If you had to choose - Certified SoftWash Roof Cleaning

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

If you had to choose

Danny Cronauer · SoftWash Systems Certified

Green wash, you need a surfactant in your mix. Help with the runoff also minimizing plant or grass damage.

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

I would go with plant wash. You can use dawn for now.

Doug Rucker · UAMCC Officer

Green Wash....if you are spraying correctly, protecting plants correctly, you'll not harm a plant.

Good question though and interesting to see everyone's view point.

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

Thanks guys. Just trying to make the right chess move without all my pieces on the board yet.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Id get neither and spend the money on training modules.

AC

Mike Laskowski · SoftWash Systems Pro Staff

Absolutely go with green wash for the reasons already stated about needing a surfactant in your mix. Plant wash is a great addition to your plant and property protection but not absolutely necessary like green wash. Do not use Dawn soap as suggested because if you took AC's training modules you will learn that not only does Dawn soap specifically tell you not to mix with bleach but the bigger picture is that you would be putting saving money ahead of your health. Bleach mixed with other chemicals not approved for mixing with bleach creates haloforms and chloromines that are potentially cancer causing agents. AC's training modules are an invaluable piece of your education that helps save you money by avoiding alot of the rookie mistakes. In a way I agree with AC's suggestion the most (about the online training modules) because if you want to make this a serious endeavor the learning curve could be the most expensive part of this business that many businesses don't ever survive. Consider just this one aspect of not taking the time to properly educate yourself....in the age of online reviews (Angies List, etc...) a negative review posted online by a unhappy customer, where you made a preventable mistake had you been more educated about the process, can remain online for years to come so all of your future potential customers will read this review and assume you are still providing the same sub par service. Just something to think about..

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Really? Using dawn soap is fine to mix with sh and water. If your relying on the green wash to not be harmful to you and not wearing a mask then you need yo rethink your strategy. Use dawn for now wear a respirator( all the time) and after you make some money then reinvest into your business.

Ray Burke · Community Member

green wash...all the way!

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

ok maybe im wrong ( not saying i am ). How much green wash is needed for a 50 gallon mix. Trying to see if it is cost effective to use. What is the exact advantage over roof snot?

Mike Laskowski · SoftWash Systems Pro Staff

Read Dawns warning label that specifically states not to mix with Bleach. Bleach is a great cleaner and disinfectant but homemade chemistry with bleach is reckless and dangerous. Bleach's biggest drawback is that when combined with other household cleaners (and other organic compounds) such as amonnia, dangerous gases can be emitted. Green Wash costs about $12 per roof and won't possibly kill you...to me thats worth the quality control and health safety factor and if you market it right is a way to set yourself apart from you competition by using the right chemicals and process to get the job done right. Its all about professionalism.

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

I hear ya ameri wash. How do you figure it costs 12 dollars per roof what are your calculations. I also have ways to seperate myself from other companies. We are very professional.

Mike Laskowski · SoftWash Systems Pro Staff

Green Wash is $120 for five gallons. You will get about 10 roof cleanings per five gallon container. $120/10 equals $12.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

WOW I almost don't even have to show up anymore.....lol

Thanks y'all for some great responses.

AC

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

Pretty soon you'll be able to get back to fishing :)

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

AmerSafe wrote:
Green Wash is $120 for five gallons. You will get about 10 roof cleanings per five gallon container. $120/10 equals $12.

Do you get free shipping? Because when I got my bleach wash it was a 30 dollar shipping charge. Dosent that factor into the cost or no? So by your calculations it would be 15 dollars per roof.

Mike Laskowski · SoftWash Systems Pro Staff

Cost/10 = Cost per roof.

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

so your cost is 15 per roof?

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

how much do you add per your mix say 50 gallon mix or 100 gallon mix.

Mike Laskowski · SoftWash Systems Pro Staff

Depends on your costs. These cost variables can include: 1) is AC running a special on green wash that month 2) are you shipping to a residential or commercial destination (this affects shipping price) 3) if you order in bulk you get a break on shipping, etc, etc.....That's why I tried to simplify my answer to say Cost/10 = Cost per roof

You can make this more confusing by adding the size of the roof into account. A smaller roof (say only 1,200 square foot house) would only probably need 25 gallons of roof mix therefore your cost per roof would be Cost/20 = Cost per roof.

