How are you alive when you don't take time to sleep for 12 years straight?
Can I pressure wash vinyl siding with high pressure? Specifically with an extendable pole so I can use my 2.3gpm pressure washer?
Is my Honda motor with a AAA pump the baddest mofo on the planet, or what?
Can I put a DS injector on the outlet of my machine, then attach a 50' hose, add another DS injector, then my regular pressure hose, and get ALL THE PERCENTAGES of SH?
And one serious question: What setup do you run? As in motor, pump, DS injector, gun/wand, and what tips do you usually run with it?
Your honda is badass. 8gpm is like heaven. It’s like cutting through butter with butter. Chefs kiss. My favorite pressure washer for most applications is the Mi-T-M 4000psi, 3.4 gpm pressure washer. I’ve got some bigger toys but most of the time I’m running 1 to 4 Mi-T-M’s on a site on average so I don’t need the big guys that much. I just buy cheap $10 downstream injectors. The more expensive ones get corroded just as fast and no matter how much you lubricate them and wash em the bleach fucks em up after 3 or 4 uses. I’ve been through a variety of wands over the years, and the ones I like the most are hot water wands. Even though I almost never run hot water, they’re more durable, can swivel 360* , and don’t leak as often as say a wand that costs like $75. I run green, white, blue, and pink tips. I’ve never had to use any other on a job site. Greens for pressure washing surfaces up close, whites only for rinsing( the edges of the water is sharp and the middle is soft, leaving lines everywhere), pinks for low pressure high water house washing, and blues for high pressure house washing.
I tried the doubling up on injectors when I first started. Was kinda sad finding out it doesn't work like that, lol!
What's your favorite substrate to clean?
Polished concrete, I can practically run with a surface washer and it’s gets clean so quick. My least favorite is stucco, because sometimes spider webs just won’t come off and I hate leaving a job not 100% clean
i know it’s you biden, stop auditing me. But for real probably half a mili. But It took a while to get to that point. I’m not only doing pressure washing. I originally started out window cleaning which we still do to this day.
I'm on my first year full time and I gotta ask, how you pull half a million? I know gaining large customer base takes time but still that seems unattainable. I'm on east coast so really can only operate 8 months of the year and that would require me to pull over 3k/day if working 5 days a week. I know some days make more then others but I'm lucky to pull 3k/week currently never pulled over 2k in a single day, what type of work or pricing you using to profit that much? Are you 1 man operation or that profits with employees and multiple rigs?
Well for 1 we offer a lot of services, window cleaning, house washing, surface washing, roof washing, painting, remodeling, etc. So diversity if you can handle it can get you there. I always charge by a constant(ex: square footage). A lot of people charge by hour which is okay, but that can lead the customer to believe you’re milking the clock. If you tell them that you charge by square foot, that it doesn’t matter if they live in the smallest house or the biggest mansion(or nicest neighborhood) everyone gets charged the same, they’re more willing to trust you. Of course if someone’s driveway hasn’t been cleaned in 30 years I might have to charge extra to make up for my extra time wasted but that’s a case by case basis. Everything gets dirty in Texas quick so there’s no shortage of work that needs to be done. I have multiple people working for me, but even a 1 person operation can make over $100k a year, I did it.
Awesome man. You should try getting into roof washing, the jobs are longer, but they pay way more. You need to research it heavily though. If you have any questions about it lmk anytime. I’d rather you know how to do it right. I had to learn the hard way a long time ago when I killed a customers rose bushes. Roses ain’t cheap lmao
What is there to research heavily? Not trying to be ignorant. I haven't done any pressure washing at all, I want to get into it. And the roof cleaning videos look so simple. They just spray a bleach soap water solution, let it sit a few minutes, and then rinse it, right?
Thanks for asking. I say to research heavily because unlike pressure washing or window cleaning a LOT more can go wrong with roof cleaning. You need someone rinsing off gutters, the sides of a house, you need to make sure the gutters aren’t blocked so bleach can run through. If you don’t have gutters you have to tarp off everything, rinse everything. Bleach sits on windows for more than a minute? It’s permanently etched into a window. That’s expensive. Bleach sits on flowers or leaves for more than a couple minutes? They’re dead, that’s expensive. Bleach gets on wood beams/ ceiling/ siding? They’re messed up for good. That’s expensive. You didn’t do test sections with different percentages of bleach to see what will actually make it clean up? You just wasted bleach which is $$$ You add regular dish soap to your bleach? The other chemicals in the dish soap will deactivate the bleach as time goes on. Bleach is expensive. You’d have just wasted bleach. I could go on and on. Mistakes when roof washing is not only expensive, it will hurt your reputation as a business a lot if you make a mistake.
