Soap Warehouse Blog

In the heat of the summer it is hard to keep an enclosed work trailer cool. A hot trailer is not only uncomfortable but it can be down right dangerous.

A hot trailer can allow your employees to over heat if they are having to work in the trailer for even a short amount of time. You can have a fire hazard from things like vapors from gas cans, automatic combustion from chemical soaked rags or towels, The danger of equipment overheating  and catching fire and carbon monoxide poisoning from running engines.

Here are some ideas on how to keep your enclosed trailers cooler and safer during anytime of year but especially in the heat of the summer.

• If your trailer came with only one rear door, add a second door or a few sets of small windows or vents that can be opened for cross ventailation.
• Install exhaust vents from all equipment to the outside.
• Install at least one roof vent and if possible one with a temperature triggered fan.
• If your trailer is a dark color, consider painting or buying one with a white roof to reflect the sun.
• Store gas cans on the outside of the trailer in a lockable cage.
• Store any gas or chemical rags in a fire proof container that you empty often to be laundered or trashed.
• Consider installing a small ac unit to run while you are stationary and have your equipment running. 
• Install a smoke and carbon monoxide monitor inside the deepest part of the trailer.
• Have a fire extengisher close at hand to knock down a small fire before it gets out of control.

Please try to implement as many of these as you can to have a cooler and safer enclosed work trailer.

On Friday July 22nd, in Norcross, Georgia GCE opened their location to customers and vendors to celebrate with a catered lunch to thank them for the 40 years they have been in business.

Michael Brown is the current owner of GCE having taken it over 12 years ago after working at the business for 7 years.

Of the invited guests were Mr. Charlie Turner, the original owner of GCE, Mike Schremel from CAT Pumps, as well as other vendors and local long time customers as guests for the company. GCE is an authorized distributor and repair center in Georgia for CAT as well as for Pressure-Pro and Mi-T-M pressure washers, General and AR pumps.

During the event, guests were treated to a catered Barbeque meal from Cue Barbecue, were given tickets for an event only drawing for prizes including; a gun and wand assembly, a 50 foot hose, an X-jet system and a General 18 inch surface cleaner. The customers that won these prizes were; Jason Gavin, Todd Reese, Jalal Roy and Robert Stone. Guest also left with a small goodie bag of items that included a GCE cap, coozie, pen and a gift card to use on a future purchase in the store.

Over the years GCE has grown from a chemical equipment installation and service company to a full service business with includes; a store front, selling pressure washing equipment, machines, surface cleaners, reclaim units, parts, accessories. With the recent purchase of Soap Warehouse, they have expanded their chemical lines from a few dozen to a complete line of over 100. They also stock products from EaCo Chem and Ready Seal. GCE oporates a full time equipment installation and repair shop for off site and in house work and employ's two full time outside salesmen that cover Atlanta and travel the US.

With GCE having already surpassed previous years sales during the first half of 2016 and with Michael looking for a larger space for GCE to expand, it is very possible that they could see another 40 years in their future.

Here are some recent facts about Pinterest:

Women like a clean apearance to thier home, they will either pester their man to get it done or will look to hire someone because the husband does not have the time to look or do the cleaning themselves.

The higher the income of the family the more likely they will hire out home maintenance to a professional.

This is why you need a blog, either a stand alone, as part of your website, or posts you make on other sites, like blogs with organizations. Blogging brings viewers.

You need a place to lead followers to, not just to a website page.

So if you are a house or roof washing contractor, a window washer or landscaper, Pinterest would be a great media to use. Set up your business page with at least 10 boards, the space that takes up most peoples screen with two full lines of boards.

Select Board names that are clear, concise and will either appeal to a wide audience or gives specific information about a service with good visuals. Use good key words in the post with a link leading the viewer to a blog or website page about what they are seeing, a landing page to fill out for a quote, or to videos and testimonials, they get good results.

Example: House Washing or any service you provide (one board per type), Home Exteriors or Beautiful Homes, B & A Photos, Certifications & Organizations, Videos or Our Work in Action, Blog Posts or From our Blog, Testimonials or Our Customers, Cleaning Tips, along with some fun boards as well like, Quotes, Fun Facts, Places I have been, Home Design, Home Projects, Cool Hacks, a hobby, sports team, or other topic you personally like.

The fun boards can bring you in like minded people that can then see what you do. People looking already for the services you provide can get more information and additional ways to contact you.

You need to be sure when you make a photo to use for your pin that you have named it with a relevent name, do not leave it as 0715161, but something like Lawrenceville30046housewash71516. This gives you added SEO for the city, the zip code the service type as well as the qualifier of the date taken.

Here are our Pinterest stats just from the last week and averages per month..