The bigger picture here is that you need to use a bleach safe surfactant (unlike Dawn and other household dish soaps...thats a fact not opinion) that will not pose a safety risk (to you or your customer) by releasing any cancer causing agents. Surfactants help to increase the effectiveness of your roof mix by increasing the solubility of fungus thus allowing you to use less SH and therefore play a part in your plant and property protection by allowing you to use only enough chemical needed to get the job done. Your surfactant should also not contain any phosphates if you want to be able to say that it is 100% biodegradable. Finally, regardless of surfactant a respirator should always be used (OSHA requirement and common sense).

Mike, I use 32 ounces per 50 gallon roof mix.

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Ok next question. What is your average price per roof? My is 400.00. I wish I could get more but I'm in a bad market and it gets flooded with low ballers every month.

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

With greenwash increasing the bleachability of the bleach, how much more sh or ch would one have to add if the green wash isnt used in a 100 gal / one batch mix. Subtracting the 64 oz from the batch recipie, just curious

AC Lockyer · Administrator

michael derose wrote:
Ok next question. What is your average price per roof? My is 400.00. I wish I could get more but I'm in a bad market and it gets flooded with low ballers every month.

Mike,

I was in the worst low baller market in the country and when I got out of the contractor side of the biz we had a 80% closing ratio at a $980 ave job. You have taken my Wilderness Excursion before. You know why. You are not sepPEARating yourself from the competition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imnthdn0QVI

I also have a webinar on this that I need to put up at ProBizGuide.com

AC

Danny Cronauer · SoftWash Systems Certified

now we are building businesses, this is exciting stuff. I currently use plant and bleach wash. I have 55 gal of roof snot that I am gonna go through before trying green wash. Roof snot works great. Kick the Dawn mike.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Apex Roof Cleaning Wilkes-Barre PA wrote:
now we are building businesses, this is exciting stuff. I currently use plant and bleach wash. I have 55 gal of roof snot that I am gonna go through before trying green wash. Roof snot works great. Kick the Dawn mike.

Cool thing is that Russ sells both at Southside Equipment, Green Wash and Roof Snot. Both completely dif chems. AC

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Ac I was talking just roofs not average ticket. My average ticket is 750.00. I am separating myself just very hard with certain customers when all they hear is price. I have more than doubled my sales from last yr and we may hit the 175 mark by the end of the yr. I just playing devils advocate here.

Chris Madden · Lead Tech Certified

magikman92 wrote:
I'm still in the startup learning curve and I have a decicion to make. If you had to choose one (1) out of these two which would you go with to start out with. 1. Green wash 2. Plant wash. I plan to eventually have plant, bleach and green wash. I used ch on my roof and had zero plant damage so Im leaning towards getting the green wash.
Thanks in advance,
John

John,

My opinion is get some Green Wash.

Here is my reasoning:

* Green Wash is part of your Production Process. (service rendered to client for monetary compensation)

* Bleach Wash is a maintenance product (equipment/vehicles, etc.) / but can be used in some production for different desired results. (not required to render service but highly recommended)

* Plant Wash is also a Maintenance product used as a Post plant application. (not required to render service but highly recommended)

Being that your funds are limited, I would spend the money were you are making money, on the Production part of the exterior cleaning process.

I have used many different products for exterior cleaning over the years (including the home chemistry trials...... Bad dog.... Hit myself with newspaper....... will not do that again.)

and find the Green Wash to be the best I have used. It works wonders on washing vertical surfaces of homes and buildings as well.

I hope this information can help you in your decision.

Chris

Josh Scavetta · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Ok here is the real answer. i stated cleaning roofs by reading some forums buying some products and seeing what worked. i ended up with burns on my arms, smelt like crap, but i got the roof clean. Did i get cancer, NO. could i have jeopardised my heath, yea there is a chance. If AC's information was available when i started roof cleaning i would have just said if ya got the money do the modules, if not, then read as much as you can buy some green wash and give it a shot.

