# Greeeeeeeeeeeeeen



## Kelly Painting (Apr 17, 2007)

I've been powerwashing for years, and like everything else, I thought I knew what I was doing. Lately I've been doing allot of research into the D.E.P. &
The laws governing our water supplies. I wonder if anyone else on this forum
(except Pressure Pro's) understands the extent of pollution we are causing by just powerwashing houses and letting the water go where it wants. 

I started this research because i was thinking of expanding into washing buses and trucks....Does anyone on this forum handle fleet washing?

Has the new laws affected the ability to make a living? I wouldn't think most of my customers would pay extra for water recycling.... how do you stay green and still make a living?


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## johnisimpson (Oct 5, 2007)

I think to really answer your post, you'd have to get into a lot of detail with different types of washing because they all require different solutions to be green. Most houses won't have the same environmental risk factors as fleet washing does. Depending on the soil type and the vegetation, the ground can act as a natural filter for some if not most of the chemical run off of a house wash mix. The difference with fleet washing is that they often happen in parking lots where the water runs straight to a storm water sewer which is unfiltered and goes straight to creeks, lakes and river waterways. Same with concrete parking lot cleanings. That's part of the reason why commercial cleaning is targeted by agencies more and the other reason is that they don't have a cost effective way to monitor all the millions of residential jobs going on. I think the customers you have to convince or sell on green cleanings are the commercial ones but it may be or become easier than you would expect. When the DEP and EPA and your local waste water agency start cracking down, then you'll lose a lot of fly by night competition and the commercial contracts will be looking for someone who does it properly so they don't get fined. 

With residential cleanings, I personally like to tell customers that we don't use our chemicals any stronger than we need to and that when available we'll use a more friendly chemical. Examples are switching to a percarbonate cleaner for already stained or painted decks and using citric acid instead of oxalic acid for neutralizing. In the southeast, I don't know how you can avoid using bleach in your house wash mix but I adjust my mix according to the house and try to go as weak as I can and still wash effectively. I'm not finding many residential customers (yet) that are willing to pay more for greener cleanings but I'm sure that it will develop over time. 

Also, don't overlook the simple ways to green up. Try to drive less, recycle in the office, recycle those bleach and chemical containers, use recycled paper for your marketing, etc. I'm all for doing those things to be good to the planet but I'd still use them too in selling myself and my company to potential customers.


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