GFWC Indiana - Cleaning & Home Improvement

One of the best ways to learn about a subject these days is to research it on the Internet. There is more free information available today than any other time in history. With any industry, there is a ton of information out there on how to hire someone to do it for you, tips on doing it yourself, or how to get into that industry for a living. Anything you need is available. Pressure washing is a great example. There are plenty of websites, blogs, forums, chat rooms, and social media sites to gather enough information to be able to go into business for yourself in a few short months or even weeks.

You can start up a business with a pretty decent knowledge of what you are doing. You will be able to find the right equipment, chemicals, and methods all from researching online. Pressure washing forums are a great place to meet other like minded business owners. All the information is there if that is something you want to do. Pricing, marketing, profits, and those types of things may not be quite as readily available, but you should be able to find that information eventually.

Another reason you may be wanting to research pressure washing is because you wish to tackle your own pressure washing project around your house. There is also plenty of help out there on tips, news, and advise on do it yourself type projects of all kinds, not just pressure washing. Just be careful that the Internet does not give you too much confidence to where you get in over your head with a home improvement project of some sort. Sift through the information you gather, and remember, you cannot believe everything that you read so consider the source while reading.

Reading what professionals have to say in the pressure washing, or any industry, is your best bet. They make a living in that particular field so they would know better than just some random blogger tyring to make a living blogging, if that makes sense. Just be careful what you read. It is best to print out the information that you find or take notes of some kind, research for several weeks minimum, and then put together a game plan using your notes. If you research pressure washing or any subject long enough, you will be able to pick out what is legit useful advise and what is bogus.

The best thing to do in a tough housing market is to build equity and value in your home and wait out the storm. One of the best services for building some quick curb appeal and value into your home is pressure washing services. Cleaning up the roof, deck, siding, and concrete can do wonders for the exterior of your home and will boost the curb appeal instantly.

Increased curb appeal will always directly affect the resale value in a good way. Pressure washing services are not new but more and more people are realizing the benefit of having them done. Whether they are planning on living there for awhile or getting ready to put their home on the market, it definitely has its benefits; most of which is putting money in your pocket.

The cost of pressure washing services is nil compared to the money you will save by cutting down on the negative effects that dirt, mold, and mildew have on your home. These contaminants will rot and decay the building materials that make up your home causing costly premature repairs and replacements. Stopping this with regular cleaning maintenance will save you headaches and money.

Increased value and cutting down on premature fixes will give you back your cost ten fold for regular power washing services. Anything that is exposed to the elements like your roof, siding, decks, cement, brick pavers, and so on will need to be cleaned eventually. Having these surfaces cleaned every couple of years is a great way to protect your largest investment.

Pressure washing forums are a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to know anything about pressure washing. There is information in pressure washing forums for pressure washing businesses. I contains news and updates about the pressure washing industry.

Information and tips for removing natural contaminants like mildew, algae and mold as well as man-made pollutants like pollutants that occur on a home that is located close to a major highway. For anyone wanting information on the equipment you would need for pressure washing just about anything, you can find a great deal of information from professionals in this field.

If you have a question that you would like to have answered about pressure washing, look for pressure washing forums to get various answers which you can use to make an educated decision. Tips and advise on pressure washing forums are bountiful. So many subjects from roofs to decks, and many miscellaneous items like swing sets, statues, and bird baths.

Pressure washing forums can help you to get a little knowledge on the subject before hiring a professional pressure washer also. You will not be so easily swindled if you know something about the subject and you will be able to communicate what you want more easily also.

Having a knowledge of the proper equipment for pressure washing is half the battle to providing a good service. Methods and techniques can be a work in progress but the key is using the right equipment. Lets discuss some of the most useful pressure washing accessories that help you in providing a quality cleaning job.

As a business owner you know that time is money so the more efficient your setup the more time you will save. Hose reels are a great start to a good rig setup. Contractor grade hose reels will hold 300 feet of 3/8 inch pressure hose on average and the same amount of feed hose. For a one pressure washing unit rig, two hose reels are ideal. To be able to grab the end of the hose, hook up your wand, and walk off what you need is much more efficient than unwinding coils of hose by hand and hooking them together.

One of the most useful tools is a chemical injector. This injector is typically coupled in between the pressure washer and the hose reel. It is also referred to as a downstream injector because it is downstream of the pressure washing pump meaning chemicals are injected after the pump. When the pressure is dropped at the end of the wand by using a soap tip with a large orifice, a vacuum is created causing the injector to draw whatever chemicals are being used. Most injectors will draw at a 20% rate meaning 1 part chemical is injected with 5 parts water. Once the chemical ratios are adjusted properly this is a huge time saver.

A burner or hotbox can enable you the use of hot water. Some pressure washers come with a burner on them, these are known as skid units. A burner can also be a separate unit that is added to a cold water washer, this is usually called a hot box. The water is heated after it passes through the pressure washer pump and through a series of coils inside the burner. Burners can be electric or fueled by diesel, kerosene, or propane. Water can reach temperatures of 300 plus degrees controlled by a thermostat gauge.

A great way to improve your home’s value is to do upgrades and other types of projects. One of the best bangs for your buck is just having your home cleaned. First appearance is everything and curb appeal plays a huge part in your home’s estimated value.

Cleaning services can include house washing, deck cleaning, concrete cleaning, and low pressure roof cleaning. All of these cleaning and pressure washing projects can give your home’s value a huge boost. For the cost of having these projects done professionally, the return is easily ten times or more.

