Soap Warehouse Blog

It is almost time for the largest trucking show in the US to be held again in Louisville, KY. This year it will run for three days March 31st to April 2nd at the Kentucky Expo Center.  Mid America Trucking Show web site.

There is scheduled to be over 1000 exhibitors of which Soap Warehouse will be one. We plan on introducing and demonstrating our newest line of products, graffiti cleaners to the trucking industry.

'Blast Off' will be demonstrated once an hour for almost the entire length of the show. This easy to use product is perfect for the individual O/O trucker to have in his rig to clean any painted graffiti tags that might pop up on his trailer while out on the road. Blast Off information video

'Shadow Away' is more for exterior building cleaning of graffiti from off of brick and other porous surfaces that graffiti makers may have tagged or to use when some other cleaner was unable to remove a tag leaving a shadow behind.

Soap Warehouse in Booth 62124 in the West Wing will also be having daily drawings for 'Big Rig Brite' truck wash and will once again have a prize wheel in the booth with prizes of smaller product samples, trucker gifts and our famous 'Brown Derby' hats that so many attendees wanted last year.

For information about all our great products at Soap Warehouse or to pre register for our booth drawings, Registration.

See you at the show.

 

I must try and help out customers with this almost everyday so I thought I would make a post out of it and possibly a white paper to send out so I would not have to repeat my self as much and for easier reference.

Plus I can easy get confused or tongue tied so it is a good idea to have it all written down some place.

First you will need to know how you are going to apply the chemical mix. Figuring ratios for a pump up sprayer is easy, but the most common piece of equipment for this need is the pressure washer. So you first must know what dilution ratio or fixed mixing ratio your machine puts out. This can be easy for some, but many customers call me all the time saying they have no idea how much chemical their machine takes in and how diluted it is sprayed out.

The first place to look is in your machines owner’s manual. It should give you info like its flow rate or the gallons per minute the machine can generate plus its fixed mixing ratio. This can vary by machine and some larger models may even have a dial that allows the operator to change the mixing ratio. Another place to look if you no longer have your manual or if you bought your equipment second hand and never had one is on the internet by putting you make and model number into the search engine. You can also sometimes go to a local dealer that may have manuals in stock or that can order one for you.

A harder way to figure it out is to use a do it your self method. Take a measured 1 gallon (128 fluid ounces) and place it in your machines chemical mix tank or insert your down stream hose into the gallon container. Turn you machine on and run it dispensing all the water coming out of the wand into a much larger container, such as a 5 gallon bucket. Take care to have the machine set at a low PSI so all the water makes it into the container, a closed 5 gallon tight drum is good for this. Once you have drained the gallon of water out of your chemical mixing tank or with your down stream hose measure the amount of water you ended up with and then divide the amount by 128 (ounces in one gallon) to find out your machines ratio. If you ended up with say 900 ounces you would get the results of 7.03125 which I would consider being a 1:7 ratio. I would run this experiment at least 2-3 times comparing the results and taking the average for best results. Some of our customers have even been known to add food coloring to the original gallon to help them gauge when they have used all of it up.

So lets us say your machine has a permanent setting of 1:7 and you need to take your concentrated chemical and get it up to a 1:25 application ratio. So you need to figure out how much water to add to your chemical, that once it is placed in the chemical mixing tank or suction hose dropped in the container you are down streaming from, your machine will produce the needed 1:25 ratio.

This means we have to use the algebra we never thought we would ever need once we learned it and then for got back in school and create a mathematical equation to do our work for us.

First we will put the dilution we need to end up with on the left side of the equation (see below)

Next we have the detergent, ‘d’ and water to think about. Say we want to make a 5 gallon container, ‘p’ of chemical product mix. And (p-d) is the amount of water we need in the container and 7p is the additional amount of water that the machine will be adding while dispensing the contents of the container. So we set p=5 gallons and we solve for d and find that d=1.538 gallons of detergent.