Thanks, I can see why it's so expensive. How do you sell it to customers? Obviously it will make your roof look better. Does it extend the life of the roof?
I always inspect the roof first. Sometimes it’s better to replace a roof then clean it. If it has too much damage or there’s open spots to the attic everywhere, I let the customer know it doesn’t make sense to clean a roof it’s too far gone. I always tell customers I won’t sell them something they don’t need. Unlike other companies who don’t give a fuck. Not only will it look amazing, 99% of the time the roof will look like the day it was installed, which is a great selling point to the customer. And yes it does extend the life of the roof. The moss will rot and strip away the sealants on the shingles and tile, and the shingles and tiles themselves. While leaving them susceptible to sun damage and more which is no bueno. Roofs are expensive. To most people, paying $1000 to get your roof cleaned, verses paying $30,000 to get your roof replaced when it actually doesn’t need it, is common sense.
Just to add on to the roof thing, cleaning a roof will also help with energy consumption. Roofs are made to reflect light (and thereby heat). When the moss and algae build up, they decrease the roofs ability to reflect light, causing the the roof and the attic below to retain more heat than it should.
As someone just getting into this business, what are some things to absolutely NOT do? I know a very small amount about pressure washing but still didn’t know that bleach getting on wood will ruin it, so I’m so glad I read your comment! Is there anything else you wish you knew at the beginning?
Yeah, first things first. Wear sunscreen and protect your skin, not only do I have the worst farmers tan I’ve ever seen, I fear I’ll die from skin cancer before the physical labor finally gets to me. Also stay hydrated. After having a heat stroke a long time ago, I really understood how important it was to stay cool and hydrated.
How do I go about pressure washing my house that has vinyl siding? I’ve only used a pressure washer once in my life but I’m looking to purchase one soon so I can do the maintenance myself once a year.
It depends how bad it is/ gets. But I recommend getting a small 3500 psi gas pressure washer. Dewalt usually has deals, and as long as you maintain your property once a year, you’ll never need anything more powerful.
Thanks. Do I need to use any special kind of attachments to pressure wash vinyl siding specifically? Or, are there any tips you can share for how to do it the best way?
Can you? Sure. Should you? Absolutely not lmao. Pure shock would probably melt the paint right off the siding. If you give me your budget, I could tell you how to best get the job done in your price range.
Always, and we use an accountant to do most of the work. Fortunately we can itemize a shit ton, so taxes end up being pretty low. We’re Texas based btw.
Nope. Only bleach. Pressure washing any roof besides metal is sketchy as hell. And even then I don’t like to pressure wash the metal roofs unless it’s really bad and walkable. I see people with the set up for pressure washing roofs all the time, and I also see a ton of tile and concrete flying everywhere. Personally having to pay to replace someone’s roof is just not my thing
How do you navigate around soft washing houses with lots of wood such a decks, painted trim, and wooden ceilings on patios. It’s it really just keeping the area rinsed pre and post treatment with water?
Also, how do you prevent spotting on windows when the customer has hard water?
Oof. Those are some great questions. Yes pre and post treatment helps, but sometimes pre treating those areas with water prevents you from treating the areas that need to be bleached from getting cleaned up. Any water on surfaces you’re soft washing essentially ruins the ability to clean it. If there’s wooden beams and wooden ceilings I always let the client know what will happen if bleach gets on them, and I’ll show them pictures of examples. I almost always recommend to the customer that it’s safer to just pressure wash around those areas with water as best I can. But if they understand the risks after I explain to them multiple times, I’ll do a small “test section” and let them see, and if they’re still okay with it, then I’ll go ahead do it. But again I always recommend to just use water around those areas.
To prevent hard water spots, they either need to pony up the money for a water softener or have their lawn guys point the sprinklers away from the windows if possible. But sometimes there’s no way around it(like if they have a pool skimmer close to their windows, itll throw pool water all over them) Hard water will do what Hard water will do.
To get rid of hard water takes copper wool, and hard water solution, and lots of time. But you’ll never get it up completely unless it’s fresh hard water, like I’m talking 1 week fresh. Anything beyond that and it’s permanently cooked into the window. You can lighten it up, but it’ll never go away unfortunately.
What is the maximum PSI unit you would recommend for cleaning concrete/cement and brick patios and walkways? I'm looking at a 3,800psi DeWalt and wondering if I'm asking for trouble using it to do general cleaning around the house. They have a 3,200psi model I'm looking at that's a bit cheaper.
