What to charge per sq ft to pressure wash a building and parking lot.

No quick answer, look at the job details, like what kind of siding on the bldg, is it on a hill or flat land, easily accessible, if your first job of this kind, estimate how long it will take, how many people do you need, one or two, build in the profit you expect, then take time and measure the sq. footage to be power washed, divide that by the total of your time and profit. I have done power washing commercially and ea job is different. But I do think you can come up with some sort of price per sq foot.

In Atlanta, those with hot water washers, normally get about 5 to 10 cents a sq foot for paking lots. They will be using of course flat surface cleaners which clean a lot better than just the wand.

Since cold water will not clean as well, most parking lot cleaning is always done with hot units which will clean the oil and grease better.

For single familiy homes, most charge a flat fee of about 100 to 125 dollars for a home.

Next of course doing commercial buildings will be different but they will get about 10 cents to 20 cents a running foot for one story commercial buildings,

Also remember that the standard unloader can handle a two, and maybe a three story building, but over that, the unloader can not handle the increased back pressure.

But also the type of cleaning, merely washing it off is one thing, but on some buildings, you have to bush soap on, and use a brush to clean, since pure pressure can't be used just by itself on brick and wood, since it can also gouge.

Also there make a smaller flat surface cleaner for walls, that are used on other various surfaces for a more uniform clean.

And lastly you did not ask for one of the largest paying item, semi trucks and their trailers.

Also there are a lot of jobs taking decals off trailers and the such, most of these are bid jobs.
( you will need hot water with at least 3000 PSI and 4000 PSI works better for decals off trailers)

I have a question. To start doing residential do you need to invest in ladders?

I would buy ladders how else can you get to the higher areas. Either that or a bucket truck which is what used for off ground work.
Look in a bargain counter in the newspaper or what ever adds you have there. Be real careful and look at the ladder CLASS rating.

Extra Heavy Duty IAA Maximum intended load 375lbs
Extra Heavy Duty IA Maximum intended load 300lbs
Heavy Duty I Maximum intended load 250lbs
Medium Duty II Maximum intended load 225lbs
Light Duty III Maximum intended load 200lbs



I use Werner ladders and they hold up the best. They are a Little heavier that aluminum ladders but help protect from schock

Here is a basic OSHA test to read

http://www.union.edu/Safety/EHS/OSHA...%20answers.pdf

Be careful on ladders. When you set the ladder and pull the handle to spray it will kick back on you and you could loose your balance. I pressure wash a lot on our job sites on brick structures and this is the safety factor that's missed many times.

When you bid a brick wash job make sure you mention that some mortar most likely will blow out and will need pointed if its an old building.

Most of our pressure wash jobs are for brick Restoration. Pointing and pressure washing go hand in hand. That's another area to consider for that part of a pressure washing business.

Many times masons just do the masonry work and not the actual cleaning of the building, or the owner isn't aware of it at all and thinks the building just needs spruced up. Be careful of painted jambs of blowing off the paint and not to mention Lead Paint. There is a quick test kit for that at the big box stores. It a little capsule that you snap and it mixes the liquid in it and has a felt tip to dab on the paint. It has a color chart to show you the proper use. Cover the unforeseen to cover your liabilities and unexpected job costs. If is lead paint then better get schooled on Lead Abatement and the Legal Proper way to handle that. It may vary a tad from town to town but its pretty much standard. Check the local codes to make sure BEFORE you bid the work and put a clause on the contract to cover that Unforeseen that happen.

The best washer on many things is steam but be careful with that. It cuts dirt and grease and old paint real well but, but you can do some damage with it. Steam versus just pressure makes a big difference. It take a lot less pressure in steam to wash down than straight water pressure.
Steam Is a learned process. Some surfaces can't take the heat so always know the material you are going to clean down and test spots can save a lot of problems.

To have a good complete system it takes two pressure washer to handle job situations. When just water pressure leaves some skips on masonry work steam gets the tough spots.

Test the site for the right nozzle tip and Psi When starting any pressure washer job so you don't do damage to the surface.

It harder to work with steam on ladders etc above ground but you can't beat it for the tough spots.

As far as pricing a lot of it depends on the pressure washer GPM of how fast you can go.
For ladder work I use a 4 GPM 11hp 3,200 Psi and it is also adjustable on the machine itself.

There is a turn knob to tweak the pressure and we have 5 different tips for the spray nozzle.

Many home owners get a pressure washer and just look at the Psi and not the GPM.

Volume is just as important if not more than Psi so it doesn't take a month of Sundays to spray a deck.

Again Your completive bid will be the washer speed to get the job done.

Signed 21 Boat

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What chemicals do I use for pressure washing and when do I know when to use it on a job?
Are the chemicals used for pressure washer biodegradable? Where can I buy chemicals?

That's a loaded question. Its like saying what kind of plane do I use to fly there

It all depends what you are trying to wash off. I generally use the steam to cover that. Or solutions that go in the pressure washer added hose just for that. You have to check your owners manual on what's safe for the washer for a detergent add on.

Pressure washer cleaning solutions

You can pump spray detergents to or safe strippers There is so many variables and products here which changes as new products come out. It's a pretty big field now.

Many are envio friendly.Read the product carefully

Instead of writing it all out read this site.

http://www.dcs1.com/del/chemguid.html

Signed 21 Boat

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Sorry for the loaded questions. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can about it. Thanks for you help.

What kind of pressure washers are recommended for residential and commercial?

What is better for commercial and residential, a hot water pressure washer or cold water?

I'm debating on buying a HUSKY 2600 psi or a DeWalt DPD3100 Gas Pressure Washer. Is it the more power the better? Is hot water better than cold? I know this is another loaded question but I want to learn the ropes.

This question is for Fr_Chuck. I have a house that is better than 1495 square ft and it is a 2 story home that is cut up. It is vinyl sided with Aluminum soffits. The gutters and downspouts are going to have to be hand cleaned because, once white, they are nearly black with stains. The house had had an added on area that is why it is probably more than 1495 sq ft. It has 20 exterior windows and one huge bay window, 4 exterior doors, and a carport.

And from previous experience, I plan to wash the exterior windows due to streaking that has occurred after pressure cleaning. What would you charge for a house like this? I am in Greensboro, North Carolina so not that awful far from Atlanta. Smaller city but still a big city.