Now yes it can be hard sometimes to figure out how many new customers or sales came from these viewers and vists but by asking people how they found us, I can say that Pinterest brings people to the website which hosts our blog and in turn is a large contributing factor in our over all social media presence. You can see the difference between the days I may not have added pins, the days of the week I am not at work to post. The more you engage the more that engagement will bring you new viewers which in turn gives you the chance to get them into your sales funnel.

Find Boards from posters you like and follow them, then their followers can find you as well. 

I hope to see more of you on Pinterest with filled out content.

Some have said my post a few years back about how to calculate the dilution ratio of a pressure washer to use to figure soap use was too complected and I had directed people to an online calculator to do the math. Well I will attempt again to explain how to do all the math you would need to do to figure out how much soap to use for a job. At least to start with. Other factors may require tweaks from the calculated numbers.

So let's first start with your machine. Say it is a 5 GPM unit. We first need to check to be sure that is accurate. (You should continue to do this every few months to be sure it is staying where it should be.)

To check flow rate for 1 minute to see how many GPM your washer is currently putting out. Use a container that can measure gallons on the side and fill it for a straight 1 minute full open. This should be done with the tip you will be using on the end of your wand. Let us say you have a perfect machine and you get a full 5 gallons in that one minute.

Now take a gallon container that can measure by ounces on the side and fill it with water and drop in your downstream line (normally this would go straight into your concentrated soap or soap mix)

Turn on and draw the water from the container for 1 minute. This will show you have many ounces per minute you are drawing. Let us say you got 40 ounces.

Now we take those amounts that you got and run the numbers.

5 GPM is 128 (ounces in a gallon) x 5 = 640 in one minute.

Draw rate from your minute test (it was 40)

640/40 = 16. 15 parts water to 1 part chemical so you have a 1:15 ratio.

Next the soap you want to wash with has a starting recommended ratio to use of 1:35 with cold water so you need to know how much water are you going to add per gallon of your soap to make your mix for your machine to deliver the 1:35 ratio out the wand.

Now comes your fraction lesson.

You need to find X;   1/15 = X/35.  So divide 15 into 35 and you get 2.3.

cross multiplication 1x35=35/15=2.3

 So you will add 1.3 gallons of water to the 1 gallon of soap concentrate so you end up with a total volume of 2.3 gallons this is what you will drop your hose into to draw the soap to get the 1:35 ratio.

So what if your soap reservoir can only hold one gallon? 

More math! You turn the gallons into ounces 2.3 gallons is 294.4 ounces.

294.4/128 = 128 (the single gallon of your reservoir)/X

Cross multiplication again. 128x128= 16384/294.4=55.65 ounces. 

That is how much concentrated soap you will put into the gallon reservoir topped off with water to still give you the 1:35 ratio out the wand.

 So you start to wash and it is cold outside, the surface is dirtier than you thought, etc. and the soap is just not cutting it. I always suggest going up in 10% increments at a time until the soap is working. So for this mix I would add another 5-6 ounces of soap to the reservoir once their is room. 

Or if the opposite is happening and you find that the soap is cleaning gang busters then increase the amount of added water by 10% at a time until it is not as effective. So for this gallon reservoir that would mean to add 13 ounces of water, when the level got low enough, and see how that was cleaning. 

Once your soap has reached it's effectiveness, using a higher concentration of it is just wasting soap, not increasing the effectiveness of your cleaning so try to not waste soap.

And remember using warmer water will reduce the amount of soap you will need, since the heat increases the efficiency of the soap up to half as much.

If you have any questions about ratio calculations just give me a call. 800-762-7911.

 is finally here for most of you and with that special things you need to take care of now and be reminded of before you have a problem.

For those that do not work in the colder weather all equipment and supplies need to be winterized. Washers filled with a RV antifreeze solution. Hoses should also be air dried out and not allowed to freeze where the cold may damage the hose material. The contraction and expansion of freezing and thawing will cause many hoses to get micro cracks which will shorten the life of the hose and possible cause serious safety issues for personnel and equipment later on. You can also apply lubricants or coatings to hoses that you are using out in the cold, to keep their materials supple, to reduce cracking.

For those that will still be working in this cold weather make sure your equipment is is top shape, that you have changed the oils over to cold weather strengths, that you allow your machines to warm up longer and properly before putting a load on them. That your other fluids are at full levels or when possible with small amounts of antifreeze to reduce the chance of freezing. Tires will loose pressure due to the cold temps so be sure to check levels often. Check battery charges often as cold drains them faster. At 32 degrees a fully charged battery only has a 65% cranking capacity while an engines starting requirement can increase from 100 up to 155%. 

Keep liquid chemicals from freezing by keeping them in insulated enclosed boxes or behind wind breaks. Containers should be kept full as possible, as larger volumes of liquids take longer to freeze. You might even consider placing a large cooler on your rig to keep chemicals in, as a cooler will keep cold out and a steady inside temp as well as it does to keep cold in when used as a normal cooler.