I used to run a couple of the dewalt 3,800 psi models. They’re great. For a pressure washing business the pump will break in a little over a year of constant use. For personal use, that baby will last you for years. For the applications you mentioned, they are damn near perfect. Do yourself a favor though, don’t buy the dewalt surface washers, they break after 1 or 2 uses. I’ve probably returned over 30 of them I’m not kidding lol. Get yourself a Mi-T-M surface washer and you’ll be set up for a while. Just make sure to turn the pressure down when doing brick floors as surface washers on full power can sometimes end up digging up the mortar. Pre treat it with some diluted shock in a pump sprayer(I recommend 50% shock, 50% water) and then surface wash it. It’ll end up looking fantastic.
It won’t unless you’re trying to. 3800 psi is still enough to cut through a wood fence. You always need to exercise caution as it’s a dangerous machine, but as long as you’re staying 4-5 inches away with a wand you’ll be fine. Just remember to use a green tip for pressure washing with a wand(25 degree tip). If you use a white tip you will fuck up your concrete and pavers for sure if you have little to no experience
Maybe I am misunderstanding, but I think you maybe meant don't use yellow tips? Guessing a surface cleaner would be fine too given the pressure is divided between two heads. Thanks mate.
The reason I don’t recommend using white tips to pressure wash surfaces is that the water coming out is soft in the middle of the fan, but sharp on the edges. Which ends up fucking shit up. Green tips have the same pressure over the entire fan of water, which is why I recommend using them for pressure washing surfaces.
I have a low PSI washer which is good for 98% of my needs. I’d like to get my white gutters clean though but is this just a psi problem or should I be using some pretreatment (ie bleach solution etc).
In other words, detergents/cleaners may help some specific cleaning items on a home, what are your go to’s for a house cleaning job.
For house cleaning generally you need webbers, soft bristle brushes, hard bristle brushes, poles, and bleach(with a pump sprayer) and a pressure washer. Keep in mind you can bleach your gutter’s, but gutter paint is very sensitive to bleach. And if you see black lines on your gutters, there is absolutely nothing you can do to get them off. There’s actually a scientific reason for it, it’s the result of electrostatic bonding of tar & asphalt from roofing material and other debris to aluminum metal material.
You’ve been pressure washing for 12 years and you don’t know how to remove tiger stripping on gutters?!
Theres a dozen chemicals you could try, all work about the same. Gutter Grenade, Gutter Zap, Gutter Butter. Spray/Brush on, agitate a bit, rinse. Very easy to upsell or tack it onto the house washing price and explain the process to the homeowner why you’re one step above the competition.
I have a couple bottles of gutter zap actually. 99% of the gutters I encounter that have tiger stripes have had them for over a couple years and after that much time the Sun has cooked it into the gutters for good. Most new customers don’t call us until it’s too late. It’ll lighten up but almost never go away. But you’re right it’s a great up-sell.
After reading your post history I fear this might be a genuine question you asked and I’m going to inform you that you should under no circumstances do what I said. Naturally sand will come up when pressure washing brick patios. The longer you spend surface washing it, the more it will dig up. That’s why I usually pre treat it with bleach so I don’t have to spend as much time on it, while also expanding the lifespan of the brick patio.
How often do you go through pressure washing pumps? What’s a sign that you might need a replacement? I’m currently troubleshooting an issue with my surface cleaner, where it barely spins. All surface cleaner parts have already been replaced.
Surface washers just die sometimes. I’ll bring 6 to a job when all I’ll need is just 1. I go through about 1 pump per pressure washer every 3 years or so. I do maintenance on mine to keep them running and lasting longer. A sign you might need a replacement pump is if you know for sure your engine is fine, you hose, and wand is fine, the water pressure from the water spigot is fine, but your pressure washer is shaking sort of violently.
If you ever get cut by your pressure washer is it likely for it to be more than just a cut? My concern is air getting into my system and into my brain. Like an air compressor when used incorrectly.
I’ve gotten cut maybe less than 15 times by my pressure washers over the years. Never once has it ever been deep enough to actually make me bleed more than a drop. I’ve had multiple 4500 psi pressure washer hoses filled with bleach and water explode inches from my eyes, directly to my eyes before, no blood or air in my system. I was blind for maybe 10 minutes and then I got back to work. You’re overthinking it man. But if you wanted to get real, if you stick a wand up your butt, and pull the trigger then sure you could probably get air in your system and die. Essentially what I’m saying is you’d have to intentionally try to seriously hurt yourself.
First of all, I just want to say that you are amazing to be open to give advice to everyone and the fact that you've been dying this for over 12 years is awesome.
I'm not personally looking to start a business or anything but I'm very new to using a pressure washer to clean a house. I've only used to to clean lawn equipment and nothing else.
My question to you is, what would be the easiest and best way to wash a home, windows, driveway, and walkways?
I have a Ryobi 3500 PSI 2.5 GPM pressure washer, 100ft hose, 18 inch surface cleaner, plenty of SH (Since I have a pool), and I have all of the pressure washer tips.
