The pressure washing business is one that almost anyone can start. There aren’t many materials required for you to complete your assignment. This may be a successful side business or a full-time endeavor. Consider that a pressure washing job typically costs between $192 and $401. If you worked 260 days a year and completed two jobs at a rate of $250 each, your annual salary would be $130,000. That’s decent pay with plenty of free time to enjoy it. In this guide, we’ll go over how to start a pressure washer business, its salary, and the advantages and disadvantages of a pressure washing business. Here is all you need to know, regardless of your industry experience level or desire to move from employee to business owner.
How to Start A Pressure Washer Business
We started by going over the essentials and describing the requirements for starting a pressure washer business. But right now, we want to walk you through starting a pressure washer business. Remember that this is only a very general summary of the procedure. The process of really starting your business involves a lot more steps. The rest is up to you; we’re just here to point you in the right direction. Let’s start a pressure washer business by selecting your business structure or model.
Five Steps to Start a Pressure Washer business
Step 1: Establish a business structure
The first step in starting a pressure washer business is to choose a business structure and file the necessary paperwork so that you can legally offer services in your area. You can choose a sole proprietorship, an LLC, or a corporation as your business structure. A sole proprietorship uses a “doing business as” (DBA) name and your personal Social Security number. Legal experts say you shouldn’t use this structure because it could make you personally responsible for your business.
Most people choose a corporation or an LLC as their business entity to reduce personal liability. To ensure another company is not already using your desired business name, you should conduct a name search with the secretary of state’s office. Then, you’ll send the state the necessary paperwork, including a list of the entity’s owners, the business’s name, and any contact information. Depending on your state, setting up a business corporation will cost you between $200 and $700.
Step 2: Buy your tools and supplies
To start a pressure washer business, you’ll need to purchase the necessary tools and materials. Pick a pressure washer first: gas or electric. If you decide on an electric pressure washer, keep in mind that you’ll need customers to provide the electricity to power it. Additionally, decide if you want a heavy-duty, medium-duty, or light-duty pressure washer.
A light-duty pressure washer will cost you less than $200, and a heavy-duty washer could cost you $400. Consider renting the equipment when you first start to save money and make sure you have what you need when you need it, rather than purchasing all the washers at once.
Other recommended tools and materials besides the pressure washer are:
- Pumps
- Nozzles
- Chemicals
- Surface cleaners
Don’t forget about transportation. You must move your equipment to and from the office every day. Renting a truck or a work van to store everything is an option. Putting your business name and phone number on the truck so that people may call as they see you driving around neighborhoods could be effective advertising. A truck lease should cost at least $350 per month.
Step 3. Set your rates
Before you market to potential clients, you must determine prices. You should consider choosing the high or the low end of the range because most jobs cost consumers between $192 and $401. Lower rates might attract more customers, but you must decide if it is worth your time and energy. Doing covert research to determine what other pressure washers in your neighborhood are charging can help you stay competitive.
Consider if you will charge per project or hour when setting your pricing. Remember that if you bill by the project, you must be aware of how much time each project will require. Test your skills to determine how long pressure washing takes:
- A driveway
- Windows on an average size home
- Fences and walls
- Sidewalks
When determining prices, consider the gas required to run the pressure washer and the materials required to complete a job. Ensure your prices are high enough to cover everything while making a profit.
Step 4: Setup your banking
Accepting payments and depositing money into a bank account is necessary if you want to make money from this. Get in touch with the IRS to fill out Form W-7 and get a Tax Identification Number (TIN) for your LLC or business. This is a business-specific version of a social security number. After that, you’ll be able to visit the bank with your business documentation to open a bank account.
You can deposit money orders and checks into the bank account, but you’ll need a payment gateway to accept credit card payments. There are numerous choices for payment gateways. Be sure to include the gateway fee in your price since you can expect to pay up to 3% of the amount. Connect the payment gateway to the bank so you can handle all income and expenses from your business bank account.
Step 5: Create a marketing plan
From internet listings to word-of-mouth recommendations, your marketing covers it all. Create business cards with the name of your business and contact details on them. These can be used while you knock on doors to introduce yourself and your new business. Additionally, you might want to create a website that displays some of your work along with “before and after” images.
Get featured on internet service listing pages like Google business pages, Yelp, and Facebook, even if you don’t own a website. Some companies have also found success by advertising on TikTok or Instagram Reels, where viewers delight in the rewarding process of seeing a dingy facade transform into something lovely.
Start introducing your new pressure washer business to everyone. You can participate in online forums to discuss your pressure washer business. To quickly increase business, consider running some advertising with an introductory discount. Targeting homeowners on a tight budget is simple with Facebook: start an ad with a $ 10 per day budget and test various advertisements to see which is most effective. You can increase your budget as you expand to reach more individuals.
How to Begin with your First Client?
