February 18, 2008
Today, News 14 ran an article and opened it with a call to "put away the pressure washers." Below is a link to the article and following that, my reply.
http://news14.com/Default.aspx?ArID=592914
As a company who has been pressure washing professionally and commercially for the past 10 years, I must say that I take exception with that opening statement.
I believe it is fair to say that we ALL realize that our water situation is critical and that it is up to everyone to do their share to conserve, including us pressure washing companies that are often, of late, misrepresented by the media. We, as an industry, are often portrayed as the bad guys. What YOU see are un/under-educated service workers out trying to waste YOUR water in our attempt at making a fast buck. You see laborers dressed in the faded, often dirty work clothes, work boots and driving the pickup trucks. In truth, what you see are underachievers who are too lazy to find a “real” job. You see an industry that has made a foothold based on cosmetic desires rather than real need. That couldn't be further from the truth.
http://news14.com/Default.aspx?ArID=592914
As a company who has been pressure washing professionally and commercially for the past 10 years, I must say that I take exception with that opening statement.
I believe it is fair to say that we ALL realize that our water situation is critical and that it is up to everyone to do their share to conserve, including us pressure washing companies that are often, of late, misrepresented by the media. We, as an industry, are often portrayed as the bad guys. What YOU see are un/under-educated service workers out trying to waste YOUR water in our attempt at making a fast buck. You see laborers dressed in the faded, often dirty work clothes, work boots and driving the pickup trucks. In truth, what you see are underachievers who are too lazy to find a “real” job. You see an industry that has made a foothold based on cosmetic desires rather than real need. That couldn't be further from the truth.
February 06, 2008
Could you please explain to me why car washing is allowed when cleaning by professional power washers is not? Please do not use the recyclable water thing as recycled water still has to be replaced from time to time and multiple power washing companies also reclaim & recycle their water. The point I’m looking for is….
Please don’t get me wrong – I firmly believe in conserving water as do most other power washing companies. We do not waste water when performing our services. The larger percentage of professional companies has methods and equipment in place to utilize the least amount of water necessary to do our jobs efficiently and effectively. By prohibiting professionals from doing our job, you are simply increasing the number of homeowners who are going to sneak around the care for their property. Is graffiti removal going to be prohibited – do you want
Roger Gothorp
Discover the Difference Quality Can Make!
February 03, 2008
Consider for a moment that the average American uses 150-200 gallons of water per day. This number represents the essentials like showering, toilet flushes, and teeth brushing, but doesn’t include things like car washing, lawn watering, or baths for relaxation. In fact, most professional car washes use 30-50 gallons per car. If they are hyper vigilant about the environment and have first class equipment, they’ll use about 10 gallons per car. Most car washes serve about 200-300 cars per day with large locations washing over 1,000!
The math is staggering when you consider that pressure washers are targeted by local governments for drought restrictions when car washes that “recycle” are permitted to continue operating. A below average car wash with superior equipment serving 200 cars per day will use approximately 2,000 gallons per day. More realistically, the average car wash will use 5,000-10,000 gallons per day. Alternatively, a pressure washer at the height of the busy season will use about 1000 to 1200 gallons of water, assuming they are washing 5-6 2200sf homes at about 200-220 gallons per wash.
Observe how many restaurants are on any busy street in your city. Each restaurant washes their equipment, insists that employees wash hands repeatedly, and does enormous amounts of dishes (one of the biggest culprits in residential water usage). They also use water to cook, clean floors, and some bring complementary glasses of water to each patron whether they drink it or not. It’s fair to say that an average restaurant will use thousands of gallons of water on any given day, yet they are never mentioned during drought restrictions.
The image of a pressure washer spraying water from a high pressure wand invokes anger in individuals, especially when the same individuals aren’t permitted to water their own lawns. The perception is that the operator is being wasteful, when in fact the water usage on an entire home is minimal in comparison to most local businesses. This perception leads to bans on such activities as a quick remedy for local governments to appease the public without considering the trickle down ramifications of prohibiting cleaning.
This knee-jerk reaction, coupled with media-fed fear of cities running out of water leaves a lasting impression on the general public. In the event that a pressure washing company can afford special privilege licensing, or even qualify for such permissions, the perception is already ingrained in the minds of their clientele … water usage is bad. However, because businesses like restaurants utilize water in more covert ways, large box stores carrying inventories of non sellable plants that need watering, and other businesses like car washes operate under the guise of “recycling”, they aren’t discriminated against by local government or perceived as bad by local residents.
How do we, as pressure washers in the Carolinas, combat this kind of misconception? Just like the gallons of water usage, the answer lies in numbers. One pressure washer attempting to reach a few property owners to educate on the benefit and necessity of outdoor cleaning, or singularly complaining to a local official isn’t nearly as effective as a unified, organized group of individuals presenting a case to the proper governmental entities or media outlet. Use resources available to you like the PWNC to reach out to the public, change the limited way of thinking and make your case heard.
For more information on drought conditions, local restrictions or how we can help in your area of the Carolinas, contact the PWNC.