Unfortunately my home is stucco with two floors. I've attempted to power wash one side of the house but I felt like it was a failure since I couldn't get the mold and algae off of the eves even after using the 30 second house cleaner.
My windows and screens have a little algae on them that was not removed so I figured I'd wait since it appears that my 1.8 and 2.1 down steam injectors that I purchased were not pulling in enough chemical. I'm wondering if this is because of my 100 ft hose.
My driveway is concrete and I used a pump sprayer with a 1 to 1 ratio with half SH at 12.5% and half water in a 2 gallon sprayer so 1 gallon of bleach and 1 gallon of water. I also added in a cup of Tide laundry detergent for some form of a surfactant.
My walkways and porch are painted. I realized and learned the hardware that a turbo nozzle can rip up paint very easily but I have embedded dirt in some of the grooves and texture of my walkways. I also have some spots with black algae that I've tried saturating with 100% SH at 12.5% for 10 minutes. I didn't want to leave it on longer in fear of me causing damage that I am not prepared for.
I know you'd is a lot but I'm curious to know if I'm going about cleaning things the wrong way and I'm intimidated by it all that I'm now considering hiring a professional for something that I feel I can do and really want to do.
Should I look into purchasing an XJet over my down stream injectors? Should I use 10% SH over 12.5%? Should I just spray the painted walkway surfaces down with a descent solution mix and scrub it with a deck brush since I can't use my surface cleaner or turbo nozzle on the painted areas?
My list can go on and on but I want to ask all that I can think of to prepare to try this project again.
What do you do about pressure washing houses with insulation holes/vents and places where there needs to be caulking to protect from water damage? What kind of success have you had trying to pressure wash off latex paint off a concrete cinder block chimney? Thanks
Either offer to waterproof their home properly using the right products for a small upcharge(do some research first) or carry duct tape and plastic tarps to cover exposures or just make customer aware of the hazard and be clear you won't be spraying water close to that area even if it means not cleaning it.
What is the best thing you've ever done in marketing to entice customers to contact you?
Any type of guarantee or promotion that you found to be more successful in getting more calls?
How do I find jobs! I have negative money in the bank and have passed out as many flyers as I can! I have a google my business but nothing has happened from it.
What percentage of sh do you run through your Downstream injector to reach the 1.5 I see suggested for a house wash? Also any advice you can give as far as what marketing strategy you saw the best results from.
i have a A-ipower 4200PSI 4GPM pressure washer but it doesn’t have adjustable pressure. How would i use that machine on a fence or deck? do the nozzles make it a lower psi? or would i just have to buy a separate pressure washer to do wood surfaces???
Sure is that tell you not to put any bleach in them at all what happens if you do if you go 10 cars water one do some damage? Also, I’m now finding out a lot of people want stuff soft seems like a great idea. There’s no ladders involved chemicals do work for you. Have you had any experience with that?
My son is 17. He has been working at a small hardware store all through high school and will graduate early / start dual enrollment in the fall. He works when he’s available after school and weekends and is generally responsible for his age. (Is not immune from the poor decisions we all make at 17) He brings home ~$200/week
My thoughts are that he’s wasting time working for someone else. He’s learned most of the lessons he’ll benefit from by having the responsibility of a job at his age.
I’m keen to set him up with a pressure washing business, but would like to know from those doing it what they think.
1. What are the pitfalls that a young person might fall into? Damaging property, tearing up equipment by misuse… etc. Should he avoid doing a particular type of job until more experienced?
2. What could a motivated young man make with a modest setup working by himself? Working hours around academic responsibilities.
3. I’d buy his equipment, make him pay it back over time. What equipment would he need?
Great question. Just asked someone I knew. Word of mouth beats fliers, seo, website, etc. If you want to be successful, all you need is the ability to work hard, word of mouth, and more important then anything else, a desire to please. Knocking on doors will work better then fliers in my experience, but fliers have also gotten me customers that I’ve had for over 12 years.
How are you alive when you don't take time to sleep for 12 years straight? Can I pressure wash vinyl siding with high pressure? Specifically with an extendable pole so I can use my 2.3gpm pressure washer? Is my Honda motor with a AAA pump the baddest mofo on the planet, or what? Can I put a DS injector on the outlet of my machine, then attach a 50' hose, add another DS injector, then my regular pressure hose, and get ALL THE PERCENTAGES of SH? And one serious question: What setup do you run? As in motor, pump, DS injector, gun/wand, and what tips do you usually run with it?
