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How much would you pay for someone to pressure wash your driveway? (1 Viewer)

TreyP

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My brother is trying to make some extra cash. He plans on renting a pressure washer and going door to door. He was originally gonna charge $25 but someone recommended to him he should charge around $40. He asked me and I'm like hell I dunno. Also, would you have it done after a rainy weekend?
 

Jeff Ulmer

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There was a guy handing out flyers in my friend's neighborhood offering to power wash people's driveways. My friend decided to ask for a quote, but this fellow's first question was whether he could borrow my friend's pressure washer to do the job! Needless to say, that didn't go far.

No idea on a suitable cost.
 

Malcolm R

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I don't understand the need for this service. This is a driveway; you don't have to eat off it.
 

PeterK

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I am with malcom. 0 dollars. unless your driveway just had pile of dirt dumped on it, it is just a waste of valuable water.
 

VinhT

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I think $40 may be too high. The problem is that using a pressure washer makes the task far too easy. Unless he goes to an extremely affluent neighborhood, he'll finish most driveways in a matter of minutes.
 

Justin Lane

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How old is your brother? If he needs to rent the piece of equipment which his business revolves around, he is very young and has zero start up capital, or he doesn't mind losing a significant portion of his weekly profits to the rental business.

You can get a decent power washer around $500, which would be a good investment for someone looking to start a "power washing" business. Otherwise people might use his service once, then when they see the Home Depot logo on his washer, get smart, and do their own power washing.
 

SethH

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Honestly, I think a much more valuable service would be power washing decks and vinyl siding. If you power wash a deck that hasn't been cleaned in several years you'll be amazed by the difference. He should at least add those service options in along with the driveways.
 

Matt Stryker

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I'm not sure how it is in CA, but the my driveway in GA would turn darker from tree sap, dirt, etc within a year of being cleaned. In the rainier months, you can also get moss and fungus due to water not evaporating fast enough. Also things like motor oil stains can be quickly gotten out with a pressure washer.

Trey, i would think $35-45 would be ok, although if he is going to use a chemical cleaner he should probably make sure its earth-friendly and isn't going to damage someones yard. Decks are a great idea as well, HD makes a deck cleaner that you can run thru a pressure washer that does a great job of prepping a deck for staining.
 

Jeff Ulmer

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Speaking of damage, I would look into insurance for this operation. A power washer can do a lot of damage, especially if used on the house. Even driveways can be ruined by power washing, as it can blast the finer cement out. Decks are the same thing, they look great when wet, but the water pressure destroys the fibres, making them more prone to getting dirty or rotting.
 

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