 1  = ____d_____

25     (p – d) + 7p

Now I am not going to sit here and teach you how to step by step figure an algebra equation that many would not be able to remember just like back in high school. But I am going to give you the link to a web site that has a dilution calculator right there for you.

http://jansson.us/mixingratio-concentration.html#pressureWasherCalculator

What I suggest is that you go to this site, bookmark it, make the calculations for all the products you regularly use knowing your own machines ratio and our products dilution rates or the ones you use with our products. I would then round the results and make a dilution chart to keep as a mixing guide.

Here are just some examples from what a few customers I know have and the products they use as some examples.

Customer #1 uses Brown Derby with cold water that we suggest mixing at 1:50. His machine is set from the factory at a 1:20 ratio and he mixes his premix in 5 gallon pails that sit on his truck.

His equation would look like this

 1 = ______d_______

50     (5 – d) + 20*5         

But in the calculator it looks like this

Detergent Water Final Mixing Ratio: : Pressure Washer Mixing Ratio: :

Desired Volume of Pre-mix:  gal^†

Pre-mix Concentration:	%
Detergent:	gal†=	fl. oz
Water:	gal=	fl. oz

 

Giving this customer the directions to take 2 gallons (rounded down) of our Brown Derby with 3 gallons (rounded up) of  water to make his pre mixed 5 gallon pails to down stream with his machine to get a very close 1:50 ratio of cleaner to water.

Next let’s take one more case:

Customer #2 uses Mighty Max as a house wash at a 1:20 ratio and his machine is set at a 1:7 ratio. He on the other hand only wants his 5 gallon pails filled with 3 gallons of mix so they are easier to carry to move around the houses. His results would be this:

Detergent Water Final Mixing Ratio: : Pressure Washer Mixing Ratio: :

Desired Volume of Pre-mix:  gal^†

Pre-mix Concentration:	%
Detergent:	gal†=	fl. oz
Water:	gal=

 

Or if rounded, 1 ¼ gallon of Mighty Max to 1 ¾ gallons of water, making a slightly greater than 1:20 mixture.

Once you know your normal values you can adjust the mixtures as needed for other considerations like water temperature, air temperature, or amount of product you have left available to do a job. How to estimate soap use for your whole season will be kept for a later post. Use this winter time off now to make these charts and you will be better prepared for spring.

If equipment costs this year have put you in the red I have a suggestion to turn that red to black next year.

If you have been in business for at least two years and up to now have had a good profit track record, now may be the time to switch from owning your own pressure washing equipment and rigs to leasing them or at least any new ones.

If you are wanting or needing to expand your business and need another rig but just can not find the financing due to banking changes or you need the benefit of cash liquidity in your current business dealings look into leasing.

There are numerous companies that will lease complete pressure washing rigs; to find one is as easy as doing a computer search engine query for "name of your town or state, along with the words "pressure washer leasing" or "leasing for pressure washing equipment". Many of the best deals can be found with local family owned companies but there are a few National franchise chains as well that lease, such as Hotsy and Hydro Tek.

The value in leasing vs. buying out right are many, but here are a few.

1. Less of a large up front cash out lay, as needed if you are buying outright or making a down payment for a loan.

2. Monthly payments are usually lower per month with a lease vs. a loan repayment. Generally you can make your lease payment up in a day to two. Giving you the freedom to make money for yourself the rest of the month.

3. Tax benefit in being able to write off most if not all of the lease payment expense every year instead of having to amortize the equipment cost over 5-10 years of tax returns.

4. Selling older equipment or rigs that may be getting close to the end of there working life span now and using that money to get industry cutting edge equipment that may be out of your price range if you had to purchase it out right your self.

A leasing contract is also usually easier to get approved then a bank loan since the company you are leasing from deals in this type of equipment daily, and can reclaim the equipment more easily than a bank can if you are unable to met your monthly payment obligations. Also leases are easier to get out of if the equipment is not performing to your needs and might even be able to be changed or adjusted while only having to modify the lease slightly as your business needs change.

I hope this has given you some thing to think about if you are needing to improve your equipment next year while lowering your overall cost of that equipment. Happy New Year.

For similar tips go to www.pressurewashers.lifetips.com.

If you’ve been feeling somewhat discouraged about business this year and feel that you were not moving in the right direction, now is a great time of the year to take stock and review your accomplishments.

