As of lately with the current economy crisis, everyone thinks they can pressure wash houses. To most homeowners if you show up in a station wagon with a pressure washer in the backseat your a common pressure washer. This is far from the truth and the ones that present themselves this way are hurting the industry even further. Unlike the Electrical and Plumbing professions, Pressure/Power washing does not have a national set of guidelines or procedures to perform the service correctly. This has been the case for years and will until the UAMCC (United Association of Mobile Contract Cleaners) or the PWNA (Power Washers of North America) takes the steps to make that happen.
There are several things you should look for in a exterior cleaning service, and none of them are high pressure when dealing with washing a house. Some of the complications of using high pressure on a house are; water intrusion which can lead to mold and algae accumulations inside your home, damage to the exterior of your home (especially vinyl and stucco/dryvit,) broken windows, paint removal, and furring to any wood surfaces (damage to the wood causing it to look like dog fur or splintering.)
Always ask the person who would perform these services,
1. Are you insured? If yes, ask for proof and contact the insurance agency to verify. A lot of contractors acquire insurance, allow it to expire and continue using the same from that is no good. Its too late to verify after damage has been done.
2. What chemicals are you going to use? How will these chemicals effect the vegetation surrounding my property? How will you ensure compliance with the federal regulations concerning waste water if chemicals are used?
3. How will you perform the service to my property? If the answer is I am going to pressure wash it, you should consult with another contractor.If someone ever asks for payment up front, you should choose another contractor.
4. A general pricing scale for quality house washing is to take the linear footage (total length around your house) and if its a 1 story home ($1.50-$2.00 per linear ft.) 2 story home ($2.50-$4.00 per linear ft.) This is average pricing across the nation. If your getting a $70.00 house wash and it takes the guy 10 minutes then its probably a decent price, however if it takes the washer 5-7 hours then your getting a poor contractor or deemed (HACK) in our industry. A HACK is someone that devalues our industry or market by taking our profession up to make beer or drug money. Think about it, would you work for $10-15.00 per hour, carry insurance that will run you 1500-2000 per year, equipment expenses, fuel, and transportation, not to mention detergents? If you ever get the time, look at the last 3 years Yellow Pages under Pressure Washing. You will see that most only last one or 2 years because after that pressure washer they purchased from a pawn shop breaks down on them, they can't afford to fix it due to the rates they are charging. Myself, I pay over $5,500 per yr in insurance alone. Lets see that equates to 78.57 house washes at $70.00 per house to just break even. Thats the size of some neighborhoods. If your reading this you probably are seeing this first hand. The guys you used last year and the year before could not be reached or were out of business.
Soft-washing is a new procedure used in house washing. Soft-washing is using pressures similar to the pressure you would find coming out of your garden hose. This will ensure absolutely no damage is being done to your property. A true pressure washing service will know these different techniques and how to apply them to your property. Even with the use of 60 psi and 4gallons per minute (average entry level commercial grade pressure washer, not sold at Lowe's or Home Depot) a good contractor can wash the peaks of a 2 story house while standing on the ground and not using an extension wand (Long pole thats generally yellow and extends up to 30ft depending upon model.) Soft-washing can be done via the use of a pressure washer or by using agricultural or sprayer pumps. If a contractor shows up with pump-up sprayers to apply their detergent, you should probably look through the yellow pages and try again.
My company rarely washes a house however I will challenge anyone on this website to compare results. If you want a true professional to wash your home, you may contact me through the email above. Thanks for reading my rant.
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