How much pressure washing experience did you have before starting your own business?
What’s the minimal amount of time you believe is necessary working in the field before you can strike out on your own?
Do you recommend any good courses or certifications before starting a pressure washing business?
What type of pressure washing or add on service is the most profitable for you? Residential, commercial, window cleaning, house cleaning, roof cleaning, fleet washing, dustless blasting, gutter cleaning, Christmas light hanging, lawn care, etc.
Hey, Adam. Welcome to the forum. Most of the answers you seek are already on this forum. Use the search function and you’ll learn an immense amount of useful information. Necessary experience is subjective and you’ll likely get broad and vastly different answers on that one. Good luck.
If the search bar is acting up, just start at the top and read down. Some of the threads are better than others. If you come across something that you’ve never heard of, search for it. Read all the threads about that topic. If you google a topic, chances are theres a thread for it on this forum and it will show up. Search. Read. Repeat. And dont buy anything yet because you dont know what you really need to be successful. I know I didn’t. So now I’m stuck with some BS equipment i should have never bought. Good luck
I started slow last year, asked a ton of questions first then tentatively did my first house wash after about a month of reading up and collecting equipment.
Welcome! I did a lot of reading here and watched a lot of YouTube videos. Some are worthless and some are very good. Learn what chemicals work for different situations and surfaces, dilutions, surfactants, technique, pricing and equipment. Learn about downstreaming. I washed my own house and surfaces cleaned and also my dad’s and sister’s house. You’ll start getting used to your equipment and build confidence. You’ll learn a lot more as you work. Have insurance! I added roof washing (12v system) and paver sealing. All depends where you’re at. I’m in FL. Good luck!
Have insurance - to do this, you will need to have an LLC in most areas. Be legit - 1 bad instance with no insurance would potentially bankrupt you.
As mentioned do a lot of reading. Most folks start with easy flatwork such as residential driveways, porches, patios, etc. Simple single story house wash.
Courses / Certifications - do your research. Some good some not so much. The reality of these courses is that they provide the same information you can find on this board. One advantage is the hands-on experience they can provide verses just reading. Maybe find another company locally or just outside your market to work for to get some experience. Tons of Youtube videos. Watch as many of possible. Some are hacks and some are great. The more you watch and read on this forum, the more you will see the pros and the legit processes verses the hacks.
As far as services - some of this will depend on your equipment, knowledge and experience. For example, it is 100% possible to do single story vinyl house wash with nothing more than a pump-up sprayer and a garden house. Is it possible - YES. Is is efficient? No. Can you do a two story house this way. Not advisable.
Commercial Work - most is flatwork (restaurants, gas stations, commercial sidewalks, etc) with some building washing. It is generally agreed that higher GPM is needed (5.5 GPM+) along with a hot water unit. Not in every case, as I started with a 4 gpm and did commercial, but it is very slow with a high reliance on expensive chemicals to make up for no heat. Will you make money - yes, just not as much per hour. My first commerical job, was 20,000 sq ft of parking lot with a 4 GPM machine. Took me 16 hours to get done. I do the same job today with an 8 gpm hot water unit in about 6 hours.
Practice on your own home first. Then friends and family homes. Err on the side of caution until you are comfortable with the chem usage and process. Like anything, you will be very slow at first, but over time if you continue to will gain speed.
Watch videos on youtube, use this forum and read all you can. If you can’t or won’t put in the hours to educate yourself, starting a business is probably not a good idea.
For me, house washes are the most profitable by far. I can make 500 € in about an hour this way.
House washing will most likely be your most profitable to start, since there is no heater needed, and a good workflow can be established rather quickly after just a few jobs.
A lot to good information from the guys here. Like some have said, familiarize yourself by cleaning friends and family’s homes before jumping on out there. I messed up early by bidding jobs that I wasn’t really able to handle just to generate some cash.
