Homes do not age gracefully without a bit of help from their owners. They need occasional power or pressure washing to maintain their youthful glow.
However, sloppy jet washing can do more harm than good, so do your homework and hire a qualified contractor that does not cut corners.
Consider these reputable brands for top-rated power washing services.
Factors To Consider Before Choosing Power Washing Companies Near You
Many residential pressure and power washing companies in your area are more alike than different. Consider local availability, specialty areas, technician training, guarantee, insurance and miscellaneous services to compare contractors accordingly.
Service Areas
Proximity does not always mean local availability. Most residential power and pressure washing companies are regional because franchisees expand their network sizes.
These brands proudly advertise the jurisdictions in which they operate. If your prospective contractor’s network excludes your town, your house may still be within its nearest branch’s service area.
Specialty Areas
Only some building materials can withstand the full force of water pressure unscathed. Even durable ones like concrete and wood can sustain damage if a contractor uses improper equipment and techniques.
Reputable residential pressure and power washing contractors openly say what home areas they can clean. Evaluate companies by reviewing their service menu and determining if it aligns with your needs.
Technician Training
On-the-job training can give power and pressure washing technicians a shaky foundational knowledge of their craft.
Properly trained technicians know more than how to use a power washer and pressure cleaner. They are also familiar with the best safety practices for identifying and managing workplace hazards when they appear.
Many power and pressure-washing companies near you are franchises of larger businesses. Franchisers may train field workers in-house to teach their signature cleaning methods.
Guarantee
Competition is fierce among power and pressure-washing companies. Though there are implied workmanship and habitability warranties, many explicitly advertise a guarantee to generate new business.
Usually, the specific warranty is a callback guarantee. It proves that the company stands behind its team’s quality of work, inspiring confidence in homeowners like you.
With a callback guarantee, your contractor will return to your home and clean it again if you are unsatisfied with their work the first time around.
Guarantees vary by power and pressure washing company. Understand how your prospective contractor’s guarantee works, including its conditions and limitations.
Insurance
Reputable contractors have adequate liability and workers’ compensation insurance policies to cover claims if somebody gets hurt or property damage occurs during a cleaning session.
Many uninsured and underinsured companies claim to carry sufficient insurance and hope everything goes smoothly. These contractors may leave you high and dry if an accident happens, forcing you to pay for repairs or medical bills out of pocket.
Ask your prospective company to provide proof of insurance. Verifying this document is part of your due diligence when hiring a power and pressure washing contractor.
Miscellaneous Services
Many power and pressure-washing companies provide multiple services. Some can also clean windows and gutters, sweep chimneys, vacuum dryer vents and hang holiday lights.
Evaluate all your cleaning needs before booking a power and pressure-washing contractor. When you hire a company that can do it all, you can make more of your home spotless and healthy and save time and money.
Top-Rated Power Washing Services
Perfect Power Wash, Rolling Suds and Window Gang offer top-rated power washing services nationwide. Discover why each made the cut.
Perfect Power Wash — Best Overall
Perfect Power Wash can clean a house’s full exterior and the surrounding hardscape. Its insured and licensed team handles various building materials but specializes in painted wood, brick, concrete, stone and stucco.
The company adapts their cleaning techniques to different surfaces to remove cosmetic imperfections without causing damage. Perfect Power Wash soft-washes various home features, including:
- All types of siding
- Concrete surfaces under three years old
- Concrete, engineering, fly ash, lime, burnt and sun-dried brick surfaces
- Concrete, stone, tile and wood patios
- Wood, composite, aluminum and composite decks
- Asphalt roofing shingles
- Slate roofing tiles
Perfect Power Wash deserves the top spot on this list because the PWNA and RCIA have trained and certified its technicians. Each of its in-field team members undergoes more than 150 hours of training and hands-on experience to perform excellent work.
Rolling Suds — Runner-Up
Rolling Suds has an impressive network of pressure and soft washing service providers nationwide, thanks to its franchisees.
This brand uses cutting-edge cleaning techniques to pressure-wash exterior areas but uses low-pressure water to avoid accidentally damaging roofs, siding and wood surfaces.
Rolling Suds takes pride in its speed and efficiency, claiming to finish jobs two to three times faster than its competitors.
This pressure-washing giant can deliver fast results because its sophisticated box trucks can hold more than 9,000 lbs. of fluids, including environmentally safe cleaning solutions. It also uses advanced equipment to clean up to five-story properties without a lift or ladder.
The company coordinates with homeowners associations and property management companies to avoid logistical headaches and ensure everything goes smoothly.
The company is licensed, insured and bonded. Its technicians are certified, though it does not specify who trains and certifies its field workers.
Window Gang — Dark Horse
Window Gang may be a window cleaning company through and through, but it can pressure-wash various home exterior surfaces as well as the best power washing companies near you.
The company uses custom equipment to deliver five gallons of water per minute. Its low-pressure, high-flow machines can thoroughly clean siding panels, roofs, patios, decks, driveways and fences stronger traditional washers can damage.
Window Gang uses soft washing on exterior surfaces needing a gentler touch. Its simple process consists of:
- Prerinse, which involves creating a safe barrier by softly saturating the landscape.
- Eco-friendly treatment, which involves applying a sustainable cleaning solution that is tough on dirt, algae and mold but gentle on people, pets and plants.
- Sanitation, which involves washing off the cleaner that safely breaks down within 30 minutes.
The company does not disclose its technician training procedure but is licensed, insured and bonded.
Pressure Washing vs. Power Washing — What’s the Difference?
Heat is the primary difference between the two jet-washing methods. Pressure washing involves unheated tap water, while power washing relies on highly pressurized steam.
Many contractors and homeowners use these terms interchangeably. Though pressure and power washing methods aim to accomplish the same thing, they have notable differences.
Pressure washing can remove practically any substance from exterior surfaces — including dirt, dust, grime, mud, pollen, mold, mildew, algae, moss, salt, loose paint and oil and grease stains. On the other hand, power washing is suitable for scouring heavily soiled areas that pressure washing cannot handle.
Heated water is a cleaning agent in itself. It loosens the bonds between stains and materials. The high temperature can dislodge the contaminants and make them easier to sweep or dissolve.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Pressure Washer?
Pressure washers and power washing machines are heavy equipment. While they are point-and-shoot tools, they require proper techniques to give your home a shower without damaging building materials and injuring people and pets.
Moreover, jet washing equipment runs on gas, diesel or electricity. Gas and diesel are flammable substances, while electricity is a shock hazard.
Working with an electric pressure or power washing machine also poses the risk of electrocution. Water with impurities and electricity do not mix because dissolved minerals increase the liquid’s conductivity.
