gawashman

Totally agree with sticking to your price. Costs have risen across the board for companies. My insurance, business license and cleaning materials costs all increased. Homeowner perception is that all we do is to splash water. By the way, they also have a pressure washer. Hmmm then why call a professional???

************ Just make sure that when using a ladder, it is a must to attach a stabilizer to avoid slippage. Remember we all have only have one set of legs and arms...lol

I found that most do not care about the nice bright look. They are focused on price and for it to look better than before. This seems to be the motto given the economic conditions. I will use oxalic given the clientele.

I am a ladder and bucket guy too. A lot less mess and you are certain to get everything out, like golf and tennis balls.

I use a bucket. Climb up and down my ladder with an attached stabilizer. There is no better way. I have used the gutter cleaning tip with disastrous effects.

Homeowner called me to clean his brick home. He was particularly interested in removing the "white" calcite deposit. Use water and tested it for solubility. It would not come off using mild scrubbing action along with water. I tried White Scum Remover by Prosoco. Did not budge. Homeowner tried a calcite pre-soak himself but with no luck. Any ideas???

Do not used TSP unless you are planning on painting as it will etch the surface.

I use a sand blasting suit (not sure who makes it). Really tough and gets the job done. Unfortunately, the suit is a bit unbearable when summer temperature climbs above 85oF.

I will talk about chemical compounds and within seconds the questions cease. Sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide etc...The bottom line is that they are concerned about dangers of using chemicals. Who wouldn't be. I agree about proprietary trade secrets which is the reason that I do not continue the discussion.

I am in Ga and business is often diluted by hacks running around in beaten rusted trailers and low balling bids. Of course, they are not licensed and typically have no insurance. Marketing is key so that customers know that you are a bonafide, reputable business with very specific services. Every time I post yard signs, hacks would come along and remove them from street corners or posts. I usually see some action starting February, but more likely in March.

Painters use it to etch a surface for re-coating purposes only. Do not use in house mix.

Sometimes a little agitation is required because the temperature currently is far from ambient. I was cleaning a white vinyl home and had to wash heavy deposited areas more than once because the temperature was 29oF.

Cold will work if all you have is dirt for the most part. Oil and grease require degreasing and hot water to clean effectively. In short, hot water is helpful when faces with oils and grease found on driveways, drive through etc...

I agree. Purple power works great but not so well with low temps...It was 29-32f, I used hot water but this did not work well...The gutters looked much better brushing on pruple power full strength, but you can still see some of the oxidation (tiger stripes)... x-jet f-13 gets all over the place as a result I stay away.

Some of these 4000+ sq.feet homes have miles of gutters. Takes me forever during these colder periods. When it gets warmer, I am going to try x-jetting f-13 rather than brushing on cleaner. Takes forever and plus my shoulders take a pounding.

Pricing strategy is awful important. I can't begin to tell you how many times a home owner has to remind me that they have a pressure washer, but cannot spare the time to do the work. My point is that you have to educate HO, property owners etc...about your process so the key is to educate yourself. In this way, you can do a better job justifying your price vs. the $99 hacks out there.

A customer accidentally spilled gasoline on the driveway. Problem is that they had the concrete sealed with a white pigment sealer. Now there is a slight brownish stain. I am thinking of using house wash mix with surface cleaner. Do not really want to use anything too strong as a result of the sealer. Any ideas???

Just an update...Neither ox nor degreaser seemed to help. I suggested that the area could be stripped and re-sealed, if they could determine what sealer was used. Homeowner will discuss matter further among themselves.

I use a 40 degree tip (white) which works great at cutting back the pressure and provides a nice fan-like spray. I use my 4GPM (4000 psi) cold machine for wood cleaning, while the larger 5.5 GPM is used for rinsing and to run my surface cleaner.

regular house wash mix works fine....need stronger mix for heavy mildew (use pump up)...butyl based product (i.e. degreaser) for chimney.

Given the relative ease in cleaning vinyl, I would perhaps charge it on an hourly and make any adjustment accordingly to ensure you make a profit.

What "bigchaz" said...I would also look at what your competitors are charging not the "hacks" out there...we price our flatwork staring at a minimum rate ($/sq.ft) and make adjustments based on the condition (oil, rust stains etc..)...I have been to some jobs where I had to remove 1-2 feet of overgrowth on a residential driveway before I could begin my surface cleaning...Sure looked great afterward and I was fortunate to obtain a good referral from it.

I would use 40o tips to be safe rather than the usual 25o.

My mix includes some Dawn and about 1-1.5% sodium Hypochlorite in a 2-gallon pump-up sprayer...There is always mold and some dirt on pool furniture...Never had a bleaching problem with my mix. Hope this helps.

Mike, I had some on my trailer and tried it but with no luck. I did call them and they discussed using a pre-soak and then a follow-up with NMD80. Will see what happens. thanks, Andy