The Legal Side Of A Pressure Washing Business

The Cost of Legitimacy And Doing Pressure Washing Right

Pressure Washing At Denver City Park

Anyone who’s taken bids from multiple pressure washing companies has probably run into a few “one-man-shows” – a guy who operates out of his home (apartment, parent’s home, garage, storage unit, etc.).  These one-man-shows are usually good hard workers, but many times they’re missing some things that established companies can’t afford to miss.

Wash On Wheels operates our Denver area mobile pressure washing business out of a two-story building in Englewood/Sheridan, Colorado.

The area is zoned for light industrial – the category a pressure washing business falls under. We recently had an inspection from the Sheridan Fire Department.  They were extra stringent in their inspection this time because they’re turning our area over to the Denver Fire Department the beginning of next year.  We had to change a few things in our shop to meet the new guidelines and we had to register the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) of all our soaps and chemicals with the county.

The reason for the registration is so if there is a fire, the fire department will know what’s in the building that could have adverse reactions with each other so they know what type of fire suppressant to use.

Small quantities of material can become hazardous in large quantities. A good example is paint – one gallon is no problem but 500 gallons is hazardous material.

Oxygen Masks Needed For Confined Space

The fire department does this with businesses because the volume of chemicals is usually higher than in personal dwellings.  However, the same potential for toxic destruction exists in nearly every kitchen and laundry room – just in much smaller quantities.

But if someone is operating a pressure washing business out of their personal dwelling, they’re probably storing fairly large quantities of some pretty volatile chemicals.  And they’re all together instead of being kept in separate cabinets. Just a few gallons of graffiti remover or masonry cleaner could be hazardous to a fireman working in a burning building.

The point we’re making isn’t so much that these one-man-shows are endangering their neighbors. It’s that when you’re dealing with a legitimate pressure washing company, you know they’re fully aware of what chemicals they’re dealing with and how to use them.  You know they’re going to be prepared to do EPA water recovery if needed. You also know their hourly rate is going to be a bit higher in order to protect you and your community by complying with all the government agencies, maintaining full commercial insurance, and employing trained, skilled workers.

Using one-man-shows might be an acceptable option for simple jobs, but even those simple jobs can turn horribly wrong if the little guy makes a mistake because he doesn’t really understand what he’s doing.  You should always confirm their commercial auto, liability and workers comp insurance before letting them work on your property!

Just be sure you’re dealing with a pressure washing company that guarantees their work – and is capable of standing behind that guarantee.