Soap Warehouse Blog

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.

 

One great up sell when you are cleaning a customers home, gutters or roof, besides decks and their other wood accents, is to clean their homes concrete areas as well. Areas such as sidewalks, driveways, curbs, flower or garden trim edgings as well as pool decks and patios.

The best way to clean these flat surfaces is with a specialty circular cleaning machine. And although many contractors use water alone with this kind of equipment, application of even a small amount of specific concrete cleaner will make the job come out that much nicer in less time. Our "Concrete Cleaner" contains an organic solvent designed to dissolve and remove grease, oil, black tire marks and embedded dirt. And of course with all pressure washing using hot water will improve the cleaning and shorten the amount of time as well. Hotter water allows the surfactants and other components in the cleaners to work their best.

But even if you do not have rotary equipment you can get good results with a regular pressure washer. Just be sure to use the correct size nozzle, proper concentration of cleaner, all with the lowest setting possible for your machine to remove the dirt and follow your local ordinances in regards to the water run off or need for reclamation equipment.

Our "Concrete Cleaner" is organic, bio-degradable, is USDA approved and classified as a non toxic pollutant under the Clean Water Act.

Another problem that may come up when cleaning concrete, brick or rock surfaces is red rust deposits from hard water in areas where iron is in high concentrations. This red coloration can be a headache and many companies actually etch the top of a surface off to remove this color which in time can cause major damage. We have another solution. You can use our "Wood Brightener also called "Rust Remover" to remove those rust stains from white decorative gravel in flower beds and patios.

"Wood Brightener" contains a mild Oxalic Acid which when used at the proper mixture of 2 pounds of cleaner per 5 gallons of water it will remove the rust color safely from the rocks in and around flower beds. You can spray on with a hand pump and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes and then rinse well with water. Repeated applications maybe needed if buildup is sever and has been on the rock surfaces for a long time. Repeating the application is safer for plantings rather than increasing the solution strength or dwell time or using high concentrations on bleach. Have patio furniture that left rust marks, no problem, just take a look at these before and after photos, no bleach was used, just "Wood Brightener".

Nothing improves the curb appeal of a home more than having a clean bright appearance.