How to Start a Pressure Washing Business in 9 Simple Steps

Starting a pressure washing business or a cleaning company, in general, can almost never go wrong. It doesn’t require lengthy learning or certification, the upfront entry costs for equipment, gear, and payroll are relatively low. in addition, the operational costs of this type of business are low, which makes it easier to turn a profit quickly.

On the other hand, the demand for pressure washing services is always high. If managed properly, the pressure washing business provides a solid flow of income for business owners. In fact, the global cleaning services market is projected to reach $74 billion by 2022, making the pressure washer business a safe and stable business opportunity. 

All in all, starting a pressure washing business might be a great business decision. In order to succeed and grow your business and be able to get your piece of this $74 billion pie, you will need to make sure you prepare yourself and get things right from the get-go.

Starting and managing a pressure washing company, or any new small business for that matter offers a number of employee management challenges. 

• Being able to effectively manage, oversee and communicate with employees in the field.
• Tracking employee work hours.
• Creating an employee schedule that works for everyone.
• Safely and securely storing important documents, forms and checklists.
• On-the-go reporting and updates from on-shift employees in real-time 

These are the most common reasons why more and more pressure washing companies are switching to an all-in-one pressure washing cleaning software, like Connecteam. The five points of frustration we listed above are far easier to manage and execute with a digital solution than the run-of-the-mill paper and pen management or messy Excel spreadsheets. 

Connecteam’s pressure washing business app was created for cleaning and pressure washing service companies to save time and money by streamlining and simplifying daily operations. For example, create daily workflows to drive efficiency and track your manpower easily in order to provide better service to customers. All of these features are all in one place so you no longer need to have 5 different software to manage your team!

To get you started on the right foot and build a solid business flow, check out these 9 easy tips we gathered on how to start a pressure washer business, stress-free.

Buying a pressure washer and spraying down a driveway isn’t going to cut it. Make sure you develop and hone your skills – learn how to pressure wash without damaging the surrounding area (like plants or surfaces) and know how to approach those hard-to-reach areas.

Borrowing a pressure washer or renting one can be a great way to test different surface types. Additionally, you can watch tutorials on YouTube from professionals, but make sure to follow safety tips to avoid injury. Remember that practice makes perfect (or close to it), so it’s important you invest a good amount of time honing your skills to be able to give your clients the best service possible.  

Starting a pressure washing company requires the proper licenses, insurance, and permits. Depending on your local laws and regulations, the exact permits required will vary. Therefore, make sure you contact your local licensing office or county clerk so they can inform you what the requirements are. Simply search on Google, “find my county clerk”, if you’re not sure who to contact.

• Give Your Business a Name: Give your business a name and buy a domain name that matches. The domain name will become your web address so make sure it’s relevant to your business name.
• Get a Business License: To get your pressure washing company off the ground, you need a business license that your local, state and federal government requires. For some small business owners, it’s as easy as acquiring a state-sanctioned small business license.
• Register Your Business for Tax Purposes: Check what type of taxes you may have to pay as a sole proprietorship, LLC, or partnership. For example, there are self-employment taxes, and sales taxes. It’s important to do your research and make sure you pay the appropriate taxes in order to be in accordance with tax laws.
• Get Insurance: It’s important that you purchase liability insurance, workers’ compensation, and equipment insurance. Make sure that you’re protected against property damage that may happen while working, injuries to self or employees and equipment damage.
• Open a Business Bank Account: A business bank account helps to separate your personal assets from your company’s assets. This is totally necessary for personal asset protection. Additionally, accounting and tax filing are a lot easier. Make sure you have a business credit card to separate personal and business expenses by having all your business expenses available in one place. This will help your company’s credit history which makes it easier to raise money and investments in later stages if needed.

When you first get started, renting pressure washing equipment might make more sense. However, in the long term, you will need to purchase your own. 

Some equipment you may need includes:

• Pressure washing gear – power washer, pumps, engines, nozzles, chemicals, surface cleaners, etc. 
• A truck or van to haul your equipment with decals with your business name and contact details to help promote your marketing efforts.
• Uniforms or work shirts.

Additionally, the use of a proper pressure washing software solution can help you effortlessly manage your business and employees with the click of a button.

Pressure washing software to manage scheduling, time tracking, communication, client information, and more.

• Digital checklists and forms reduce friction from daily activities, automate information flow, enhance response time and build a better oversight for you as a manager/ business owner to stay on top of things. An example of how a pressure washing company uses the checklists include job completion confirmation forms; daily cleaning checklists (including images, descriptions, yes and no questions), equipment damage report, site/facility inspection, repair order tickets, incident or hazard reports and more.
• GPS time tracking will show you the exact location of your team out in the field in real-time. As a business owner, you no longer need to worry about “buddy-punching” and time theft. 
• Employee timesheets can now be effortlessly collected and exported for 100% accurate payroll in a click with QuickBooks Online and Gusto integration.
• Simplify your employee scheduling. Now you can save time by easily booking jobs and assigning team members. You will be notified when team members acknowledge or reject a shift, check-in late or when they complete their tasks. You can even let employees claim open shifts within the app. 
• Realtime push notifications and updates for both formal and informal announcements keeps your whole team in the loop and up-to-date on important company information. HR announcements, top employee recognition, equipment updates, or any other important messages will not be missed as you can check who has seen or not seen messages or updates. 
• An in-app work chat, both group and individual will streamline your team communication and make sure everyone stays in the know with relevant information. 