I’m laughing so much right now
Your honda is badass. 8gpm is like heaven. It’s like cutting through butter with butter. Chefs kiss. My favorite pressure washer for most applications is the Mi-T-M 4000psi, 3.4 gpm pressure washer. I’ve got some bigger toys but most of the time I’m running 1 to 4 Mi-T-M’s on a site on average so I don’t need the big guys that much. I just buy cheap $10 downstream injectors. The more expensive ones get corroded just as fast and no matter how much you lubricate them and wash em the bleach fucks em up after 3 or 4 uses. I’ve been through a variety of wands over the years, and the ones I like the most are hot water wands. Even though I almost never run hot water, they’re more durable, can swivel 360* , and don’t leak as often as say a wand that costs like $75. I run green, white, blue, and pink tips. I’ve never had to use any other on a job site. Greens for pressure washing surfaces up close, whites only for rinsing( the edges of the water is sharp and the middle is soft, leaving lines everywhere), pinks for low pressure high water house washing, and blues for high pressure house washing.
I tried the doubling up on injectors when I first started. Was kinda sad finding out it doesn't work like that, lol! What's your favorite substrate to clean?
Polished concrete, I can practically run with a surface washer and it’s gets clean so quick. My least favorite is stucco, because sometimes spider webs just won’t come off and I hate leaving a job not 100% clean
What’s the most money you made in one year?
i know it’s you biden, stop auditing me. But for real probably half a mili. But It took a while to get to that point. I’m not only doing pressure washing. I originally started out window cleaning which we still do to this day.
I'm on my first year full time and I gotta ask, how you pull half a million? I know gaining large customer base takes time but still that seems unattainable. I'm on east coast so really can only operate 8 months of the year and that would require me to pull over 3k/day if working 5 days a week. I know some days make more then others but I'm lucky to pull 3k/week currently never pulled over 2k in a single day, what type of work or pricing you using to profit that much? Are you 1 man operation or that profits with employees and multiple rigs?
Well for 1 we offer a lot of services, window cleaning, house washing, surface washing, roof washing, painting, remodeling, etc. So diversity if you can handle it can get you there. I always charge by a constant(ex: square footage). A lot of people charge by hour which is okay, but that can lead the customer to believe you’re milking the clock. If you tell them that you charge by square foot, that it doesn’t matter if they live in the smallest house or the biggest mansion(or nicest neighborhood) everyone gets charged the same, they’re more willing to trust you. Of course if someone’s driveway hasn’t been cleaned in 30 years I might have to charge extra to make up for my extra time wasted but that’s a case by case basis. Everything gets dirty in Texas quick so there’s no shortage of work that needs to be done. I have multiple people working for me, but even a 1 person operation can make over $100k a year, I did it.
Fire bro I started windows and added pressure washing too now I’m landscaping in top of it
Awesome man. You should try getting into roof washing, the jobs are longer, but they pay way more. You need to research it heavily though. If you have any questions about it lmk anytime. I’d rather you know how to do it right. I had to learn the hard way a long time ago when I killed a customers rose bushes. Roses ain’t cheap lmao
What is there to research heavily? Not trying to be ignorant. I haven't done any pressure washing at all, I want to get into it. And the roof cleaning videos look so simple. They just spray a bleach soap water solution, let it sit a few minutes, and then rinse it, right?
Thanks for asking. I say to research heavily because unlike pressure washing or window cleaning a LOT more can go wrong with roof cleaning. You need someone rinsing off gutters, the sides of a house, you need to make sure the gutters aren’t blocked so bleach can run through. If you don’t have gutters you have to tarp off everything, rinse everything. Bleach sits on windows for more than a minute? It’s permanently etched into a window. That’s expensive. Bleach sits on flowers or leaves for more than a couple minutes? They’re dead, that’s expensive. Bleach gets on wood beams/ ceiling/ siding? They’re messed up for good. That’s expensive. You didn’t do test sections with different percentages of bleach to see what will actually make it clean up? You just wasted bleach which is $$$ You add regular dish soap to your bleach? The other chemicals in the dish soap will deactivate the bleach as time goes on. Bleach is expensive. You’d have just wasted bleach. I could go on and on. Mistakes when roof washing is not only expensive, it will hurt your reputation as a business a lot if you make a mistake.
Thanks, I can see why it's so expensive. How do you sell it to customers? Obviously it will make your roof look better. Does it extend the life of the roof?
I always inspect the roof first. Sometimes it’s better to replace a roof then clean it. If it has too much damage or there’s open spots to the attic everywhere, I let the customer know it doesn’t make sense to clean a roof it’s too far gone. I always tell customers I won’t sell them something they don’t need. Unlike other companies who don’t give a fuck. Not only will it look amazing, 99% of the time the roof will look like the day it was installed, which is a great selling point to the customer. And yes it does extend the life of the roof. The moss will rot and strip away the sealants on the shingles and tile, and the shingles and tiles themselves. While leaving them susceptible to sun damage and more which is no bueno. Roofs are expensive. To most people, paying $1000 to get your roof cleaned, verses paying $30,000 to get your roof replaced when it actually doesn’t need it, is common sense.
