7 Steps to Find a Quality Pressure Washing Service
Unfortunately, many of us have been there. Paying for what we believe to be a quality service only to get left with bad results. Well hope has arrived as this guide will give you the seven things you MUST look for when engaging a pressure washing service.
Before we dive right in, lets acknowledge one thing. It can be overwhelming to try and find a quality pressure washing service. With the global market size of pressure washing sitting at a whopping 3.5 billion AUD (2.5 billion USD) in 2021 (https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/pressure-washer.asp) it isn’t hard to conclude that there are many businesses trying to get their portion of this market and therefore offer pressure washing services. However, all is not lost as we are here to help.
Below you will find seven key steps to follow when trying to engage a pressure washing service. This service can be used for a variety of purposes that you are looking for, including concrete cleaning, paver cleaning, mold and stain removal, building washing and well the list goes on! By following these steps, you are in the best position to get a quality service and overall great result. This ensures that the money you are going to spend is worth it.
1. Insurance
What is it?
Insurance covers businesses should any accidental damage or injuries occur during business activities. Claims can be made by customers, suppliers or even members of the public. Having insurance protects businesses from these claims provided they were not negligent in the matter.
For businesses that offer pressure washing services, public liability insurance is used. This is because during business activities they are engaging with customers or members of the public. Businesses can choose 5, 10 or 20 million dollars in cover.
What is the benefit to you?
If something was to be damaged as a result of the pressure washing service or someone was to get injured then the business has insurance to pay for the repairs and costs associated with injury etc.
Inexperienced or inattentive pressure washing operators can easily cause damages to your property such as etching surfaces or killing landscaping.
Insurance provides you peace of mind. Without insurance, a service provider may try to deny or cover up such damages and injuries to avoid any costs which they probably cannot afford. They may also try to ‘hush you up’ to avoid impacting other future business.
Alternatively, a service may be provided and if something was damaged the business may take payment and become uncontactable again, as they know you are rightfully allowed to follow up such damages. This can be very frustrating and cause unneeded stress and concern for you.
It is important to keep in mind that when working with high pressures and chemicals it can be quite easy to damage something at your property. For example, if the pressure is not applied at the right angle or too powerful for the exterior surface it can easily leave marks or permanently etch the surface. Also, if chemical is applied that is too strong or not appropriate for the surface this can result in damage as well.
How can you find this information?
The insurance you are looking for here is public liability insurance. Quality services will show this on their website. Alternatively, you can ask the person you get into contact with. If they become closed off, dismissive or avoid the question this may be a sign they do not have insurance. If this is the case, then avoid at all costs. The risk is not worth it!
2. Equipment & Staff Knowledge
What is it?
The level of equipment that a pressure cleaning company has will have a direct impact on the result that will be achieved on your property. The right equipment allows the operator to work more efficiently, not make as much mess and most importantly be safer on the job. On the other hand, an operator that has not invested in the correct level of equipment will be less efficient, will create more mess and will likely have to put themselves in danger in order to carry out certain tasks.
The knowledge and experience of an operator and their team is also an important thing to consider. There are many things to be aware of as an exterior cleaning professional, it’s not just a case of spraying water! In order to help gauge this, ask the company how long they’ve been in business for and ask to see some of their past work.
A service provider that takes care of their own equipment is more likely to treat your property with the same care, and this is a big one. You wouldn’t want someone to clean your pavers with high pressure and trust that they will remove all the dirt that gets blown all over the place if their work vehicle was not well organised, things were hanging off the sides, things look dirty (within reason, it is a dirty job!) and broken.
If the staff look like they don’t know what they are doing, then they probably don’t! Pressure washing has lots of moving parts and equipment may breakdown. Having someone capable of fixing their equipment through such breakdowns will keep your service on track.
What is the benefit to you?
Having quality equipment greatly increases the chances of a quality result. Commercial pressure washing units are significantly more expensive and powerful than machines on offer at your local hardware store. Such machines apply higher pressure and greater flow rates to your exterior surface and therefore are more effective at removing stains, mold and dirt build-up. Commercial quality equipment also allows for the job to be completed quicker.
