Pressure Washing Guide

Midwestpro · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:05 am Post subject: Professional Cleaning Services

Are you thinking about starting up a professional exterior cleaning business or adding it as a service to an existing business?

The biggest mistake I see contractors make is they underestimate cleaning techniques, methods, equipment and cleaners. If you are going to do this professionally then you have to LOOK professional and so do your results. Don't be that guy with a big box store pressure washer in the back of his station wagon charging super low prices just to get work.

If you do you will be out of business within a years time. Just ask any of the past fly by night companies that have tried it, not only did they kill themselves trying to make a buck, but they left a bad perception of the industry in the eyes of the public in their wake.

The biggest advice I can give anyone thinking about getting into the industry is research, research, research. Read everything you can on this forum and other message boards out there. Ask questions, listen and take notes. If you want to succeed then you have to gain the correct knowledge before you just go out there and start blasting away on someone's largest investment, there really is more to it than that.

jamesb · Joined: 25 Jul 2009 Posts: 12

Thank you for the interesting post as I have also been thinking about starting this type of business as my previous employer went bankrupt. Are there any courses which I can follow?

Midwestpro · Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:51 pm Post subject:

I stated in another post that I have considered writing an e-book on this very topic because as far as I know there is not a book or course out there that I would recommend.

I had bought a couple of books on starting a pressure washing business back when I first started up, I flip through them now and laugh. I'm not sure of the authors of these books but I can tell you they did not know much at the time of writing the book.

As far as courses, you are better off to pay another professional contractor to go hang out with him for a day or two. You will learn more in that time than you could taking any course on the subject. There are courses out there for commercial pressure washing, wood restoration, and so on but like the books, in my opinion most of them are a waste of money.

A start would be to visit the industries leading organization and become a member. Its the UAMCC.org

Blue Heron · Joined: 17 Feb 2011 Posts: 13

Nice information. If you run a business or a large household, you may have a need for professional cleaning services and contractors at some point. In order to get bids from cleaning services and contractors, you will have to invite them in to tour your facilities and assess the necessary workload.