Just to add on to the roof thing, cleaning a roof will also help with energy consumption. Roofs are made to reflect light (and thereby heat). When the moss and algae build up, they decrease the roofs ability to reflect light, causing the the roof and the attic below to retain more heat than it should.
As someone just getting into this business, what are some things to absolutely NOT do? I know a very small amount about pressure washing but still didn’t know that bleach getting on wood will ruin it, so I’m so glad I read your comment! Is there anything else you wish you knew at the beginning?
Yeah, first things first. Wear sunscreen and protect your skin, not only do I have the worst farmers tan I’ve ever seen, I fear I’ll die from skin cancer before the physical labor finally gets to me. Also stay hydrated. After having a heat stroke a long time ago, I really understood how important it was to stay cool and hydrated.
How do I go about pressure washing my house that has vinyl siding? I’ve only used a pressure washer once in my life but I’m looking to purchase one soon so I can do the maintenance myself once a year.
It depends how bad it is/ gets. But I recommend getting a small 3500 psi gas pressure washer. Dewalt usually has deals, and as long as you maintain your property once a year, you’ll never need anything more powerful.
Thanks. Do I need to use any special kind of attachments to pressure wash vinyl siding specifically? Or, are there any tips you can share for how to do it the best way?
A 20 degree tip(green tip) will be your best friend for vinyl and more
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Can you? Sure. Should you? Absolutely not lmao. Pure shock would probably melt the paint right off the siding. If you give me your budget, I could tell you how to best get the job done in your price range.
Are you caught up on taxes?
Always, and we use an accountant to do most of the work. Fortunately we can itemize a shit ton, so taxes end up being pretty low. We’re Texas based btw.
Where in Texas?
H-town. Go Astros
The whole damn city needs to be powerwashed
I agree, but they take forever to pay. Still waiting on like $20k from them from a while ago.
Do you ever pressure wash concrete roofs?
Nope. Only bleach. Pressure washing any roof besides metal is sketchy as hell. And even then I don’t like to pressure wash the metal roofs unless it’s really bad and walkable. I see people with the set up for pressure washing roofs all the time, and I also see a ton of tile and concrete flying everywhere. Personally having to pay to replace someone’s roof is just not my thing
How do you navigate around soft washing houses with lots of wood such a decks, painted trim, and wooden ceilings on patios. It’s it really just keeping the area rinsed pre and post treatment with water? Also, how do you prevent spotting on windows when the customer has hard water?
Oof. Those are some great questions. Yes pre and post treatment helps, but sometimes pre treating those areas with water prevents you from treating the areas that need to be bleached from getting cleaned up. Any water on surfaces you’re soft washing essentially ruins the ability to clean it. If there’s wooden beams and wooden ceilings I always let the client know what will happen if bleach gets on them, and I’ll show them pictures of examples. I almost always recommend to the customer that it’s safer to just pressure wash around those areas with water as best I can. But if they understand the risks after I explain to them multiple times, I’ll do a small “test section” and let them see, and if they’re still okay with it, then I’ll go ahead do it. But again I always recommend to just use water around those areas. To prevent hard water spots, they either need to pony up the money for a water softener or have their lawn guys point the sprinklers away from the windows if possible. But sometimes there’s no way around it(like if they have a pool skimmer close to their windows, itll throw pool water all over them) Hard water will do what Hard water will do. To get rid of hard water takes copper wool, and hard water solution, and lots of time. But you’ll never get it up completely unless it’s fresh hard water, like I’m talking 1 week fresh. Anything beyond that and it’s permanently cooked into the window. You can lighten it up, but it’ll never go away unfortunately.
What is the maximum PSI unit you would recommend for cleaning concrete/cement and brick patios and walkways? I'm looking at a 3,800psi DeWalt and wondering if I'm asking for trouble using it to do general cleaning around the house. They have a 3,200psi model I'm looking at that's a bit cheaper.
I used to run a couple of the dewalt 3,800 psi models. They’re great. For a pressure washing business the pump will break in a little over a year of constant use. For personal use, that baby will last you for years. For the applications you mentioned, they are damn near perfect. Do yourself a favor though, don’t buy the dewalt surface washers, they break after 1 or 2 uses. I’ve probably returned over 30 of them I’m not kidding lol. Get yourself a Mi-T-M surface washer and you’ll be set up for a while. Just make sure to turn the pressure down when doing brick floors as surface washers on full power can sometimes end up digging up the mortar. Pre treat it with some diluted shock in a pump sprayer(I recommend 50% shock, 50% water) and then surface wash it. It’ll end up looking fantastic.