A homeowner grade pressure washer is only capable of cleaning a very small area at one given time. Compare this to a commercial or industrial grade pressure washer and the area that can be cleaned at one time is significantly more. This allows for more consistent washing, larger areas to be cleaned within a day and multiple washes of the same area for better results.
Engaging a service provider that knows what they are doing also increases the chances of a quality result. If the technician does not know how to remove a stain or strategies to work efficiently and get the best outcome for your property then that result won’t happen. You wouldn’t take an Uber if the person didn’t know how to drive. So don’t trust one of your biggest assets; your property, to someone that doesn’t know how to clean it properly.
How can you find this information?
Taking a quick look at the work vehicle and equipment of a pressure washing business will quickly tell you what kind of service they offer. If there is just a Karcher and a hose thrown on the back, then this will be a sure sign of a low level operator.
Quality pressure washing companies have big machines, multiple hose reels, lots of tools and other important supplies and will have a vehicle to store all of this. Lucky for you this kind of a setup is not hard to notice. If the service provider is not coming to your property before commencing work ask them about their equipment or alternatively have a look at their website or social media pages. If they have equipment and a setup they are proud of, then they are likely to have some photos somewhere.
When speaking to the technician ask some questions to get a gauge of their knowledge. This is especially important if you have a specific stain you would like removed, now is the time to ask! If you get the feeling that they don’t seem to know what they are talking about, then they probably don’t. Your best bet then is to find another pressure washing business.
3. Reviews
What is it?
Reviews are other clients’ opinions, feedback and thoughts about a particular business or service. Whilst these can take many forms the most commonly found reviews are Google reviews and Facebook reviews. Business’ with few reviews, or multiple bad reviews probably have them for a reason.
Learn from the experiences of others to avoid having those experiences yourself.
A pressure washing service that has a good review rating overall and multiple reviews that have left comments are likely to provide a better service and more quality result overall than those without such positive reviews.
What is the benefit to you?
One major advantage of seeking out reviews is to learn from other people’s experiences, both positive and negative. If many people have had a negative experience with a business, or have been left with a disappointing result you can learn from this and avoid having this experience yourself. This will save you money and stress in the longer term.
Service providers that are well rated and have a decent number of reviews have been shown to deliver a quality service and a good result. It can be expected that you would then have a similar experience.
High review rating & number of reviews = increased chance of quality service and result.
How can you find this information?
Reviews can be found through Google or Facebook. Search the business name on Google and in their business listing the reviews will show up. Have a look at the overall rating and read through some of the reviews if you would like to hear about peoples’ experiences.
On Facebook, search for the business and click on the reviews tab. Here you can do the same thing. Have a look at the overall rating and read through some of the reviews.
If other people are happy and would recommend the pressure washing service there’s a likely chance that you will too.
4. Professionalism
What is it?
Professionalism is a level of competence and behaviour traits that indicate you are showing respect, provide a quality service, are reliable and many other factors.
For a pressure washing service professionalism relates to how one interacts with you via messages, over the phone or in person.
Is the service provider wearing appropriate clothing, specifically something that identifies their business?
Does the individual show professionalism when providing you a quote, or whilst undertaking work on your property?
If they are not showing respect to you and your property whilst quoting or looking at the potential job then they likely will not show respect during the pressure washing service.
What is the benefit to you?
A professional company will look professional, portray themselves in a professional way and value the service they are providing to the client; you.
This goes a long way when working on your property as you want the best result possible. Those with professionalism will work hard to try and obtain that result, conduct themselves appropriately whilst working and interacting as well as having a range of procedures in place to manage the ‘behind the scenes’ work and potential issues that may arise.
Overall, this makes the process of engaging a pressure washing service a positive experience. As the interactions are positive and a professional service will deliver a professional level result. That’s the goal at the end of the day, right?
How can you find this information?
This one is a little harder to find, as it is more of a personal feeling. However, there are some key signs to look for when determining a business’ professionalism. Do they wear business branded uniform/clothing? How do they act in person or on the phone with you?
If they are approachable, friendly and respectful this is a great sign to continue. This may also be discussed in the business’ reviews by other clients.