Operating your own business can be like a wild roller coaster ride. There are the highs of a really good day and the lowest of lows of the really bad ones, or when a great job prospect falls through. Often when you’re feeling down on yourself and your business it’s really not warranted. Here are some tips to make yourself feel better:

1. During the year, monthly, or even weekly if you have time, record your progress for that time period. At the end of the year, you’ll be able to look back and see how much you really have accomplished. If you did not do that this year it is not too late to get the appointment book or job accounting records, take a look at your email account and take a trip down memory lane. Make your self a list of the following:

• all the contacts you’ve made in person;
• all the one-on-one email, Facebook or similar contacts you’ve made;
• any networking events, lunches, meetings you’ve attended and the benefit you got from them;
• press releases you published or any free publicity you’ve received;
• any classes you’ve taken to further your business and how they improved your business plan;
• any recognition, award or nomination you’ve received;
• new clients you’ve signed on and how much they financially impacted your bottom line;
• volunteer projects you’ve taken on;
• potential clients who’ve shown an interest in you that you can revisit this next year;
• creation or improvements of your web site, business cards and other marketing materials.

2. Join a business Success Team. These weekly group meetings with other small business owners are great for sharing ideas and the agenda often requires participants to report what they’ve done the past week and set a new goal for the following week. This is great incentive to do what you said you would. Not all “B&I” groups are the same so find one that fits your marketing style and has members you think you can learn from.

3. Ask clients for feedback on the work you’ve done for them. Get verbal testimonials over the phone, in writing is better and if possible shoot B&A video of jobs with the customer’s reaction after work in finished. Photo B&A will work too.

4. Keep an e-mail folder where you keep testimonials and any positive feedback you’ve received for something you’ve done. Go back and read it when you’ve feeling down.

5. Call up a friend, networking buddy or another entrepreneur and go for coffee. Getting out of the office and sharing similar concerns with a like-minded person is a great morale booster. Knowing you are not the only one in the same boat leaves you feeling better.

6. Finally make your self a list of how you can use these positive things to promote and make your business better in the next year.

Happy Holiday and Happy New Year to you all.

Hopefully you have had a chance to view our newest video for our new graffiti remover Blast Off.

The company that made that video for us is iMotion. If you think that video was hard for us or expensive to make, think again. Learn what we did earlier this year by downloading this PDF and action guide that won't cost you a dime: https://imotionvideo.infusionsoft.com/go/xmas1/a196/

iMotion Video wrote this short guide to tackle the biggest obstacle that they face every day..."How to make video commercials that sell" They produce hundreds (literally) of videos each month for businesses in all sorts of niches so they see their share of challenges for sure.

Make sure you get this action guide today because the form will also get you registered for their "Done For You" discount video productions, the same kind of program we are using.

This week, on Wednesday, they are going to have a 24 hour sale for their discount membership which is already a ridiculous deal.

We joined a few months ago and already are seeing the benefits. If you want to start promoting your business with video but don't know where to start or think you will have to spend a lot of money on equipment or time you don't have, the action guide will give you some good pointers to consider. If you're looking for a competent yet inexpensive video company to actually make your videos for you then you'll be as happy as we are.

Either way, make sure you get your action guide today before they take the page down: https://imotionvideo.infusionsoft.com/go/xmas1/a196/

The PDF and action guide are free so grab it while you can.

https://imotionvideo.infusionsoft.com/go/xmas1/a196/

This post it to finish off our detailing our new graffiti cleaners, the last being Cleen Fast, we know it is spelled a little different but it cleans a little different too. Cleen Fast was designed with the commercial fleet industry in mind. Cleen Fast contains all natural ingredients and is fully biodegradable. Clean Fast is very effective on cleaning, including mold and mildew staining found on vinyl and fabrics in commerical vehicles without harming most surfaces and doesn't need to be rinsed after it is sprayed on and wiped off. It comes in a trigger spray bottle ready to use and it deodorizes as it cleans, leaving hard surfaces streak free.

Cleen Fast contains No chlorine, bleach or butyl's making it easy on the user and the fresh lemon scent makes using Cleen Fast more enjoyable than other cleaners.