Josh Scavetta · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Hey Michael im running the same average 775 per job as you man and closing around 50%. We loose most of our bids from customers that would go with the low ballers no madder what. We rarely ever hear a customer say you guys were $30 more so we went with someone else. its always you guys were 250 more so we went with someone else. well put like AC Said in that Link. try to be the pear. we win a lot of bids being $500 more then our competition but they still go with us because we make our company seem so much better.

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

So, I went with the green wash. Shipping was ups $38.50 . I ordered from Russ at Southside Equipment, Inc. I chose greenwash because I had zero plant damage. If the greenwash helps it stick to the roof better that should minimize runoff even more. I'll just make sure my ground person is a plant nazi. Thanks for the advice.

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

Heres my problem. Say customer gets 3-4 bids. lets say 2000 sq ft house. 3 bids come in at a range from 325-375. I come in at 500.00. The customers says why are you 100-175 dollars more expensive then everybody else. i usually say well first off we give you a free gutter clean, a 5 yr warranty and we treat the whole roof. They say ok so. Then i say well we use low voltage pumps which are safer for the enviroment therefore we are not using pressure washers to clean the roof. We are giving you a full roof clean which is a complete job not a partial job.We are also fully insured along with workmans comp and we always have two men on the job that are fully certified to clean roofs. Customer- ok but at the end of day no matter who i hire the roofs going to be clean, also these other guys said they have full insurance, two men and they dont pressure wash either.

That is where i have a hard time seperating myself becuase i have run out of rebutals why we are better. I also state to the customer that we price the job to do it and not have to cut any corners. Customer- I just want my roof cleaned and i just think you out of your mind charging what you charge. Stumped and insulted at the same time whenever i hear this.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

michael derose wrote:
Heres my problem. Say customer gets 3-4 bids. lets say 2000 sq ft house. 3 bids come in at a range from 325-375. I come in at 500.00. The customers says why are you 100-175 dollars more expensive then everybody else. i usually say well first off we give you a free gutter clean, a 5 yr warranty and we treat the whole roof. They say ok so. Then i say well we use low voltage pumps which are safer for the enviroment therefore we are not using pressure washers to clean the roof. We are giving you a full roof clean which is a complete job not a partial job.We are also fully insured along with workmans comp and we always have two men on the job that are fully certified to clean roofs. Customer- ok but at the end of day no matter who i hire the roofs going to be clean, also these other guys said they have full insurance, two men and they dont pressure wash either.

That is where i have a hard time seperating myself becuase i have run out of rebutals why we are better. I also state to the customer that we price the job to do it and not have to cut any corners. Customer- I just want my roof cleaned and i just think you out of your mind charging what you charge. Stumped and insulted at the same time whenever i hear this.

1. Our products have been tested in a major shingle manufacturers lab.
2. Our products have cleaned in excess of 50,000 roofs since 1991.
3. Our products are 100% biodegradable.
4. Our products do not give off cancer causing agents like chloromines and halothormes.
5. Our products give a 5 Year Spot-Free warranty because they have been in use for more than 5 years.
6. We GUARANTEE your roofing manufacturers warranty no being voided or we become the warranty holder.
7. We GUARANTEE our products and / or system will not damage your roof or we will repair or replace the roof.
8. We are SoftWash Systems Authorized and have been vetted for licensing, Insurance, Workers Comp and Background Checks by AskTheSeal.com
9. Each and EVERY one of our employees have perticipated in a 10 hour, 180 question certification process.
10. Our products have been used at Disney World, University of Florida Football & Baseball stadiums, Bridges over the St. Johns River, ZOOs, Hospitals, Government Buildings, Schools, Hotels and more without incident for over 20 years.

That's just 10 reasons to use a SoftWash Systems Authorized Company off the top of my head. Hope this helps.

AC

AC Lockyer · Administrator

michael derose wrote:
and we always have two men on the job that are fully certified to clean roofs.

Who's certification? When you look at these items there is only one certification for roof cleaning that is appropriate or marketable.

1. 8 modules with 10 hours of instruction.
2. 180 question test.
3. 6 member Pro Staff for NATIONAL hands on training and support.
4. No drama and / or BS support board.
5. Yearly 3 day in class and hands on certification event.
6. By January 2013, 40 module certification / education program for all positions, assistant tech, lead tech, salesperson, manager and master business.