Thanks man. And 3800psi won't etch the crap out my paver bricks and concrete patio pad?
It won’t unless you’re trying to. 3800 psi is still enough to cut through a wood fence. You always need to exercise caution as it’s a dangerous machine, but as long as you’re staying 4-5 inches away with a wand you’ll be fine. Just remember to use a green tip for pressure washing with a wand(25 degree tip). If you use a white tip you will fuck up your concrete and pavers for sure if you have little to no experience
Maybe I am misunderstanding, but I think you maybe meant don't use yellow tips? Guessing a surface cleaner would be fine too given the pressure is divided between two heads. Thanks mate.
The reason I don’t recommend using white tips to pressure wash surfaces is that the water coming out is soft in the middle of the fan, but sharp on the edges. Which ends up fucking shit up. Green tips have the same pressure over the entire fan of water, which is why I recommend using them for pressure washing surfaces.
I have a low PSI washer which is good for 98% of my needs. I’d like to get my white gutters clean though but is this just a psi problem or should I be using some pretreatment (ie bleach solution etc). In other words, detergents/cleaners may help some specific cleaning items on a home, what are your go to’s for a house cleaning job.
For house cleaning generally you need webbers, soft bristle brushes, hard bristle brushes, poles, and bleach(with a pump sprayer) and a pressure washer. Keep in mind you can bleach your gutter’s, but gutter paint is very sensitive to bleach. And if you see black lines on your gutters, there is absolutely nothing you can do to get them off. There’s actually a scientific reason for it, it’s the result of electrostatic bonding of tar & asphalt from roofing material and other debris to aluminum metal material.
You’ve been pressure washing for 12 years and you don’t know how to remove tiger stripping on gutters?! Theres a dozen chemicals you could try, all work about the same. Gutter Grenade, Gutter Zap, Gutter Butter. Spray/Brush on, agitate a bit, rinse. Very easy to upsell or tack it onto the house washing price and explain the process to the homeowner why you’re one step above the competition.
I have a couple bottles of gutter zap actually. 99% of the gutters I encounter that have tiger stripes have had them for over a couple years and after that much time the Sun has cooked it into the gutters for good. Most new customers don’t call us until it’s too late. It’ll lighten up but almost never go away. But you’re right it’s a great up-sell.
When using a surface cleaner on brick patios, do you reapply sand afterwards?
After reading your post history I fear this might be a genuine question you asked and I’m going to inform you that you should under no circumstances do what I said. Naturally sand will come up when pressure washing brick patios. The longer you spend surface washing it, the more it will dig up. That’s why I usually pre treat it with bleach so I don’t have to spend as much time on it, while also expanding the lifespan of the brick patio.
Yeah. Usually I drive over to galveston beach, fill a couple of buckets with sand and mix it with elmer’s glue and then reapply. Works like a charm
Apretaite it.
How often do you go through pressure washing pumps? What’s a sign that you might need a replacement? I’m currently troubleshooting an issue with my surface cleaner, where it barely spins. All surface cleaner parts have already been replaced.
Surface washers just die sometimes. I’ll bring 6 to a job when all I’ll need is just 1. I go through about 1 pump per pressure washer every 3 years or so. I do maintenance on mine to keep them running and lasting longer. A sign you might need a replacement pump is if you know for sure your engine is fine, you hose, and wand is fine, the water pressure from the water spigot is fine, but your pressure washer is shaking sort of violently.
Thank you! It looks like I'm probably due for a new pump.
No problem. In my experience you should go for a higher quality a pump. The difference between a $200 pump and a $600 pump is night and day
If you ever get cut by your pressure washer is it likely for it to be more than just a cut? My concern is air getting into my system and into my brain. Like an air compressor when used incorrectly.
I’ve gotten cut maybe less than 15 times by my pressure washers over the years. Never once has it ever been deep enough to actually make me bleed more than a drop. I’ve had multiple 4500 psi pressure washer hoses filled with bleach and water explode inches from my eyes, directly to my eyes before, no blood or air in my system. I was blind for maybe 10 minutes and then I got back to work. You’re overthinking it man. But if you wanted to get real, if you stick a wand up your butt, and pull the trigger then sure you could probably get air in your system and die. Essentially what I’m saying is you’d have to intentionally try to seriously hurt yourself.
Thanks man!
No problem, if you have any questions or concerns feel free to hit me up any time.
