Pressure Washing checklists

Lean startup equipment list

This cleans houses and driveways well and books real jobs for about $1,500. It fits in one truck bed and handles houses, driveways, walkways, patios, decks, and fences. Most people start here, book a few jobs, and let their customers pay for upgrades.

• Gas pressure washer, around 4 GPM and 4,000 PSI (buy GPM for speed, respect PSI): $600 to $900, lean pick ~$650
• Surface cleaner, 16 to 20 inch (buy this day one; it pays for itself in two driveways): $150 to $400, lean pick ~$180
• Pressure hose, 100 to 150 feet, plus a hose reel: $120 to $250, lean pick ~$130
• Quick-connect nozzle tips set: 0, 15, 25, 40 degree plus soap: $20 to $40
• Spray gun and a couple of wands, including one extension wand: $80 to $200, lean pick ~$120 with the tips
• Soft-wash setup: downstream injector to start: $30 to $60, lean pick ~$45
• Pump-up sprayer or X-jet for spot work: $40 to $120
• Chemicals to start: sodium hypochlorite (pool-grade), surfactant, and a concrete degreaser: $80 to $150, lean pick ~$90
• Mixing tank or a few 5-gallon buckets and measuring jugs: $40 to $80
• Chemical-resistant gloves, safety glasses, and rubber boots: $50 to $90
• Non-slip footwear and a wide hat for full days in the sun: $40 to $80
• Feed water straight from the customer's spigot to start (watch your pressure); skip the buffer tank for now
• Skip the trailer; the truck bed is fine
• Misc: brass fittings, a Y-splitter, gas cans, rags: ~$135

Pro startup equipment list

The upgraded setup is faster and ready for higher volume, totaling about $2,800. Build toward this once a few jobs have paid for it, so your customers fund the gear instead of your savings account.

• Gas pressure washer, around 4 GPM: ~$850 (known pump brand with a parts supplier you can call)
• Surface cleaner: ~$350
• Hose plus reel: ~$230
• Nozzles, guns, and wands: ~$260
• Dedicated soft-wash pump system instead of just an injector: ~$300
• Chemicals to start: ~$140
• Buffer tank (65 to 100 gallon) so the machine always has water waiting and the pump never starves: ~$250
• Safety gear: ~$170
• Misc fittings, gas cans, and rags: ~$250
• Spare parts kept on the truck: extra nozzle tips, o-rings, and a spare trigger gun
• Still skip for now: trailer or wrapped truck, hot-water machine, the biggest machine you can find, and fancy software or a logo package

Job-day checklist

Tape a version of this inside your truck. One glance keeps every job fast, safe, and damage-free.

• Night before: top off the gas, fill or check the water tank, load chemicals in labeled sealed containers, confirm hoses and tips are in the truck
• Night before: send the see-you-tomorrow confirmation texts and group the day's jobs by neighborhood
• Truck loadout: pressure washer strapped upright, hose reel with 100 to 150 feet of hose, surface cleaner plus spare tips
• Truck loadout: two or three 5-gallon buckets (mixed soft-wash solution, degreaser, clean rinse and tools), water hose, brass fittings and a Y-splitter
• Truck loadout: safety bin (gloves, eye protection, boots), a milk crate with rags, brush, painter's tape, plastic sheeting for outlets, zip ties, plus your phone and card reader
• Two-minute walk-around with the customer: point out what you will clean and note anything already damaged
• Walk-around: find the outdoor outlets and lights to cover, the plants and grass to wet down, the cars and windows in your spray path, and a water tap
• Set expectations out loud, like: I will start with a gentle test spot so you can see how it looks before I do the whole thing
• Tip and pressure rules: soft wash siding, roofs, and wood with low pressure and a cleaning solution; full pressure only on concrete; keep the zero-degree red tip off customer property
• Tip guide: green 25 degree is your everyday concrete tip, white 40 degree for lighter and delicate work, black soap tip pulls your soft-wash mix; test a hidden spot first
• Concrete: run the surface cleaner in slow, overlapping straight passes, then edge the borders with a wand; pre-treat oil stains with degreaser and give it time
• Soft wash: dilute the mix, let it dwell a few minutes, do not let it dry in the sun, then rinse from the top down
• Take the before photo first, the after from the same spot, and one half-and-half shot mid-job
• At the reveal: walk the property with the customer, ask for a Google review and text the link, collect payment on the spot
• End of day: flush the pump with clean water for a minute, coil hoses without kinks, check for leaks and loose fittings