And there are other safety issues to consider. Controlling water run off while washing which may freeze causing slip and fall situations. You may need to stock up and carry, signage, litter or ice melt to spread out on walk ways and work areas. Carrying anti slip tire tracks and a small shovel to get a vehicle and trailer out of snow, ice or mud from snow melt if needed.

You need to make sure your employees know how to dress and stay dry while working in the cold so not to get hypothermia or frostbite.They need to wear hats, 10-50% of body temp can be lost from the head, waterproof gloves, warm wool socks (not cotton), and waterproof foot wear with non slip treads or added cleats or tread covers. Under garments with moisture wicking action will keep sweat wet away from their skin. Small hand and foot warmers will make it more comfortable to work out in the cold. Wearing a neck gator or scarf placed over your mouth will keep the cold air out of your lungs.

Do not let the colder weather stop you and your workers from drinking and staying hydrated. People tend to not drink as much in the cold which is a mistake when you are still exerting your self even if you can not feel the sweat. Drinking sips of warm drinks will help keep your core temp up but refrain from caffeine usually found in coffee and tea by drinking decaff as caffeine increases blood flow which will cause the body to loose heat faster.

Also stopping to eat small high calorie items like power bars as a snack, even just a few bites at a time, will keep your core temp up as your body will send blood to your stomach to digest it. Working at an even pace will keep you warm where moving too fast will cause you to sweat and burn calories needed to keep you warm that can bring on hypothermia or cause stress to your circulatory system which may bring on a stroke or heart attack.

Remember to be aware of wind chill as it can damage any exposed skin well before you realize it. Know the signs and stages of hypothermia and frost bite. Have employees keep extra socks and 

Try and take frequent rests periods out of the wind and cold to allow your body to warm up but resist the urge to make the rest area hot. Moving from very cold to very hot locations will make you feel colder when you go back out and if the heat has caused you to sweat on your skin the evaporation will cool you down even more rapidly. Be careful if you are using an enclosed rig that it is properly ventilated so not to have dangerous fumes from building up including CO2 and carbon monoxide that you can not smell.

I hope these tips help keep you and your employees warm and safe during the winter cleaning season.

It is that time of year again, the last month of the last quarter and time to start thinking ahead to the new year. And as it so happens December is also National Business Plan Month. Well I wrote a blog post on this back in 2013 and just reposted that one last year but I thought I would write anew this year.

Why worry about writting a Business Plan? Especially if you have already been in business for a while? Well I will tell you why. There may come a time when as your business grows a banker, CPA or investor will ask to see your business plan and boy will you look foolish when you have to say you do not have one or that you have no idea what that is.

All a Business Plan is, is a plan to help manage your business during its life, plain and simple. It  is just a road map of where you are to where you want to end up. It will include things like your mission statement, the who, what, where and how of your business. What type of work you will perform, in what locations, who is your prospective customer, what prices are you expecting to charge or how you will calculate your pricing, what equipment you will buy, at what cost, will you spread this cost over a set number of years, will you do all the work yourself or hire employees, how will you deal with these employees, and what your expected profit will be in a set period of time from the start of your business.

If you do not have one already the governments Small Business Administration is a good place to start to get a template of what should be included in a plan.http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-business/starting-business/writing-business-plan. And if you are really new to business and just jumped right into it you might even want to back track and take a look at the steps of starting a business they offer as well, http://www.sba.gov/thinking-about-starting. You may find you have missed a few things you should still think about doing.

This plan is not written in stone and every so often, once a year is a good time, you need to take it out, look it over and make adjustments to it. For instance when just starting out you may have worked alone and mainly did house washing, but over time you added employees, these grew into multiple crews and you found you enjoyed cleaning and staining decks, while doing house washing, more than washing homes and your business shifted to mainly deck work. With this change your business plan should also be changed and rewritten. In fact many business plans are made to cover a finite amount of time after which a new plan is expected to be made to cover a next set amount of time. There are other places and groups available to help you with this, like SCORE http://www.score.org/resources/business-plans-financial-statements-template-gallery, Bplans.com or even Microsoft Office. Even here in your own industry there are groups that have done the work for you or will help you, such ashttp://www.powerwash.com/articles/pressure-washing-business-plan-power-wash-contractor.html. Also free examples to watch and learn from on youtube.com, just search "how to write a business plan".

And just as with many of you, Soap Warehouse went though a major change of ownership and direction and I myself will be working this month to rewrite our business plan for the next 5 year period. So join me and get set for a new year with an updated business plan.

As of October 1, 2015 Soap Warehouse has new ownership and with that change comes new additions to what we can offer to our customers.

