Hey everyone! I’m thinking about getting into pressure washing and wanted to hear from people who have been doing it for a while. If you could go back to when you first started, what’s one thing you’d do differently or wish someone had told you? It could be about choosing equipment, pricing jobs, working with customers, or avoiding common mistakes. I’m trying to learn as much as I can before getting started, and I feel like real advice from experienced people is much more helpful than anything I can find in videos or articles. I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts. Thanks!
It’s ok, and sometimes cheaper in the long run to say “no”
Preemptive maintenance is annoying but really necessary.
Trailer/equipment layout is super important. Think long and hard about it.
Stainless steel EVERYTHING. except bolts AND nuts because that can cause cold weld or galling and that’s annoying as heck. Make sure to lube up your bolts with wax or something if you’re going to try this.
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I wish someone would have told you that it is unlikely that seasoned veterans or even learning beginners are unlikely to share their hard-earned truths with someone who is “thinking about getting into pressure washing” without some kind of introduction; for instance: Where and why are you “thinking” about getting in this industry, etc. Do you have any equipment? It’s just a lot easier to help out when we have an idea of where you are at in your journey.
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My buddy is a lineman and they had the same issue on their work stuff. How they fixed it was to throw a little grease on the threads. I know you said wax, but a thick moly might work better in the heat. Supposed to bond with the metal or something, I don’t know I’m no grease monkey. I use stainless on the trailer because the galvanized rusts pretty quick. I get it for $10 a pound so it isn’t super pricey either.
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It’s a double edged sword. Learning by trial and error definitely costs more, but I wouldn’t know what I know now if I hadn’t done it that way. You can spend all the money you want on the equipment people say you need, but without the knowledge and experience that come from actually doing the work, it won’t get you very far.
The biggest lesson that’s still true today for me: don’t put off buying equipment that makes you more efficient or makes your life easier.
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Reels, ramps, hoses, etc.
Quality of life increases exponentially. When I was loading everything into back of my f150 I hated life. Now everything is in box truck and way easier.
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Yeah I used candles because that’s what I had while putting together rig in arizona. I actually dread having to back those fricken things back out eventually. I’ve got better cutting tools now at least 
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Don’t compare yourself to others. Find what you like to do, get good at it, and market that.
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Start a landscaping company instead lol.
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ymmv but I’m very comfy in a Toyota Tundra as a solo operator. I do soft washing with an AR30, downstream/prep decks with a pressure washer, and have a DI system for WFP window work, reels for everything, remotes for controlling everything, ladders, poles, SC and I still have room to run and pick up a drum of SH or have storage area for stains/sealers/whatever in the bed.
To answer the thread topic, if I could do everything again, then I would have kept a better customer database.
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I started out in my 4 door f150. I have a savannah 3500 box truck. 12ft box. I LOVE it. Love being able to shut that door and just call it a day
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I’m glad it works for you. I like the mobility of my Tundra but I live in the mountains. A box truck would be awkward for the places I have to go. I do gotta say though I’m a little envious sometimes of the guys with big rigs…soooooo much space! 
But I made a few critical decisions and make it work. I have 100 gallon buffer, 55 gallon chem, 5 gallon soap, 5 gallon soap2, 15 gallon house wash tank and still room to slap another 55 gallon drum on for transport so in the end I’ll take maneuverability over space because I really have everything I need anyway.
I’m actually going to expand to a second Tundra probably in 2027. It just makes sense to have redundancy in pressure washers/gas pumps and the vehicle itself too. Downtime is a real threat when it means potential loss of thousands of dollars on the schedule and also the ding to credibility for having to postpone a critical commercial contract when I could have foreseen it and invested another 25k in a secondary rig (complete setup, truck/pressure washer/gas pump/reels/hoses). If you’re going to eventually use up 1 truck/slap 3,000 hours on 1 pressure washer then you might as well setup a second complete truck system before the first is finished and run them concurrently defraying hours onto both as opposed to just piling all hours on 1 (that’s my reasoning at least).
Everything is a consumable in this business, even vehicles.
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I get it. I’ve only got like 220 hours on my gx690 though
I bought a trailer first and thought the same thing. I like that I can park this box truck just about anywhere. It rains a ton here so keeps my stuff out of the weather and people with sticky fingers. Most of the space is managed well but I’m sure it could always be better. I have been thinking long and hard myself about buying a second pressure washer because it’s just a matter of when not if. Also another box truck wouldn’t be a bad idea. That sounds like a. Issue for future Joe though. I’m going to keep plowing ahead with this work and he can figure it out
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I wish I had never started with houses. You make more money saying “no” a lot of the times.
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Nowadays I’m almost exclusively roofs. Way better bang for my buck. Usually in and out in under 2 hours, and about triple price of a roof wash.
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Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. It’s honestly interesting how many of these lessons only become obvious after you’ve been in the business for a while. The comments about being more selective with jobs and focusing on roofs really gave me something to think about. When you’re just starting out, it’s tempting to say yes to everything, but it sounds like working smarter is just as important as working harder.I really appreciate all the advice. Hopefully this thread helps other newcomers avoid a few of the mistakes that so many of us make early on.
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Don’t really listen to them though. No offense to them at all because they’re both good guys, but one has recurring apartment cleaning contracts he relies on for his revenue and the other lives in Alaska. Neither really applies to you. House washing will be your bread and butter. You could never do a single roof cleaning and still bill a decent income as a solo owner operator.
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