99monguse

I changed the oil in my car last night and as I was pouring the old dirty oil into a container with a funnel, the container fell over. I had cardboard underneath but the oil ran right off the cardboard onto the cement. I soaked up as much as possible and then dumper a gallon of Greased Lightening degreaser on it. The stain is about 2ftx2ft. I scubbed it with my stiff push brrom and tried a hose with no luck. I called a pressure-washing guy and he came out about 1 hr later. I thought he would have a hot-water unit but all he had a a cold water unit. He hosed off the degreaser I put on it and sprayed his own. He had some stuff in an aerasol can that was pretty potent smelling. He said, the instruction say, it's to be apllied on a non-water surface but he'd try it anyway. After letting it set for about 10 minutes he pressure washed it. I got lighter but didn't fully clean. He's coming back today, to try again with a different machine and since the payment won't be wet, maybe it'll come out more. If this doean't work, what do you suggest? The driveway is only about 8 yrs old. Probably about a quart of really dirty 0w-30 full synthetic Castrol oil is what was spilled.

Rick-I live in Mentor Ohio...about 20 miles east of Cleveland.

Luckily we don't have any storm drains near my house, they're halfway down the street.

No problem...I figured you PRO guys would find that funny...but for us DIYers, thats life. I started my sideline cleaning business, as far as windows goes, simply because I was looking for a more efficient way to do my home windows. Once I got my toold and supplies and became really good at it, I figured I'd ask the offices if they were interested. There is just simply too much risk in powerwashing as a profession, at least for me. Knocking out a driveway or two is one thing but houses and doing it for money...no thanks. I will leave that up to those who know what they're doing. When I will be doing my family's driveways, most likey I will just be using water; if theres a stain then I'll use detergent. CarolinaProWash- I'm sure you do have expensive tools...you should, that's how you put food on the table. I pick and choose my window cleaning clients as to the most efiicient and profitable buildings...because I have such high-profitable accounts, I am able to do what I enjoy; helping elderly homeowners. My wifes grandparents have a lot of friends that are widowers and even some that are still married but are simply too old to be cleaning windows and such; so I set-up appointments with them and I do their windows for free, three times a year. These people are on very tight budgets with their limited incomes and I take great pride in being able to help out. My neighbor is 91yrs old and has been a widow for 20yrs..her children all live out of state and I take care of her lawn, snowblow her driveway and clean her windows for her, no charge at all. Doing that makes me feel good. I have taught my son how to do windows and he has a few homes in the neighborhood of elderly folks that he does no charge too. I have no intention of hurting anyone's business...thank you for helping me out.

No way do I want to do this stuff for money..its just too dangerous for a non-professional. As far as washing siding, my home is the only one I want to wash. I won't take the risk of doing someone elses. The driveways I will be doing the ones I listed and my neighbors. I can understand why you guys would be a bit secretive...I would be the same way if someone started asking me questions about how I clean windows and such and then came out with his own fly-by-night business and then under-cut your quotes because he doesn't have your overhead and all that...ask me how I know about that sh%t! I didn't mean to offend anyone, sorry.

My wife has these friends of hers who are too stupid to park on my gravel area with their leaking cars; they continue to park on the cement. I get a leaf debris collection right in front of my garage door and the centent gets stained there; also it doesn't help but the village idiot who did the driveway put a low spot right there too; so when I wash anything the dirt tends to end up there and you know women, they don't take the time to hose down the driveway either. I do like the look of the bright driveway but I hate the tire marks. Yeah Mike I already got hit with the..i'm not telln you nothn additude. LoL

I was shocked when I saw his location on his site the first time. That was one of my MAIN concerns..1st-getting a quality washer/cleaner and 2nd having a local vendor in case of any issues. I bought stuff over the internet before, like everyone else and or course when theres a problem, now you've got shipping involved and we all know how that is:( If it manages to get where its suppose to go, and be on time AND be intact...now thats a miracle. I try to stay away from OPPS...I mean UPS.as much as possible.

I understand where you're coming from but doesn't the top of the forum say" DIY'ers - Ask The Pro's This forums is strictly for homeowner DIY questions, or for homeowners looking for contractors. Please read the sticky in this forum for guidelines." Where does it say that I the home owner can't or shouldn't be asking any questions? My full-time job is a Mercedes/Volvo/GM parts sales advisor...and I get calls all day long of people asking for advice and if i can help them I do, if I can't I direct them to someone who can help them. Heres is the unit I was looking into: Lightweight Aircraft Grade Aluminum Frame EZ-View Sight Glass No Welds to Crack, Break, or Fail General Belt Drive Pump, ( 3 V-Belts ) Gen. Pulsar Modular Unloader with EZ Start Valve 4GPM @ 4000 PSI, 13 HP Honda Engine 50' High Pressure Hose with QC and the surface cleaner: http://www.pressuretek.com/classic.html This stuff is far from commercial equiptment.