5. Cost
This may be cliché but the old saying “you get what you pay for,” really applies here.
If you get multiple quotes and go with the lowest you are more likely to get the lowest quality result. And whilst this doesn’t mean go and find the most expensive pressure washing service, you need to find a compromise between the result you are looking to achieve and your back pocket.
How much does pressure washing cost?
There is no one answer for such a question. The cost can depend greatly on the area to be cleaned, the surface to be cleaned, access, location from the business, how dirty the surface is and how much material is required to clean the surface.
There are also many other costs that must be factored in when providing a quote to a potential client that you may not have considered. These include:
- Equipment: commercial quality pressure washers can cost between $10,000 and $40,000, then there are also hoses, accessories, spray systems, surface cleaners, tools and many other things. There is also all the associated maintenance costs that go along with keeping said equipment in sound order.
- Material: applying quality chemicals and sealers to your surface has a price tag. Some sealers cost $1000 for a 20L drum and if you have a large area with multiple coats required this can factor heavily into the quoted price.
- Staff: If multiple staff members are required on the job to increase the efficiency this can increase the quote price.
- Admin and behind the scenes cost: running a pressure washing business is more than turning up with equipment and cleaning your property. There are many admin costs, advertising, insurance, maintenance and other ongoing costs. These are a necessary part of running a successful business and being able to provide a quality service and therefore are factored into the quoted price.
When taking all these things into consideration it can be understood why a quoted price may be more than you were anticipating. You may have looked at the area to be cleaned, estimated how long it may take and then made a budget from that without considering all these other factors that must be factored into the quote.
A pressure washing service that is quoting cheaper than you expected may not have quality equipment, quality materials, insurance and other business expenses which is why they can charge a significantly cheaper price. However, they probably are then unable to deliver the same quality result as a higher quoted pressure washing service. Remember, “you get what you pay for!”
6. Previous Work
What is it?
Previous work is the work that the pressure washing business’ has provided to other clients. Here we are specifically referring to photo or video evidence of such work.
If a business does not show photos or videos of their work then it is probably not something they are proud of. This can indicate that you will not be happy with the result either.
Exterior cleaning companies that consistently share and advertise their quality outcomes have shown they can deliver such results time and time again and therefore this is likely to be the outcome at your property as well.
What is the benefit to you?
Seeing evidence of the results an exterior cleaning company can deliver upon increases your confidence in their services. It also decreases the stress and worry that can coincide spending money and being unsure of what the final outcome may be.
Anybody can learn how to pressure wash but that does not mean they can do it well!
Investing in a trusted business that has proven results from the start will avoid getting a result like the image below and having to call in a quality company later down the track to fix the mistakes. Why give yourself the added stress and waste your hard earnt money?
How can you find this information?
Photos and videos will likely be shared on the business’ social media accounts or website.
Again, if they are proud of the work they deliver, they will share it.
This is the same on the other hand, if you can only find stock photos or a significant lack of images of their work on social media or their website then avoid, avoid, avoid. Think of future you and save that stress and money for other parts of life!
7. Do Your Research – website, social media etc.
If you have gotten this far and are happy with what you have seen from the potential pressure cleaning services that you have looked into then you are doing extremely well!
This last step does not stand alone as through the other steps you have highly likely found yourself on the business’ social media pages, website, Google listing and maybe more. However, if you haven’t found yourself in such places, this is a sign and this is the time!!!
A business’ internet platform will say a lot about the service they offer. Whilst researching, keep in mind the previous six areas as information for them all can be found online.
Remember, business’ do not have control over what clients say and post on their reviews or on other sharing platforms so this is great for you.
If you see mainly negative things then chances are you will have a negative experience. On the other hand, if you see mainly positive things then chances are you will have a positive experience.
Conclusion
By now you should have everything needed in your arsenal to engage with a quality pressure washing service and set yourself up to get a quality result.
If you are in Adelaide and looking for a pressure washing service contact Superior Exterior. We offer a range of exterior cleaning services including concrete and paver cleaning and sealing. Make sure you follow the seven steps above to put us to the test first!