Cleen Fast can also be used wilth Blast Off and Shadow Away to clean up the loosened paint mess from graffiti cleaning. Cleen Fast will also stop the action of Blast Off if it is accidently sprayed on a surface it shouldn't have.

To order or to get more information call Soap Warehouse at 1-800-762-7911 or go to our web site

Special pricing is availble until the end of 2010 to introduce these products to the public. Blast Off and Shadow Away come in 22 oz trigger spray bottles, in 1 gallon refills and in cases of both. Cleen Fast comes in quart size spray bottles and in a case of 12.

There is no reason to let graffiti build up on your property, it is a known fact that once a wall area or object has been tagged it is more likely to be tagged again in the next 48 hours.

Stop graffiti fast and easy with the products from Soap Warehouse.

Soap Warehouse is introducing it's latest group of products.

Blast Off Graffiti Remover, Shadow Away Graffiti Remover and Cleen Fast commercial spray cleaner.

First we will tell you about Blast Off, it works like nothing else on the market today for removing graffiti.

You spray it on a dry hard surface that has a graffiti tag of paint or permanent marker on it, wait around one minute or less and then just wipe off with a dry cloth.

See for your self, watch our 60 second video. No water is needed, in fact water reduces the effectiveness of the product and the surface needs to be dry before applying Blast Off for it to work properly.

You will not believe how easy graffiti will come off. Blast Off works on metal, plastics, fiberglass, vinyl, tile, grout, composites and many natural stone surfaces. It is great to use on vehicles, metal buildings or machinery casings, in bathrooms on walls, stall dividers, and fixtures.

Blast Off is pH neutral, biodegradable, non corrosive and contains no petroleum distillates and is safe of factory applied paint and powder coats. Easy and very safe to use.

Blast Off can of course not be used on surfaces that have been spray painted, or painted with Latex or Epoxy paints as this is what it is designed to remove. It should also not be used on Screen printed signs as it will remove the dyes as well.

Blast Off is most effective on new graffiti on hard non porous surfaces that have not had any other cleaner used previously to try and remove the tag.

Our next product Shadow Away is for larger graffiti tagged areas on concrete or masonry or when a shadow has been left from trying to remove graffiti with a cleaner that did not entirely finish the job.

Shadow Away is also pH neutral, biodegradable, non corrosive and contains no petroleum distillates and needs to be applied to a dry surface.

Shadow Away will remove shadows or ghosting that has been left behind by other cleaners. It is a spray that is designed to make a gel to get down into the pores of concrete, mansonry and to cling to verticle surfaces. Shadow Away will continue to work and stay on the surface dissolving the paint or marker as long as the area is keep wet with the Shadow Away or Blast Off until it has completely released the stain from the surface. A brush may be used to push the paint around to be sure it has been completely released. A white powder will apear as  the product is allowed to dry but that will easily from the surface wash off once you know the painted area has been loosend and or removed by wiping. Once you have released all the paint with Shadow Away you may use a pressure washer to rinse the area clean.

This has gotten so long I will talk about Cleen Fast in the next post.

The PWNA, Power Washers of North America just announced their new ‘PWNA Certified Contractor Program’. This beneficial program will elevate the pressure washing industry by the increased level of professionalism these certifications will achieve. The following certifications will be available to be earned:

Concrete Cleaning aka Flat work
Fleet Washing
House Washing
Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning
Roof Cleaning
Water Reclamation
and
Wood Restoration

Probably the most important one for any pressure washer no mater the type of work being done will be the certification for ‘Water Reclamation’. If you already do water reclamation in your business you should check into joining the PWNA ‘Water Reclaimer’ program by going to http://www.thepwna.org/water_reclaimer.php.

Local and State governments are moving toward mandating, by special license or certification, these types of businesses to help enforce the ‘Clean Water Act’ and increased federal and public pressure to do so. Being a part of the PWNA will keep you up to date with these new regulations, give you a voice with the PWNA as they assist these agencies in structuring these rules and regulations, and give you a leg up with the general public as they look to find companies that are certified and who follow BMP, ‘Best Management Practices’ in this industry. For information on current recommended regulations and BMPs visit http://www.thepwna.org/regs/index.php. If you are in the business of pressure washing and are not yet a member of the PWNA I strongly urge you to join. To join the PWNA go to http://www.thepwna.org/ or call them.