I have absolutely no intention of starting a business.I couldn't imagine doing this stuff for a living. I don't know how you all do it. I am just trying to prevent myself from spending my entire saturday powerwashing. I work on Sunday mornings cleaning the two office buildings and I do their windows once a month. I was on the www.lawnsite.com because I needed a new lawnmower; I ended up buying a Toro SUPERRECYLER based on some of the members reviews. A member also directed me to this site, and told me I'd be better off asking you guys about chemical. Have you ever cleaned a driveway that is single wide for 50yds and then goes to double wide for about 40ft and has a parking pad/turnaround...with a 2000 PSI CRAFTSMAN powerwasher with a WAND? Let me tell you that is not the way I will EVER spend 6hrs again! I clean my drive, my parents, both sets of in-laws(divorced) and two set of in-law grandparents; I need a quality machine, that will do the job and do it well. Why should I go buy a P.O.S. powerwasher at Home Depot or Lowes, when I can spen what, $200-$500 more and get a good one? I have to get a surface cleaner and Bob @ PressureTEK was recommended to me from lawnsite.com ; might as well as get the washer there too, right? Look guys I don't want to step on anyones toes here...I am just trying to make my life easier. I have enough of a honey-to-do-list from my wife, I'm just looking for a way to make some of it quicker. Woah woah woah...$3500.00, are you nuts? I was looking at a $1200.00 machine and a $600.00 surface cleaner. It certainly would be MUCH cheaper for me to do the work myself. How about this, you come out to here and do: my driveway- 8 car drive and walkways, my parents-8 car driveway and walkways, inlaws-4 car drive and turnarounx2, 1 set of in-law grandparents drive way that is at least 50yds single width then goes go double wide for 40ft and has a double wide parking pad and has walkways, and one more set of in-law grandparents driveway that is 40yds long double wide and has walkways...all of this for about $2000.00. AND do it a couple times a year, oh and I forgot, cleaning my vinyl siding at least once a year...and the misc cleaning the powerwashers can be used for around the home. :) If you can do all that for $2000.00 thewn yeah it would be A LOT cheaper for me to have you come do it!

Ahhh. I see where the signature area is now!

Right now I use a Craftsman powerwasher...do you really think I am going to go to a forum for information to start a business. I am asking be caused right now is use a 10 yr old CRAFTSMAN 2000psi P.O.S. powerwasher that doesn't clean for @#$% and standard vinyl siding/driveway cleaner. YES, I do clean MY own driveway. I certainly don't need to spend $500.00 each time for someone to come to my house and knock it out in a hour, not to mention my in-laws, my parents and grandparents. This forum is for DIYers to ask PROS questions...."DIY'ers - Ask The Pro's This forums is strictly for homeowner DIY questions, or for homeowners looking for contractors. Please read the sticky in this forum for guidelines" or so is says at the top of the screen. Don't worry I don't want your business, I just want to know how to make my saturday home chores not take all damn day. Maybe you shouldn't be on the forum if you don't like helping people. Heres my Signature since for whatever reason it didn't shpow up when I registered: BRIAN A FLICK 6210 MEADOWBROOK DRIVE (right of Lakeshore blvd, across from DQ) MENTOR, OHIO 44060 you want my phone number too???? BAF CLEANING-I have a sideline office cleaning business, where I clean offices and windows.

Currently, I have my father's old Craftsjunk 2000psi powerwasher that I use to powerwash my concrete driveway. My driveway was done in 2003 and I try it wash it every year, nut I have never sealed it. What is the cleaning/sealing process? I mean if I clean it and obviously wait till the next day to seal it; when should it be cleaned again? Is the sealer suppose to seal-out the dirt or just prevent say oil from soaking into the cement? I would assume that by powerwashing a sealer driveway...the powerwashing would destroy the sealant, requiring a reseal, right? So if I regularly wash my driveway, i shouldn't even bother sealing it, right? Sometimes I powerwash the driveway every month or so, up close to the garage because leaves and debris seem to collect right there.

Anyone else have usable advice?

I have powerwashed my home several times but I think I'm not being very efficient. I have read a lot of posts about guys washing an entire home in like a hour or two and using VERY low pressure. When I do my jhome I just buy a gallon or two of the siding wash from the bigbox stores, mix it up according to the directions, place the syphon hose into the bucket, apply the detergent to the siding using my CRaftsman (residential 2000psi) powerwasher, let it sit about 10-15 minutes (just in the 10x10ft area I'm working on at a time), and blast it off using a fan style spray pattern. More often then not I find myself having to use a scrub brush then then powerwash; this takes like all day. Yet I read posts about guys who apply their chemical the let it sit a few minutes then rinse off with like 100psi hose and they're done...WTF! What are you using and how are you doing this? I want to buy a PressureTek 3500psi cold powerwasher and flatsurface clean(for my driveway). I have also read that using high-psi isn't good for siding either but I don't know how else to do it. I am certainly not going into business doing this, but I want to be able to do my own home and my friends/families or if someone asks me to do their home I may consider it. I have a commercial cleaning business and i do windows as well and being able to properlly powerwash may be very helpful..some of the jobs exterior windows are VERY filthy. Thanks