PWNC
Power Washers Network of the Carolinas
The math is staggering when you consider that pressure washers are targeted by local governments for drought restrictions when car washes that “recycle” are permitted to continue operating. A below average car wash with superior equipment serving 200 cars per day will use approximately 2,000 gallons per day. More realistically, the average car wash will use 5,000-10,000 gallons per day. Alternatively, a pressure washer at the height of the busy season will use about 1000 to 1200 gallons of water, assuming they are washing 5-6 2200sf homes at about 200-220 gallons per wash.
Observe how many restaurants are on any busy street in your city. Each restaurant washes their equipment, insists that employees wash hands repeatedly, and does enormous amounts of dishes (one of the biggest culprits in residential water usage). They also use water to cook, clean floors, and some bring complementary glasses of water to each patron whether they drink it or not. It’s fair to say that an average restaurant will use thousands of gallons of water on any given day, yet they are never mentioned during drought restrictions.
The image of a pressure washer spraying water from a high pressure wand invokes anger in individuals, especially when the same individuals aren’t permitted to water their own lawns. The perception is that the operator is being wasteful, when in fact the water usage on an entire home is minimal in comparison to most local businesses. This perception leads to bans on such activities as a quick remedy for local governments to appease the public without considering the trickle down ramifications of prohibiting cleaning.
This knee-jerk reaction, coupled with media-fed fear of cities running out of water leaves a lasting impression on the general public. In the event that a pressure washing company can afford special privilege licensing, or even qualify for such permissions, the perception is already ingrained in the minds of their clientele … water usage is bad. However, because businesses like restaurants utilize water in more covert ways, large box stores carrying inventories of non sellable plants that need watering, and other businesses like car washes operate under the guise of “recycling”, they aren’t discriminated against by local government or perceived as bad by local residents.
How do we, as pressure washers in the Carolinas, combat this kind of misconception? Just like the gallons of water usage, the answer lies in numbers. One pressure washer attempting to reach a few property owners to educate on the benefit and necessity of outdoor cleaning, or singularly complaining to a local official isn’t nearly as effective as a unified, organized group of individuals presenting a case to the proper governmental entities or media outlet. Use resources available to you like the PWNC to reach out to the public, change the limited way of thinking and make your case heard.
For more information on drought conditions, local restrictions or how we can help in your area of the Carolinas, contact the PWNC.
PWNC
Power Washers Network of the Carolinas
February 02, 2008
Here we are with a golden opportunity. Through hard work and dedication, Celeste has set the bar for the standard by which we should all operate our own businesses. She has laid the groundwork for a business network that can truly put money in our pockets. Just like the beloved X-Jet, turbo nozzle, and surface cleaner, the PWNC is an invaluable tool that can help grow our businesses tremendously if it is used correctly.
Many of us are hesitant to give up our trade "secrets", fail in front of industry peers, or worst of all lose money. Speaking for Camelot Pressure Washing, I have experienced first hand how profitable it can be to network and share with others in the pressure washing industry...and then I made some money. My profits generally come in the form of knowledge gleaned from my peers...people like you who take the time to research their chosen profession and read things like what I am writing today. We ALL have something to offer each other and if you take the information you learn and apply it to your everyday business, you will very quickly turn your newly discovered knowledge into cash...something we all work for.
If nothing else we make friends, people who understand what it feels like to work 10 hours in 95 degree weather, people whose clothes have turned red from Carolina mud, people who have actually experienced feeling grit in their teeth from cleaning new construction mortar. These connections are important. They help confirm that what we do is pertinent and valuable. We mentioned at the very first PWNC meeting that pressure washers get no respect...what better venue to gain a little respect than within a group of our own?
Let's move forward with this group and support each other strongly. Let's share our knowledge, gain some respect, and earn some money. Thank you all for what you have to offer.
If you're visiting the Charlotte area, please look me up and let me know you're coming! Please visit our site at http://www.camelotpressurewashing.com/ for contact info.
Regards,
John Greene
Owner
Camelot Pressure Washing, Inc.
Pressure washing Charlotte and all surrounding cities
704-400-0623
http://www.camelotpressurewashing.com/
Many of us are hesitant to give up our trade "secrets", fail in front of industry peers, or worst of all lose money. Speaking for Camelot Pressure Washing, I have experienced first hand how profitable it can be to network and share with others in the pressure washing industry...and then I made some money. My profits generally come in the form of knowledge gleaned from my peers...people like you who take the time to research their chosen profession and read things like what I am writing today. We ALL have something to offer each other and if you take the information you learn and apply it to your everyday business, you will very quickly turn your newly discovered knowledge into cash...something we all work for.
If nothing else we make friends, people who understand what it feels like to work 10 hours in 95 degree weather, people whose clothes have turned red from Carolina mud, people who have actually experienced feeling grit in their teeth from cleaning new construction mortar. These connections are important. They help confirm that what we do is pertinent and valuable. We mentioned at the very first PWNC meeting that pressure washers get no respect...what better venue to gain a little respect than within a group of our own?
Let's move forward with this group and support each other strongly. Let's share our knowledge, gain some respect, and earn some money. Thank you all for what you have to offer.
If you're visiting the Charlotte area, please look me up and let me know you're coming! Please visit our site at http://www.camelotpressurewashing.com/ for contact info.
Regards,
John Greene
Owner
Camelot Pressure Washing, Inc.
Pressure washing Charlotte and all surrounding cities
704-400-0623
http://www.camelotpressurewashing.com/
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