One of Heath's crew cleaning a driveway with a Whisper Wash Ultra, 16". This unit is priced around $435.

Heath Felps is the owner of Texas Pressure Washing and the author of Pressure Washing 101 Guide: How To Start Your Business. He is a 20 year Navy veteran that spent his career serving aboard nuclear submarines. He retired honorably at the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

His book, Pressure Washing 101 is designed to help newcomers get started in the industry. It covers all of the important topics including cleaning techniques, marketing and even equipment with links to purchase specific items online.

“It’s a guide to help you not make glaring errors.”

“It’s short enough that you might not die from reading it and long enough that it will point you in the right direction.”

From time to time property preservation companies need to have driveways and home exteriors power washed. If they don’t do significant volume it’s almost always best to hire a pressure washing company for these jobs. However, if their sales grow large enough their company’s needs may change.

“If you have a bunch of houses to clean it is intrinsically valuable to you to learn how to do this.”

The investment for the equipment necessary to power wash professionally starts in the low 4 figures. Although a dedicated truck with a 200 gallon water tank may be a considerable investment, a simpler setup for lower volume work isn’t cost prohibitive.

"I have budget builds on my website, and that’s really what I like to show guys getting into the industry."

"If you can permanently pull a trailer that can have your equipment mounted to it, or your truck bed is not something you need to use for other things I always recommend starting up with my budget build. I think we have bare bones setups with everything done for like $2,500, and that’s pretty rock n’ roll. Now if you have to put in a truck or trailer that’s an extra expense."

"The floor to do this full time is about $2,500. To do this part time is probably about $1,000."

In addition to the capital investment an operator needs to have some general, technical knowledge to clean safely and efficiently.

"Pressure washing is more than just spraying water at a home. Current techniques are mostly soft washing a home which can be done with 12V, gas, or air systems. I recommend a pressure washer because it can soft wash a home but also use the appropriate pressure to clean concrete as well. Learning how to tackle organic growth and remove it is crucial to safely washing someone's property. Non-organic stains like rust, oil, and efflorescence are what we call restoration jobs in the industry. Those too can be treated but require different chemicals and the knowledge to apply them safely. The basics can be broader than you'd imagine but are worth your time to learn. Mistakes cost money and a home is not cheap to repair if damaged."

Because Heath works full time in the pressure washing industry he uses top quality, commercial grade tools. Texas Pressure Washing has 2 custom rigs with water tanks and equipment. A 2-man crew typically rides in each truck. The large investment is worth it because professionally equipped, well-trained crews get large jobs done fast.

"To do a 2,500 square foot home that’s really dirty it would take me 45 minutes to an hour to clean it but I roll up with my rig you’ve seen. At the same time I could be doing the driveway. So we could do the whole home in about an hour and a half."

Texas Pressure Washing has 2 custom rigs.

Good equipment coupled with experience results in significant revenue and high quality.

"What I shoot for at my company is $200 per hour."

"We’re lucky that we often smoke that at $300 to $350 an hour. We are very efficient and have our experience level up."

"I’m confident enough to say that we’re the best company you’re going to hire in Texas. I’ll deliver on that."

To keep his crews motivated Heath listens to employee input and offers salary with benefits.

"The first people we want to help are our employees. We treat them like family. When we shut the company down to go on vacation, they get free vacation on top of their paid vacation."

Outside of running his company Heath spends time giving back to the industry. He is a moderator for the Facebook group pressure washing Bros and mentors guys interested in starting their own companies.

"I will teach anyone how to pressure wash. If someone in my neighborhood wanted to learn how to pressure wash I would help them start their business."

"I train guys all the time. I have guys come down for 3, 4 or 5 days from San Antonio, Dallas, Austin and local guys from Houston. I’ve had 3 companies at once out with me. We cleaned a driveway and I had 8 people standing around."

"People are welcome to directly contact me. I respond to any message I get. Every single one."