To start a pressure washing business you do five things: register the business, get liability insurance, buy or rent your gear for $1,000–$5,000, set prices, and get found online. It is one of the cheaper trades to enter, which is exactly why the ones who win are the ones who look professional and show up in Google.
We run our own home-service companies and build the websites that other service businesses use to get found, so this guide is honest about both the easy parts and the part where most new owners stall — getting customers past their first few neighbors. Where you genuinely do not need us yet, we will say so.
Register and insure. Form an LLC or register your name, get an EIN, open a business bank account, and buy general liability insurance. Spraying high-pressure water near windows, cars, and siding makes coverage non-optional.
Buy the right gear. A commercial-grade washer (gas, 3,000–4,000 PSI), a surface cleaner for flat work, hoses, soft-wash setup for siding, chemicals, and safety gear. Start with $1,000–$5,000 and upgrade once jobs fund it.
Set your prices. $0.15–$0.75 per square foot, or $50–$150 an hour. Time a few real jobs, then price by the job so a fast worker is not punished for being efficient.
Win your first 10 jobs. Neighbors, friends, local groups, and a few free or cheap jobs in exchange for photos and reviews. This is your before-and-after portfolio and your first reviews — both worth more than any ad right now.
Get found online. Claim a Google Business Profile, gather reviews, and put up a simple website so "pressure washing near me" finds you. This is where steady, repeatable work comes from.
We would rather you spend your first dollars on the right things. You do not need us yet if:
Come back when word of mouth has hit its ceiling and you want strangers searching "pressure washing near me" to find you, not just the neighbor who already knows your name.
Once you are ready to grow past referrals, the website and getting-found part is where we come in. We build a hand-built site with your before-and-afters, reviews, click-to-call, online booking, and 24/7 AI lead capture, from $249/month, month-to-month, and you own it. Add the monthly SEO content engine and lead attribution at $597/month once you are ready to rank.
See SEO for home services for how getting found works, and pressure washing SEO for the trade-specific version. The AI receptionist catches calls while you are on a job, and this page explains why local SEO is worth it once you are established.
We don't post stock testimonials. On a 15-minute call we screen-share the real dashboards behind our own businesses — live leads, rankings, and the exact page that produced each one. See the proof →
Most states do not require a trade license, but you will usually need a business registration, possibly a local business license, and liability insurance. Wastewater runoff rules can apply, especially for commercial lots, so check your city and state.
It can be, because startup cost is low and a single house wash or driveway can bring $200–$600 for a few hours of work. Profit comes from keeping the calendar full, which is the marketing problem, not the spraying problem.
Start residential — faster to land, cheaper gear, quicker reviews. Commercial work (storefronts, lots, fleets) pays more per contract but needs bigger equipment, often certificates of insurance, and a sales relationship. Grow into it.
Send your company name and city — we'll build a working website demo within 48 hours so people searching pressure washing can find and book you. Free, no card, no commitment.
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