How can i start a pressure washing business?

Hi my name is darwin im from florida. I would like to star a pressure washing business but dont know how to star. I have about $6000 to get started, i have a envoy gmc 2003 and i would like to get a pressure washer trailer for residential cleaning. My wife and i have a house cleaning company, we have about 80 customers and like 30 of them are snow birds. I spoke to some of my customers about the business i want to start and i got some jobs line up for the near future but dont know exackly what to do. Do i nedd a license or insurance. I honestly dont have any experience in pressure cleaning but i heard its a great business plus i already have the house cleaning business so i can easy get some customers. Please help thanks…

Ill help on the insurance and license part yes and yes. Not 100% sure for Florida but I’m sure they required some type of license mine cost $50 a year and insurance can run 500+ for the year depending on the amount of coverage. Ill let the others chime in on the best way to use that 6000. Just make sure you get atleast a 5.5 GPM machine.

Hi mr. Bret thanks for the info, were are you located?

join the PWRA first and then come to the convention in Nashville and learn a ton…

There are plenty of variations of pressure washers out there. Such as are you looking at doing just homes, business, or both. You said you do house cleaning so I’m guessing thats the work you’re looking to expand on, right? There are many ways to get started in this business, but 6,000 to start doing house washes is feasible, tough, but it can be done. Besides the insurance and license part what you need is to get a pressure washer. I personally like The Hydrotek. I think the least price one is at 3 grand. Trailers all depend on your preference, some like it open others like it enclosed. Trailers can be found relatively cheap. Some build their system while others pay to have someone else build it for them. Then there’s the EPA regulations as well as reclaim systems. The amount of stuff you could start with is endless.

Many of us have asked “How do I start?” and to be honest there is no direct answer to that question it all varies. You talk to people, you get their input, your research your own area, you STUDY STUDY STUDY. There are so many here and are many other forums even facebook that will gladly help with any questions you have, thats the great thing about these forums is that help is just a message away. I can’t tell you how much that has helped me understand this business, and I’m still learning.

Hope this helps you a little.

Get a used [COLOR=#ff0000]8 gpm[/COLOR] machine cold is fine if Res. is all you are going to do in Fl. New one is about 3000.00
surface cleaner
225 buffer tank two 50 gal. tanks
Water fed pole reach it and rent a Di tank to start
Fat boy chem pump from Bob at Pressure Tek
[COLOR=#ff0000]12foot dual axle trailer with brakes[/COLOR] Do not buy a single axle trailer
Ladder
Pwra membership
Be nice to the members on here and you will learn everything you need to know about doing res. work.

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thanks for the tip, i wanted to get the full equipment but had to use part of the money
for something else, i wanted a trailer that had
the recovery water system which it cost $17000
but cant do it. im thinking of getting a 4 by 8 single
axle open trailer with 13 hp 4000psi @ 4gpm honda pressure washer with a general pump
a 225 gallon poly tank that comes with it. x1 sm 12
summit hose reel, 200ft 3/8 in grey non- marking hise. 18 in general pump surface cleaner and gun, 5 tips ext wand, chemical injector, ballvalve.what you think? for $3895.00

Im in Louisiana. Seems as if you trying to start out cheap which is understandable but if your gonna go cheap go cheap. If your getting just a 4 gpm set up don’t even worry about tanks just hook that thing up to customers water hose. PSI really isn’t all that important so since your getting a smaller set up don’t get more than 3000 psi that way you can get the 69 dollar briggs and straton surface cleaner which does an excellent job and is durable. As far as hose reels get with Jason at KEC supplies and he can hook you up with some 200 foot metal hose reels for 80 dollars a piece. If your in florida you should be able to get 12.5% liquid chlorine pretty easy. Go to lowes and the 24 foot multipurpose ladder that folds up and telescopes into itself for 150. Get with Bill at powerwashstore.com or Bob at pressuretek.com for down stream injectors and the 4 down stream tips. Did you say you had a truck? If so just throw everything in the back and roll like that for awhile until you see that you really want to invest in the business.

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First move out of Florida. Fla. has more pressure washers per square foot than any other State in the union.

Then do what Lou said.

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Yea your right but the good thing for him is that he already has I think 80 cleaning customers so he should be able to get a lot of their work. I know for me it was easy to get roof/house washing work from my existing window cleaning customer base.

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I 2nd that one there everywhere here

Same adivce as Alex gave which is go to the PWRA Convention and soak up the info from the classes there and rub elbows(Network) with your fellow Powerwashers. You’ll come back with an “Unstopable” attitude;)

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if i were in your shoes, i would get:

a 5.5 gpm brand new cold unit
8-10 ft open trailer (weight depends on how big of a buffer tank u will run)
buffer tank- id say anything from 35-65 gal would do u fine
few hose reels with some hose- like 250ft(i like the “non marking” grey stuff myself)
Surface cleaner
Pump in a box system for roofs(seems like a must in florida)
water fed pole(start cheap, then use money from exterior window cleaning to upgrade)- then rent a di tank

then budget about 500-1k for the chems plus the odds and ends to get everything set up. youll want to plan out your storage on your trailer. utilize your space as much as possible.

imo, just starting out, 8gpm is overkill for this situation. buy a new, smaller unit, and upgrade if you need to.

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Join the PWRA in the members only sections i did a intro to powerwashing 101 and will cover what your looking for. It will be the best money spent for your new business as well as getting to the Nashville Convention. At the convention you will learn a ton just by talking to other washers

My first post to this was kind of a joke…but not really…Haha.

First do research. Don’t make a snap judgement on starting a pressure washing business. Ask yourself…“Why Do You Want To Start A Pressure Washing Business”.

While equipment is an important part of the business…it’s not the most important part.

Point is “Educate” Yourself First.

Be prepared…Have A Plan…Educate Yourself.

Good Luck!

Your going to spend all of your money on equipment and not have any left for marketing witch imo is just as important if not more. Once you get done washing the few houses that belong to your existing customers then it doesn’t matter how nice your equipment is if you don’t have any jobs to use it. Save a little more money while you do research so you can have a professional business and not be a hack job. Then by the equipment you need plus a website, business cards, door hangers, and some yard signs. If you are not going to take the time to research and do it the right way then you would probably be better off investing that money into your current business instead of wasting it onone you know nothing about. I assume you heard you can make money doing this but the ones who really do have professional businesses and they spent many years getting to where they are now. Good luck.

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I’m looking for at least a 3000 psi with 4-5 Tom machine and boy is it difficult. Any suggestions?

Yes, first try looking in a thread not from 2013 :wink:

Okay but seriously though. Do you want to know the truth about those prebuilt pressure washing machines? They are extremely easy to kit and put together. Don’t spend it on the prebuilt if you’re just working alone. Those are more useful for the fleet washing commercial guys who may have upwards of 10 machines for 20+ employees, where maintaining them all would take a ludicrous amount of time.

If you are on a budget, just get a Predator 420cc engine from Harbor Freight tools if there is a store located near your area. If not then I would suggest looking into purchasing a used HONDA GX 390 engine. Don’t start with anything less as a minimum, I promise you will regret it quickly. Then purchase a 4gpm pump from a reputable dealer, or Amazon. I would recommend spending more on a CAT or higher grade pump if you plan to do this. Then use a 2x6 pressure treated piece of wood for a skid and mount it to your trailer. The pump literally just slides onto the shaft (lol) and you screw in 4 bolts. That’s it.

The above may be the worst advice given this week, if not this month. It’s this awesomewash1 again?

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