Barry M

I was fortunate enough to of found the forums before considering PW for a living. I was curious if there was money in it, but the boards are what fueled my fire all last winter. I had so much stuff written down from doing research that all I had to do was put it all together into a business plan. I wouldn't call it formal but it gave me a lot of direction. A business plan serves as a map to get you where you want to go. I recommend anyone thinking of owning their own business, even part time, to write a business plan. There are lot of books and sites to help you write one.

Jeff, how do you get them to commit to a yearly cleaning. Do they sign a contract for x amount of years?

Do you guys use stainless or aluminum?

Steve sells rinse aid additive that may help.

I'm with you Jeff and Lance, I've never brushed a house except for the gutters. But I guess every area and every house is different. But the point Everett makes, about rinsing from a ladder on a two story at a 90 degree angle or more to the siding, is a good one. He was saying that too many people use their x-jets to rinse from the ground (me included), thus shooting water right into the weep holes on the bottom lip of the siding. This is probably what happened to the starter of this thread. After he left the job water, dirt and grime started seeping out of the weep holes thus creating streaks. Have you ever had this happen to you Jeff? That you know of anyway? I won't scrub an entire house unless I see something that is not coming off. But I will be very cautious now of the way, and the angle I rinse at. This is just one of those threads that allow us to see other successful peoples methods and to take what we want from it.

Hey Jeff, I get a dollar a linear foot for one story and two bucks a foot for two story. I'm doing a small one story ranch this weekend for $210 it should take me under 2 hours. Everett, I wasn't going anywhere, and your right this is a good discussion. I'm just having trouble coping with the idea of pulling the trigger of my gun standing on a ladder up against a house. It just seems dangerous, not to mention all the up and down and moving the ladder. But again I do see your point about getting at a 90 degree angle to the siding for rinsing. I just realized I may have experienced this weep hole problem myself this summer. I got called back the next day to take care of some steaks on the front of a house that looked good when I left. At the time I wasn't sure what had happened, but this thread has me thinking it was crap running out of the weep holes after I left. It was nasty crap, looked like shingle oil and dirt. Your way may take longer than a splash and dash but so did having to drag all my equipment out again to go take care of some streaks. I'm assuming every house is different and that scrubbing may not always be the case. Every tool and technique has it's place and situation, so I will stay open minded on this one. Thanks for your input.

I'm not going to argue my opinion with you anymore, besides you have a ton more experience than I do. Which, by the way, is what I meant by calling you old school. Okay it wasn't really, but it sounds good, I certainly didn't mean to call you old Everett. I see your point and will definately be looking closer at the next two story house I do. Everett do you wear a safety harness while scrubbing from the ladder? I understand your method, except how do you rinse? Rinsing from a ladder seems extremely dangerous. If your not doing it from a ladder your still spraying water from the ground at the wrong angle which would still leave room for the weep hole problem.

Personally I think it's a new school old school thing. I'm sure back in the day you had to get up there and scrub the house, but now with the x-jet and better chems it's usually not necessary. My chems, shot out of the x-jet, will melt and rinse off almost anything that you might otherwise scrub. I do get the feeling sometimes that the homeowner is very skeptical when they don't see me up on a ladder scrubbing, but their skeptism is crushed when they see the results. To me it's all about using the proper mix of chemicals, not the pressure or scrubbing. Just my opinion.

Check this out. http://www.mealeys.com/mold.html#4

I thought it might be and I knew someone here would know, I couldn't find a date on it. Sorry.

Jeff recommended to me a while back to mix 4lbs to 5 gallons of water and x-jet. It worked very well on the drive I did. No neutralizing just a lot of rinsing. Just my .02 cents, I'm sure Jeff will chime in again.

It's definately based on how many jobs you do. I've been in the biz since this spring, but I've only done a handful of jobs. As long as I keep getting nervous everytime I pull up to a job I will consider myself a newbie. I will have taken the next step once I have more jobs under my belt and build some confidence.

I don't cover any lights, I just keep them wet before, during and after the wash. I've never had to deal with an intercom, but if it's out in the weather I would think its water proof. I would talk to the customer about it and let them know its a concern. I would probably cover it with plastic and duct tape and not spray it directley during the wash. Other than that Lou, I don't cover anything really, patio furniture, plants, lights, outlets, nothing. I just keep everything wet and rinse, rinse, rinse.

Before pics of a new deck.

Finished with Wood Defender (saddle tan). I'm sure it will look better once the pond is full...lol.

Looks awesome guys, what are you sealing it with?

Use the 'search' funtion to do some research, I use it all the time, then you don't have to wait on replies.

Russ Johnson carries it, give him a call (888) 243-6506.

What do you mean in a pinch? That's all I use on gutters cut 50/50 with water. What do you use on gutters?

I know a lot of you use a rinse aid in your house wash mix or in your rinse water. Some also use dish soap in their mix, like Dawn or Joy. So has anyone every used a dual action dishwasher soap with rinse aid in it, like Sun Light Gel. The stuff my wife buys even has an apple scent to it. Would this mix with 12% safely? Is it cost effective?

I would like to see it.....midwestprowash@comcast.net......thanks.

To keep my CDL current for my full time job, I have to have a physical every two years.

It seems like homeowners who are selling don't care about the home anymore, even if it would help sell it, they don't want to sink anymore $ into it. If they do it's, "can you just wash this side of the house" or "just slap some stain on it we're moving". If your in good with a realtor they may mention your services to a client but they aren't going to be pushy about it. My wife is a realtor for Coldwell Banker, she helps me target the higher end neighborhoods, and she has a grasp on the market as far as communities who spend $ and the ones that are a little tighter with $.

I believe if it's sheet metal you'll have to treat it like a gutter and use a butyl degreaser. My .02 cents.

I used it on my first deck earlier this spring, I rolled it on and back brushed. It does take a lot a finesse to eliminate lap marks. Coverage was 150 sq ft/gal and I got the job done dispite scattered showers that day. It is a little pricey but it definately has it's place.