Many people are beginning to realize the importance of having a nice clean home, deck, and roof before selling their home. A clean home will stand out from all the other homes for sale on the market and could potentially help you sell your home quicker. Putting a little money into the home will also allow you to get more out of it.

Pressure washing services are a great investment whether you plan on selling your home or living there for years to come. We all know that a neglected deck, concrete, roof, or vinyl siding can lead to rot and decay caused by dirt, mold, and mildew. So basically pressure washing serves more than one purpose and can be a great investment when searching for upgrades to your home.

With so many people out of work many are starting up their own businesses trying to make ends meet. Every new business starts for a reason; to make more money, sick of the boss, tired of making someone else rich, and so on. Many businesses get started for these reasons and as of late many are getting started because people have been laid off and lost their jobs.

One of the most appealing business start ups is a pressure washing business. Like lawn mowing and handyman services, most think that pressure washing is easy and can be started with little capitol. The pressure washing industry has always drawn in people whom don’t have much money to get started. It is because of this the industry has a poor public perception.

Pressure washing is not as easy as one would think. Equipment, chemicals, techniques and methods have come a long way in recent years. Pressure washing is a skilled trade and in inexperienced hands a pressure washer can cause some serious damage to many different surfaces. Start up is NOT cheap if you plan on being professional and ethical. What happens is most guys will cut corners on proper equipment, chemicals, insurance, advertising, and so on. Most will rely on doing jobs cheap to get things going but once hired they cut corners, cause damage, and give poor customer service, and then within a year they are gone.

It is this type of fly-by-night contractor that leaves a bad image on the industry. Be leery of the start up company that is cutting corners. Ask for proof of insurance (that is your right and your responsibility as a consumer). Ask how long they’ve been in business, if they have any pictures of past jobs, and for customer testimonials. Besides having basic knowledge a professional quality contractor will have all of these things. Also be sure the company you are dealing with is a full time company, often a part timer that is only working weekends will not provide the same quality a full time pressure washing company would.

A few years back I remember my father getting his house washed a being very worried about water intrusion and damage being done to the vinyl siding. He had actually always done the house himself so he knew how easily it could be damaged with too much pressure. Not being as young as he used to be, he had no choice but to find a pressure washing company to do it for him. I remember him asking me to come over and just listen in on the conversation during the estimate. He just wanted my feedback and my feelings towards the contractor after he left. I knew this pressure washing contractor would never close my Dad on the spot because he was very hesitant to make haste decisions.

I worked as a salesman for several years so my Dad respected my opinion in matter like this. The pressure washing contractor called my Father back within an hour of him requesting an estimate online, he showed scheduled the estimate within two days, and he actually showed up on time when he said he would. I have to tell you this guy was impressing me before the estimate even started.

As the meeting went on with Dad and the pressure washing guy many questions were asked and answered quick and to the point. I noticed the pressure washer listening a lot to my Dad and not just try to sell him the whole time. He did a great job of presenting his services, he listed the benefits that my Dad was looking for, and most of all he made my Dad feel like he cared. To my surprise he got hired on the spot. The pressure washing contractor came back the following week and did a great job and have washed Dad’s house every year since.

The one thing I learned from being in sales is what this guy did and it worked. He was prompt and made my Dad feel important and that is what got him the sale, and because he also delivered great results he has kept my Dad as a customer. Running a pressure washing company really is not rocket science but so many companies just miss the boat by trying too hard.

As the old saying goes; you get what you pay for. I’m sure you’ve heard this before or how about this one; you can’t get a Cadillac for a Volkswagen price? These are two factual statements when it comes to hiring a contractor for services. The cheapest guy is not always the best option and many have been burned by the ridiculously low priced contractor. Every industry has a slew of unethical contractors that show up every year only to disappear the next. The pressure washing industry is no different, and in the opinion of many, it is often times one of the worst industries when dealing with fly by night companies.

It is a shame but these fly by night type of contractors have always plagued the pressure washing industry, mostly due to somewhat low start up costs. To start a professional pressure washing company with the right equipment, chemicals, insurance, and all the proper requirements it can be a substantial amount just like any business venture. But it is possible to go buy a pressure washer, a few chemicals, and some other equipment for just a couple thousand dollars and call yourself a pressure washing contractor. It is this type of company that ruins the pressure washing industry.

Most of these unethical companies have no insurance, no clue about what they are doing, the wrong chemicals (if any), and cheap equipment. They have no capitol to invest in advertising so when they do get a call they bid it cheap to be sure they get the job. They are then forced to take shortcuts in order to turn a profit. This leaves a wake of unhappy customers but once they have the check in hand they don’t care, and they seem to disappear. Most go out of business within a year, but unfortunately the following spring a new wave of them is ready to start up again.

It is a vicious cycle and if you have hired a cheap painter, handyman, or jack of all trades type of company that just happened to offer pressure washing services, you know what I’m talking about. The best way to combat this is to hire a contractor that specializes in pressure washing, or better yet, someone who does it full time. A professional pressure washing company that does nothing but pressure washing can be your best bet for a quality cleaning job done right. A full time pressure washer that is insured, does it full time, has been in business for a few years, has customer testimonials, and pictures of their past jobs will give you the results you expect when it comes to exterior cleaning. There are professional pressure washing companies like this in most areas. Search the Internet for local terms to see which pressure washing company keeps popping up.