As a manager and business owner, you can choose one product for each challenge that you face. Or you can choose a pressure washing business software that already incorporates all the features you really need all in one place! That’s what our list above highlights – the best pressure washing company software so managing a residential or commercial pressure washer business is that much easier.

Running a successful pressure washing company means you need to do a little background research on what you can charge for your service. The average homeowner spends around $184 to $380 for a home pressure wash and the exterior surfaces.

Some common pricing includes:

• Exterior siding of a home: $100 to $300
• Driveway: $80 to $200
• Deck or patio: $250 to $500

Commercial properties usually pay around $0.25 to $1.50 per square foot for the exterior surface area. Higher rates can be charged for multiple-story buildings and can also include the rental cost of required scaffolding or window washing equipment so you can reach higher levels.

Note that vehicle cleaning costs around $50 to $100. Whereas washing semi-trucks and boats would be around double that amount. 

When starting a power washing business it would be a good idea to use social media. The more accounts, the better. Using a single platform isn’t enough, you need to have a presence on as many social platforms as possible.

A presence on social media is a must as it helps with the following:

• Build a credible reputation 
• Increase brand awareness
• Attract a new audience
• Connect with like-minded professionals 
• Diversify your marketing efforts
• Drive traffic to your website.

Social media is a great way for you to connect with prospects and customers. When you do it right, it can boost sales easily! And yes, it may be daunting to post regularly and at the right time, but there are free tools that can automate this process – like Buffer. 

Start with your top three marketing objectives, then evaluate how social media may help you achieve them. Too often business owners buy into the idea that ‘I have to be there. I have to be in all these new places or I’ll be left behind.’ But social media has to help you reach your objectives or you’re just wasting time. Don’t think of social media as just a megaphone for your business, but think about how it can help you reach your goals.

John Jantsch, business marketing consultant, speaker, and author of Duct Tape Marketing

Always be thinking about pressure washing business ideas, from six months to a year in the future. While it seems like you are jumping the gun, that’s not the case. Growing your business requires you to be ten steps ahead. Every business regularly reviews its business plan to make sure that it’s continuing to meet its needs and goals to increase profit margins.

For example, if you plan to grow your business and gain new customers, you may need to hire new employees to get all the work done. Get a headstart before your business grows and start interviewing potential employees so that you’re not in a rush to find someone when your business grows beyond your current number of clients. 

Offering additional services, like window washing or sandblasting, will require more employees and possibly more equipment to get the job done. Investopedia notes that most “successful businesses have business models that allow them to fulfill client needs at a competitive price and a sustainable cost”, keep that in mind when determining what services your business will offer and at what price you will provide them.  

On a side note, if you hire personnel, make sure you comply with all Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements. The requirements include; appropriate hazard identification, injury reports, and proper safety precautions when operating potentially dangerous equipment (e.g. pressure washer, ladders, etc.). 

Follow these simple tips to stay ahead of the game: 

• Make bookings easy. Once your client pays an invoice, be sure to send them a thank-you note or email, plus an opportunity to schedule the next pressure washing gig.
• Automate client messages. Create templates so you can easily send quotes, invoices and more – this makes it easy to stay in touch and on top of everything every step of the way.  
• Improve customer retention with special offers. Offer a discounted rate for follow-up appointments to help boost client retention.
• Offer referral discounts. Provide a free service or discount to clients who refer you to friends and family, it’s a great networking opportunity! 
• Ask for customer feedback. Send your customers a quick survey and ask them how you could improve your services.
• Leave your cards at local businesses. Gain local clients quickly by asking local businesses to help promote your business with flyers or cards in the windows. It’s free business exposure, so why not.

With the following ideas, it becomes easier to see how your business can evolve and grow in the months or years ahead. 

Bottom Line On Starting A Pressure Washing Business

To wrap up, let’s recap what we’ve learned about starting a successful power washing business.

1. Hone your skills and make sure you operate the pressure washer like a pro before taking your first paid order
2. Follow your local legislation and regulation in order to set the business for a long and successful life right from the get-go
3. Purchase your own quality equipment and take good care of it
4. Get the proper insurance for your business to protect you, your employees and your equipment
5. Research your local market and set the right pricing
6. Promote and market your business
7. Plan your business goals and needs for the long run
8. Use a business-management app to smoothly operate your business
9. Go the extra mile

And finally, follow the list of tips and tricks to help promote your business and ensure that you have happy customers.

Now you’re all set and ready to start your power washing business!