The PWNA plans to make these certification classes available to its members throughout the year at various ‘Round Table’ meetings, at several member locations across the country and at the PWNA annual convention. The next convention will be in October, 2011 held in Nashville, TN.

The Round Table locations already announced for 2011 include:

Atlanta, Georgia
New Orleans, Louisiana
Easton, Pennsylvania
Lexington, Kentucky
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Orlando, Florida
Ft. Worth, Texas
Phoenix, Arizona
and
Los Angeles, California

Exact dates and event details will be listed on the PWNA site, http://www.thepwna.org/ as they become available so please check back often for updates.

On the PWNA site the general public can also find a listing of current contractors that are members and who follow the BMP’s as well as a list of suppliers for contractors to find equipment and chemicals best suited for their type of work. Soap Warehouse is a proud member of the PWNA,

has been a sponsor of local ‘Round Tables’, and is planning on exhibiting at the Nashville, 2011 PWNA convention. To view the Soap Warehouse complete catalog of pressure washing chemicals visit http://www.soapwarehouse.biz.

 

I have touched on this topic before but I plan to take this month, November, to emphasize the importance of the Material Safety Data Sheet.

In fact I will be making available a whitepaper "How to read a MSDS." that we have put together for free just by registering and requesting a copy.

Any company or business that uses or carries chemicals, hazardous or not, should be familiarwith MSDS's and the information they hold. If exposure to any chemical occurs it is important to know if prompt medical action is necessary, and if it is to be able to provide the medical professionals with the information that they need to treat the exposure.

You must truly understand the importance of carrying MSDS in a safe, protected and easily accessible place. This includes company vehicles carrying the chemicals to and from job sites that these chemicals are being used to perform daily jobs.

Many do not realize if the DOT (Department of Transportation) or police officer stops you for a traffic infraction, routine inspection or because of a traffic accident and MSDS's cannot be produced for the chemicals you carry, your vehicle can be impounded and substantial fines can be made against you and your business.

But even more serious could be the life or death importance that any delay in supplying a health provider with information may cause. 

"Time can be the difference between a routine treatment and serious complications, even death."

Part of your employee training should include where to find and how to use MSDS's. MSDS's should be kept in a single binder in plastic sheet protectors stored in a manner that they can be found and reaily accessed at any time. Duplicate copies of this binder should be in every vehicle or location these chemicals are transported or stored.

We will also be sending out Daily Tips this month to our FaceBook and Twitter accounts dealing with MSDS's and safety. I hope you will read and use them.

 

 

The PWNA annual convention is next week, October 21-23, at the Ramada East Airport Hotel located in Columbus, Ohio. Although Soap Warehouse is a member, we will not be in attendance or exhibiting because of our other obligation at the NBAA in Atlanta that same week, we feel that this is the biggest event in the Power Washing Industry each year and everyone in this business should be a member and those that can attend should be there.

There will be pre convention classes for specific niche learning as well as the basics given by a great group of presenters. Classes start at $69 for members.

As stated on the PWNA website "Conventions are one of the 4 pillars of the PWNA. Annually people from across the country and from across all the power washing industries get together for continuing education, networking, to see old friends and the latest in equipment from Distributors and Suppliers." "It is an opportunity to learn what is happening across the country regarding regulatory issues. It gives you an opportunity to see what might be coming to your community and give you time to prepare for it to protect and maintain a profitable business. The annual convention is the highlight of the year for many PWNA members. Join today to take advantage of this powerful resource. Register online right now to attend." Resgistration is still open and you can still make plans to be there.

Soap Warehouse looks forward to be able to attend and possibly exhibit as well next year when the PWNA convention will be held in Nashville, TN Oct 20th-22nd, 2011.

Unfortunity because Soap Warehouse sells products to such a wide range of customers we are just not able to be a part of every convention and event each of these different product groups cover.

Look for a special offer for PWNA attendees on the Soap Warehouse Facebook and Twitter postings during the convention.