After 23 years we will now carry more than just soap. We will be able to sell equipment, accessories, parts and other supplies.

Names like Mi-T-M, Pressure-Pro, Karcher, Cat pumps, Honda engines, Mosmatic, X-jet, Reach-It, ClearTec, and Ready Seal wood stain to list a few will be ones you can choose from.

A few other things that have changed; our hours are now 8-5, M-F EST instead of 8:30 and our physical location is now 1185-D Beaver Ruin Road, in Norcross, GA. Closer to I-85 that also allows for walk in customers. Although you should still call with any soap order larger than just a few gallons or 5 gallons of popular items if you want to stop by and pick something up.

What has not changed is our staff, phone numbers, website, e-mails and mailing address. Most orders will still be able to be shipped out within 24 hours of placing it during a normal work day.

Give us a call with what you need so that we can give you a price, 1-800-762-7911.

On September 9th-12th we were in Charleston, SC for the UAMCC National Convention. 

Attendance was very good with the number that came over 100 more than originally expected. With a large number of vendors as well. 

On the 9th there were outdoor demonstrations from a number of vendors showing off equipment like surface cleaners and vacuum reclaim equipment.

Some of the classes also started on Thursday with many at capacity where those not already signed up had to wait and try to attend later repeats of the class.

Soap Warehouse gave two class presentations during the event. One on Friday on general "Chemical Safety" and the second early Saturday morning on "How to set up OSHA training." Classes were divided up into categories such as Safety/Environmental, Business Development, Technology and Sales & Marketing along with the General Sessions.

Besides all of the learning going on activities where also going on, the vendor exhibit area in the main meeting hall was open starting on Friday at 10:00 and was open for attendees to stop by the vendors booths until the show room floor closing on Saturday at 2:00 pm just prior to the anticipated show give a aways.

Every night there was a meet and great during the hotels happy hour in the bar area where many attendees and vendors alike hung out and networked.

It was a great event and we look forward to meeting more of you at the next one we will be attending, which will be the PWNA Convention in Charlotte, NC in November.

Hello all,

I have been very busy getting things ordered for our exhibit booths and Power Points updated or created for our up coming conventions this Fall.

On Sept 10-12th Soap Warehouse will be at the UAMCC event in Charleston, SC. This National Convention is free and contractors that are not even a member yet are invited to come. Just contact me at 800-762-7911 or by e-mail at info@soapwarehouse.biz to request your free VIP tickets to get in. Once you have your ticket you can go and register at the UAMCC website HERE with your ticket number. This way a name card will be ready and waiting for you when you check in. This year it is being held at the Embassy Suites Charleston Area Convention Center Hotel located at 5505 International Blvd. North Charleston, SC 29418. There is a great line up in store for attendees.

I will be a speaker for two safety sessions, General "Chemical Safety" on the 11th at 3 pm and then first thing in the morning on the 12th at 7 am to talk about "How to set up OSHA training" for your employees. A very needed and seldom covered topic.

A few months later on Nov.12-14th Soap Warehouse will be at the PWNA National Convention being held in Charlotte, NC at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel, 3315 Scott Futrell Dr., Charlotte, NC 28208.

To register for this event you can go HERE and if you pay before Aug. 21st you can save $25. PWNA member cost is $249 additional attendees $149@, non-members $349 with additional attendees $249@.

Both Conventions offer Certification classes, please visit their websites for information and pricing if required.

At the PWNA event I will be giving a brand new talk on "How pH effects cleaning." Many do not realize how pH works and why it is important to understand how your chemicals will work.

At both events we will have an exhibit booth that attendees can come by and take at chance at our prize wheel. This year our theme is "Don't Gamble on your Soap." you can spin and win a chance to draw a poker chip that can be worth $5, $10, $25 or even $50 dollars to use toward any Soap Warehouse product purchase with at the show or later on. Other prizes will be a letter opener, a water bottle or a spray bottle with a Soap Warehouse product already in it where you only have to add water once you get home to have roughly a free quart of product to try out. Product in the free sample bottle will vary.

Our booth will also have a large assortment of product in quarts and gallons for purchase with or without using a chip. Quart prices start at $3 and even the gallons will be $1-$2 lower than our regular prices.

If you would like us to bring an order to either show you are attending, just call and place the order by the Friday prior to that show so we can bring it with us and save you the shipping cost. You will just have to load it and take it home in your own vehicle.

As always we will also have a booth drawing box at the booth and will again be offering a free 60 second professional video produced by iMotion Video, currently a $795.00 value. 

Every business owner that has won this and are using their video love the traffic it generates their business. Some even use their's at Home Shows to draw people over to their booth. Other uses are on your website, to link to from e-mail or Facebook ads. Video gets people's attention and creates business.

I am looking forward to seeing many of you at these events and will be excited to met and talk with you.