Finding your first customer is one of the most challenging hurdles when starting a new business. Ask your friends, family, and neighbors whether they might be interested in your services. If you can’t get your first customer through these excellent ways, you could offer your services accessible to a few people in exchange for online reviews. This will help you build an excellent online reputation and show your work’s good.
Pressure Washer Business Salary
The average annual salary for a pressure washer business in the United States as of November 16, 2022, is $31,206. That comes to about $15.00 an hour, in case you need a quick salary calculator. This equates to $600 every week or $2,600 per month.
The salary range for the pressure washer business is now between $26,000 (25th percentile) and $35,000 (75th percentile), with top earners (90th percentile) making $40,000 yearly across the United States. At the same time, ZipRecruiter has annual salaries as high as $41,000 and as low as $19,000. The average salary for a pressure washer business is so high—up to $9,000—shows that there may be a lot of room for growth and higher pay, depending on how much experience you have, where you live, and what skills you have.
Recent job postings on ZipRecruiter show a lot of pressure washer jobs in New York, NY, and the surrounding areas. An average annual salary for a pressure washer business in your area is $34,247, or $3,041 (10%) more than the country’s $31,206 average yearly wage.
Pressure Washing Business: Pros and Cons
As with establishing any business, pressure washing has advantages and disadvantages!
Pros:
- Affordable start-up expenses
- Low entry hurdles
- Lots of repeat business
- High margins of profit
- Exercise will keep you in shape
- Do outside work
- Each day, go someplace new to work.
Cons:
- You will often be dirty and wet
- Work can be delayed by weather
- High staff turnover rates
- Require constant recruitment of new clientele
- Possibility of causing harm to homes and other items
Given the pros and cons listed above, starting and running a pressure-washing business can be an excellent way to start your own business. If you would like to begin a pressure washer business, it largely depends on the type of person you are.
How profitable is a pressure washing business?
This may be a successful side business or a full-time endeavor. Consider that a pressure washing job typically costs between $192 and $401. If you worked 260 days a year and completed two jobs at a rate of $250 each, your annual salary would be $130,000. That’s decent pay with plenty of free time to enjoy it.
How much money can you make from a pressure washer?
Pressure washers make an average yearly salary of $44,520, or $21.40 per hour. Earnings for the top 10% of pressure washers can reach $62,393 annually or about $30 per hour.
Is it easy to start a pressure washing business?
Many entrepreneurs find that beginning a pressure-washer business is ideal because of its minimal startup costs and strong profit margins. However, there are many things to think about, like with any other business, including investments, insurance, plans, and more.
Is pressure washing a promising career?
When it comes to being a pressure washer, there is more to it than meets the eye. For instance, did you know that their hourly wage is, on average, $15.55? That equals $32,339 each year! The career field is anticipated to expand by 4% between 2018 and 2028, creating 156,200 employment openings nationwide.
How much should I charge per hour to pressure wash?
According to Fixr.com, pressure washing typically costs $60 to $100 per hour. For instance, pressure washing in a 1,200-square-foot home costs between $360 and $600 and takes about six hours.
How do pressure washers get clients?
Pressure-washing advertising helps you increase sales without spending a massive amount of money:
- Increases Brand Recognition with Social Media Marketing Ideas
- Recommendations from existing customers.
- User testimonials and reviews.
- Run a Facebook/Instagram Live campaign.
- Influencer Marketing.
- Craigslist.
- Local Listing.
- Geo-Fencing.
- Yelp.
Is Power washing a good side hustle?
Starting a pressure-washing business could be an excellent seasonal side hustle. Blue-collar enterprises of this nature typically have cheap startup expenses, and you could already have the tools and expertise required to get going.
Are pressure washers in demand?
As urbanization speeds up, more homes will need to be built, increasing the need for pressure washers.
Is pressure washing a year-round business?
Pressure washing can be carried out year-round if done correctly. You could require a pressure washer for cleaning and maintenance, regardless of the weather. However, pressure washing in the winter might provide some particular difficulties.
Conclusion
That’s all there is to it. Everything you need to know about how to start a pressure washer business has been addressed. You now know what it takes to start a pressure washer business and what distinguishes successful businesses from the competition. The only thing left to do at this point is to act. Identify the needs in your community and decide how you will meet them as you begin to develop your business model. After that, gather your tools and materials and start working! I wish you luck.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water do you need for a pressure washing business?
A 250-gallon water tank will be adequate, but not if the cleaning job takes more than two hours. Aim for a tank over 250 gallons if your cleaning task will take longer than two hours to ensure you have enough.
What size power washer do I need to start a business?
You’ll require a power washer with at least 3,000 PSI of force. The cleaning is better and goes more quickly when the pressure is higher. You can permanently attach a bigger spray tip to it if there are some surfaces where you want to use lower pressure.
What chemicals do professional pressure washers use?
12.5% sodium hypochlorite (Bleach, Chlorine)
Bleach, also called sodium hypochlorite, is the most typical and widely used chemical utilized by industrial pressure washers.
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