As you cater for more and more clients in your lawn care and landscaping business, you will find it pays to offer more services as well.  Pressure washing is a good thing to offer as it can vastly improve the condition and appearance of patios and paths in many gardens – both at the front and back of the house.

If you get a job to pressure wash an area, the first thing to do is to sweep it as clean as possible.  If you don’t there is the possibility that you will end up forcing some of the dirt and dust into the patio – making your job harder in the process.  You’ll need to move all the furniture and pots out of the way as well, so make sure you do that before you sweep.  Put them somewhere safe where they won’t be affected by the washing process.  Pull out any weeds you spot during this part of the task too.

Once the sweeping is done you can get on with the actual pressure washing itself.  There is one more thing to do first though, and that is to make sure you are dressed for the occasion!  You’ll get wet if you aren’t.  Grab some goggles and wear those along with some waterproof boots and trousers.

Figure out where the slope is on the patio and work with it to ensure all the dirty water goes away from you and down to the drain.  Read the instructions on the cleaner you are using so you know exactly how much to use and whether you need to dilute it at all.  And before you use any chemicals give the area a quick wash down with plain water to prepare it.

Once you start the washing process you need to keep yourself at an angle to the patio at all times.  Don’t point the nozzle of the pressure washer straight down at the ground.  If you do this you’ll be forcing all the dirt to go into the patio instead of being washed away from it.  Work methodically and make sure you wash all the dirt away from where you are and down towards the nearest drain.

Most cleaners then require a short period of waiting to ensure they do their best work.  Consult the instructions and keep all pets and children away from the area while you are treating it.

The next step is to clean the fluid off the patio.  You should do this by using the exact same technique you did before.  Don’t keep focusing on one or two spots though; wash off the whole area thoroughly.  You will soon see the benefits of the chemical treatment when you do this, as it will bring up the condition of the patio much better that just water would.

Ideally speaking the pots and furniture should not be put back until the ground is fully dry.  Once that is done, your client can look forward to a cleaner, brighter patio to enjoy.

Interested in starting a Lawn Care Business? Click here to learn more about our Lawn Care Business Guide.