How to start a pressure washing business

What a pressure washing business actually sells

Pressure washing is really four services that share a trailer. Knowing which ones you'll sell decides what you buy:

Most owners start with flatwork and house washing for homeowners. The jobs are short, the results are obvious, and the same customer often wants all three (driveway, house and deck) in one visit. Commercial work pays well but brings bigger machines, night work and stricter rules about runoff.

Pressure washing equipment and what it costs

The machine you see at the hardware store is built for one driveway a year. A business needs equipment that runs all day, every day, and that means a few specific things.

The pressure washer: GPM matters as much as PSI

PSI is how hard the water hits. GPM (gallons per minute) is how much water does the work, and it's what decides how fast you clean and rinse. Professional cold-water gas machines commonly run around 4 GPM at 4,000 PSI, with commercial engines and triplex pumps built to be rebuilt instead of replaced. Retail listings put those at roughly $1,300 to $1,500 US. Hot-water machines, which cut grease and gum, start around $5,000 US.

The rest of the kit

One retailer's "side hustle" starter package lists from about $2,970 US. A properly built trailer with tanks, reels, a soft wash system and a commercial machine costs far more. Start with what your first services need, and rent what you'll use twice a year.

Pressure washing vs soft washing

This is the most important technical decision in the trade, and the one that causes the most damage when it's wrong.

• Pressure washing uses high pressure to blast dirt off. It's right for concrete, brick pavers and other hard surfaces. Trade sources cite roughly 1,300 to 4,000 PSI depending on the surface.
• Soft washing uses low pressure (trade sources cite a few hundred PSI or less) with a cleaning solution, usually based on sodium hypochlorite, that kills mould, algae and mildew so the surface can be rinsed gently. It's right for siding, stucco, painted surfaces and roofs.

High pressure on the wrong surface is how pressure washers end up paying for repairs: shingles stripped of their granules (which shortens a roof's life), water forced behind siding, etched concrete, furred wood on a deck, broken window seals and paint taken off with the dirt.

Soft washing has its own risks. The solution can damage plants, lawns, car paint and skin if it's mixed too strong or not rinsed. One trade source says professionals typically dilute 12.5% sodium hypochlorite to between 0.5% and 3% for residential work; follow the product label and your supplier's guidance, pre-wet plants, rinse thoroughly, and wear eye, skin and breathing protection when you mix.

Where the water goes: runoff rules

Every job ends with dirty water running somewhere. Where it's allowed to go is a city rule, and it matters more as you take on commercial work.

Toronto's position is blunt: nothing other than rain and melted snow should ever enter a catch basin, because catch basins connect to storm sewers that drain straight into rivers, streams and the lake. The city's Sewers By-law (Municipal Code Chapter 681) limits what can go into sewers, and the city publishes guidance on washing outdoor areas.

What that means on a job:

• Know where the drains are before you start, and keep wash water and cleaning solution out of the street catch basins.
• Block or protect drains near the work, and divert rinse water to grass or gravel where that's allowed and there's no oil or chemical in it.
• Recover water on commercial jobs with grease, oil or chemicals (drive-thrus, gas stations, dumpster pads, fleets). That usually means a vacuum recovery setup and disposal to sanitary sewer or a hauler, depending on local rules.
• Use the least chemical that works. Less cleaner means less to manage at the drain.

Rules vary by city. Check your city's sewer use by-law and ask before your first commercial contract, because commercial clients increasingly ask how you handle wash water.

How much to charge for pressure washing

Pressure washers price by the square foot, by the job or by the hour. Most quote homeowners a flat price per item (driveway, deck, house) worked out from the square footage behind the scenes.

US pricing guides land in the same range for flatwork ($0.15 to $0.75 per square foot, $100 to $300 for a driveway), in US dollars. Charge more for oil stains, rust, gum, tannin on wood, two-storey access, heavy mould and anything that needs a second pass. Set a minimum job price so a single small patio still covers your drive and setup.

Register, insure and work safely

Registration is the same as any cleaning business: your provincial name registration (Ontario: $60 for 5 years), a free CRA business number, and GST/HST once sales pass $30,000. The start-up guide covers it step by step.

City licences: check every city you work in. Calgary lists pressure washing among the cleaning businesses that need a municipal licence; Toronto doesn't license cleaning.

Insurance: pressure washing can damage property in ways house cleaning can't (siding, roofs, paint, plants, cars). Tell your broker exactly what you do, including soft washing, roofs and commercial work, and make sure your liability policy covers it. Ask about coverage for your equipment and trailer too. The licence and insurance guide explains each policy.

Safety: high-pressure water can cut skin and inject water under it, which needs emergency medical care even when the wound looks small. Wear eye and hearing protection (gas engines are loud), never point the wand at anyone, keep water off outlets and electrical panels, and don't work from a ladder with a high-pressure wand. Once you hire, register for workers' comp (in Ontario, with the WSIB within 10 days) and train every worker on the equipment and chemicals they use.

Commercial pressure washing

Commercial customers pay more per visit and book on a schedule, but the jobs come with conditions homeowners never ask about.

• The work: drive-thrus and restaurant patios (grease and gum), gas station aprons, dumpster pads, sidewalks and storefronts, parking garages, building exteriors and fleet vehicles.
• Hot water: grease and gum come off far faster with hot water, which is why commercial operators invest in hot-water machines.
• Night and early-morning work: most sites want you done before customers arrive. Price the odd hours in.
• Water recovery: oily and chemical wash water is exactly what storm sewers must not receive. Expect to recover it and dispose of it properly, and expect clients to ask how.
• Paperwork: a certificate of insurance (often with higher limits than residential), WSIB clearance in Ontario, and sometimes a written safety plan before you're allowed on site.
• Contracts: monthly or quarterly visits under a service agreement. Put the scope, frequency, exclusions, price with HST and the notice period to cancel in writing.

If you're adding commercial accounts, the bidding and proposal advice in the commercial cleaning guide applies here too: work out the hours first, then price the hours.

Your first season, step by step

Pressure washing rewards owners who are ready before the weather is. Here's a simple plan for a first season in most of Canada:

Keep a simple record of every job: the address, the surfaces, the square footage, how long it took and what you charged. After one season you'll know your real pace and your best streets, and next year's prices will be based on your numbers instead of a guide's.

The Canadian season and how to fill the rest of the year

In most of Canada, pressure washing runs from spring to fall. Below freezing, water ices on driveways and inside your pump. Winterize your equipment at the end of the season (most owners run pump antifreeze through it) so you don't start April with a cracked pump.

• Pre-sell spring. Contact last year's customers in late winter with an early-booking offer, and start the season booked.
• Add deck sealing and staining. The natural next step after a deck wash, and higher value per visit.
• Gutter cleaning and window cleaning. Same customers, same ladder, and they extend into the fall. See the window cleaning guide.
• Holiday lights. A common winter add-on for exterior trades.
• Indoor commercial work. Parking garages, warehouse floors and fleet washing can carry on in heated spaces, with the right recovery setup.

Your best marketing is the job itself: a clean half of a driveway next to the dirty half is the best ad in the trade. Take before-and-after photos (with permission), post them to your Google Business Profile, and leave door hangers on the street. The guide to getting cleaning clients has the full playbook.