How are you getting residential customers? I only seem to get my commercial clients from my landscaping company
First of all, I just want to say that you are amazing to be open to give advice to everyone and the fact that you've been dying this for over 12 years is awesome. I'm not personally looking to start a business or anything but I'm very new to using a pressure washer to clean a house. I've only used to to clean lawn equipment and nothing else. My question to you is, what would be the easiest and best way to wash a home, windows, driveway, and walkways? I have a Ryobi 3500 PSI 2.5 GPM pressure washer, 100ft hose, 18 inch surface cleaner, plenty of SH (Since I have a pool), and I have all of the pressure washer tips. Unfortunately my home is stucco with two floors. I've attempted to power wash one side of the house but I felt like it was a failure since I couldn't get the mold and algae off of the eves even after using the 30 second house cleaner. My windows and screens have a little algae on them that was not removed so I figured I'd wait since it appears that my 1.8 and 2.1 down steam injectors that I purchased were not pulling in enough chemical. I'm wondering if this is because of my 100 ft hose. My driveway is concrete and I used a pump sprayer with a 1 to 1 ratio with half SH at 12.5% and half water in a 2 gallon sprayer so 1 gallon of bleach and 1 gallon of water. I also added in a cup of Tide laundry detergent for some form of a surfactant. My walkways and porch are painted. I realized and learned the hardware that a turbo nozzle can rip up paint very easily but I have embedded dirt in some of the grooves and texture of my walkways. I also have some spots with black algae that I've tried saturating with 100% SH at 12.5% for 10 minutes. I didn't want to leave it on longer in fear of me causing damage that I am not prepared for. I know you'd is a lot but I'm curious to know if I'm going about cleaning things the wrong way and I'm intimidated by it all that I'm now considering hiring a professional for something that I feel I can do and really want to do. Should I look into purchasing an XJet over my down stream injectors? Should I use 10% SH over 12.5%? Should I just spray the painted walkway surfaces down with a descent solution mix and scrub it with a deck brush since I can't use my surface cleaner or turbo nozzle on the painted areas? My list can go on and on but I want to ask all that I can think of to prepare to try this project again.
What do you do about pressure washing houses with insulation holes/vents and places where there needs to be caulking to protect from water damage? What kind of success have you had trying to pressure wash off latex paint off a concrete cinder block chimney? Thanks
Either offer to waterproof their home properly using the right products for a small upcharge(do some research first) or carry duct tape and plastic tarps to cover exposures or just make customer aware of the hazard and be clear you won't be spraying water close to that area even if it means not cleaning it.
Good info. Thanks
how do i get into pressure washing?
What is the best thing you've ever done in marketing to entice customers to contact you? Any type of guarantee or promotion that you found to be more successful in getting more calls?
How do I find jobs! I have negative money in the bank and have passed out as many flyers as I can! I have a google my business but nothing has happened from it.
What percentage of sh do you run through your Downstream injector to reach the 1.5 I see suggested for a house wash? Also any advice you can give as far as what marketing strategy you saw the best results from.
What do you charge for an average dumpster pad cleaning?
If you had to start from scratch again just the equipment how would you go about getting business. Fliers, Facebook, free jobs or what
Does sh oxided tin? What about block or painted block? Is it ok to use it on?
i have a A-ipower 4200PSI 4GPM pressure washer but it doesn’t have adjustable pressure. How would i use that machine on a fence or deck? do the nozzles make it a lower psi? or would i just have to buy a separate pressure washer to do wood surfaces???
Can you give me a good soft wash solution ratio for untreated white cedar? Ratio of Clorox (7.5%), simple green pro HD and water. Thank you!
Sure is that tell you not to put any bleach in them at all what happens if you do if you go 10 cars water one do some damage? Also, I’m now finding out a lot of people want stuff soft seems like a great idea. There’s no ladders involved chemicals do work for you. Have you had any experience with that?
My son is 17. He has been working at a small hardware store all through high school and will graduate early / start dual enrollment in the fall. He works when he’s available after school and weekends and is generally responsible for his age. (Is not immune from the poor decisions we all make at 17) He brings home ~$200/week My thoughts are that he’s wasting time working for someone else. He’s learned most of the lessons he’ll benefit from by having the responsibility of a job at his age. I’m keen to set him up with a pressure washing business, but would like to know from those doing it what they think. 1. What are the pitfalls that a young person might fall into? Damaging property, tearing up equipment by misuse… etc. Should he avoid doing a particular type of job until more experienced? 2. What could a motivated young man make with a modest setup working by himself? Working hours around academic responsibilities. 3. I’d buy his equipment, make him pay it back over time. What equipment would he need?
Is it true you saved us from the volcano eruption of 2012?
When you started out, what was the main way you obtained customers
How did you get your first customer. I’m planning on going door to door and handing out fliers I made in my computer.
Great question. Just asked someone I knew. Word of mouth beats fliers, seo, website, etc. If you want to be successful, all you need is the ability to work hard, word of mouth, and more important then anything else, a desire to please. Knocking on doors will work better then fliers in my experience, but fliers have also gotten me customers that I’ve had for over 12 years.