I have a good full time job but am looking to start a pressure wash company. I plan on specializing in soft wash of residential and fleet equipment cleaning especially during the winter months for plow equipment (loaders, skid steers, trucks, etc.). Hopefully my business does well and over the next few years I can make it easily a full time job for myself. With that said, what equipment should I start with for outfitting a 14’ enclosed trailer. Also does anyone on here have experience with the New England winters up here? And what do you tend to do for work during the winters?
Hey, welcome. That’s a pretty broad question. A general answer is pressure washer, reels, wands, tanks, etc. People generally softwash either with a 12V, booster pump, or air. Do searches on those terms, and you should find specific discussions.
Thanks for the quick response and the link. I know this is another very vague question, but what is the income that one would expect off of running a one man crew? Trying to put together a spreadsheet with expectations for the first year. This will most likely be kicking off spring on 2018.
5 million dollars. Every one who starts a PW biz makes tons of money it is all profit. … Every piece of equipment you buy makes the money back in the very first job.
It appears no one washes in Conn or NH so you should be busy. Be prepared to make between nothing to as much as you can. Work ethic, karma, luck and whether or not you eat blackeye peas on new years will partially determine your income
I appreciate the sarcasm. I know it’s probably a very common to ask about income. Just thought I would see how you guys did your first year. I expect my first year will be a hard year pushing advertising and working hard to get customers.
I’m here in Eastern Masachusetts. We’re a small family biz; I’ve been cleaning since '09 but full-time since 2012, I hired my wife away from her office job a couple years ago, and now we have a couple seasonal helpers too.
We clean residential and commercial buildings. Winters for us are for travel and hockey and planning the next season. Our work season generally starts in mid-March and continues until the snow flies (or soon after).
Income varies widely by region, town, and neighborhood. What anyone makes elsewhere else can differ profoundly from what you can make where you are, so don’t place too much stock in answers about income potential.
In regards to that 14’ enclosed trailer, you can fill that with lots of useless junk if you’re not sure about what you need. You won’t really know what you need until you work for a bit and see what makes money in your area. Every area is different and what works for one might not work for another. Have you considered working for somebody else in your area first? You can’t beat getting paid to learn.
One major financial factor that we have up north is the need for enclosed storage of our rigs. The enclosed trailer may not keep your lines from freezing on cold spring and autumn nights, and definitely not in the winter, so be sure to consider the need for part-year heated storage of that rig.
Thanks for the reply. I have been doing a lot of research on the different rigs and the different types of soft wash and pressure wash jobs that can be performed. My desire for the 14’ encloses was because it would enlarge enough to fit a large holding tank, generator pressure washer and heated pressure washer. Also when looking at enclosed trailers, it was the smallest size that I could find that also came in a dual axel. If you don’t my me asking, what did you start with for a set up and what do you have now?
