenders, industry analysts, and the businesses themselves.

Also see: USA.gov.

Revenue:

Commercial and Residential pressure washing is a multimillion dollar industry. The large corporations are hesitant to hire people and have their own personnel to do the job due to the large overhead cost (staff salary, equipment, training, liability, insurance, etc.). That is the cause why more and more of such companies hire an outside professional contractor who will do the job faster and it is going to cost them less because of those mentioned reasons. The market for pressure washing is limitless.

While rates can vary according to region, here are some averages for the industry that you can use to gauge the price of your own services.

Residential Services
Houses
$100 - $300 flat price
$0.50 - $2.00 per linear foot.
$0.10 - $.20 per Sq. Ft.

Driveways & Sidewalks
$75 - $200 flat price
$.08 - $.15 per Sq. Roofs

Cedar Shake Roofs - $.60 - $.90 per Sq Ft.
Composition Roofs - $.10 - $.30 per Sq Ft.

Mobile Homes

Single Wide - $40 - $55
Double Wide - $50 - $65

Commercial Services
New Construction

Remove Mortar Tags from New Brick - $.18 - $.30 per Sq. Ft.
Surface cleanup (wand spray down) - $.02 - .03 Sq. Ft.

Parking Lots, Sidewalks & Drive-Thrus

Banks / Restaurant Drive-Thurs - $8 - $30 per lane.
Parking Lots, Garage Floors - $.03 - $.20 per Sq Ft.
Parking Spaces - $8 - $20 each

Pressure Washing Business Resources:

Industry-Specific Websites:

PressureNet

Power-Washing Business

Courses:

Pressure Washing Business

Equipment and Supplies:

Ultimate Washer

Higher Power Supplies

Forums:

Power Washing Guide Chat

UAMCC

Franchises:

SparkleWash

Blue Dawg

Associations:

Power Washers of North America

United Association of Mobile Contract Cleaners (UAMCC)

Books:

How to Start Your Own Pressure Washing Business

Software:

Pressure Washing Business

Other:

Power Washing Full Start-Up Kit

Home Business Forms

Businesses To Related to a Pressure Washing Business:

Window cleaning/washing
Janitorial service
Commercial cleaning
Gutter cleaning
Carpet cleaning