I am not sure if anyone else offers this level of support and training leading to certification.

AC

Tim Teed · SoftWash Systems 5-Star Professional

You guys got off topic. Buy both greenwash and plantwash. Put it on a credit card. Both cartons will be paid for on first job by the time the bill is due. If you lose a shrub you will pay more than the Plantwash. Go to Softwashapalooza, it will cut down on the learning curve. You will learn much more than cleaning roofs

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

If i had a credit card I would do just that, If I had a ticket to palooza and an airline ticket I would do that too. Notice in the beginning of this thread I mentioned that I had to choose one. If I had a credit card I would buy all the modules, the SoftWash Systems Cradle skid and a truckload of sh. For now I'm building as I can

Chris Madden · Lead Tech Certified

tjteed wrote:
You guys got off topic. Buy both greenwash and plantwash. Put it on a credit card. Both cartons will be paid for on first job by the time the bill is due. If you lose a shrub you will pay more than the Plantwash. Go to Softwashapalooza, it will cut down on the learning curve. You will learn much more than cleaning roofs

+10

We need to have another thread open for the other discussion Lol....

Chris

Tim Teed · SoftWash Systems 5-Star Professional

Sorry I missed that part. If money is tight go sell a couple of jobs first then order. The stuff ships real quick. Give a special neighborhood pre-booking price and that will give you enough time. I started this year and I consider Greenwash, Plantwash and Softwashapalooza must haves for starting out. Make a vision board of your goals of what you are trying achieve to keep the motivation.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

tjteed wrote:
You guys got off topic. Buy both greenwash and plantwash. Put it on a credit card. Both cartons will be paid for on first job by the time the bill is due. If you lose a shrub you will pay more than the Plantwash. Go to Softwashapalooza, it will cut down on the learning curve. You will learn much more than cleaning roofs

LOVE U TIM! That says it all.

AC

AC Lockyer · Administrator

tjteed wrote:
Sorry I missed that part. If money is tight go sell a couple of jobs first then order. The stuff ships real quick. Give a special neighborhood pre-booking price and that will give you enough time. I started this year and I consider Greenwash, Plantwash and Softwashapalooza must haves for starting out. Make a vision board of your goals of what you are trying achieve to keep the motivation.

I like Bleach Wash too. Dont make it the redheaded step child :(

AC

Danny Cronauer · SoftWash Systems Certified

AC Lockyer wrote:
michael derose wrote:
Heres my problem. Say customer gets 3-4 bids. lets say 2000 sq ft house. 3 bids come in at a range from 325-375. I come in at 500.00. The customers says why are you 100-175 dollars more expensive then everybody else. i usually say well first off we give you a free gutter clean, a 5 yr warranty and we treat the whole roof. They say ok so. Then i say well we use low voltage pumps which are safer for the enviroment therefore we are not using pressure washers to clean the roof. We are giving you a full roof clean which is a complete job not a partial job.We are also fully insured along with workmans comp and we always have two men on the job that are fully certified to clean roofs. Customer- ok but at the end of day no matter who i hire the roofs going to be clean, also these other guys said they have full insurance, two men and they dont pressure wash either.

That is where i have a hard time seperating myself becuase i have run out of rebutals why we are better. I also state to the customer that we price the job to do it and not have to cut any corners. Customer- I just want my roof cleaned and i just think you out of your mind charging what you charge. Stumped and insulted at the same time whenever i hear this.
1. Our products have been tested in a major shingle manufacturers lab.
2. Our products have cleaned in excess of 50,000 roofs since 1991.
3. Our products are 100% biodegradable.
4. Our products do not give off cancer causing agents like chloromines and halothormes.
5. Our products give a 5 Year Spot-Free warranty because they have been in use for more than 5 years.
6. We GUARANTEE your roofing manufacturers warranty no being voided or we become the warranty holder.
7. We GUARANTEE our products and / or system will not damage your roof or we will repair or replace the roof.
8. We are SoftWash Systems Authorized and have been vetted for licensing, Insurance, Workers Comp and Background Checks by AskTheSeal.com
9. Each and EVERY one of our employees have perticipated in a 10 hour, 180 question certification process.
10. Our products have been used at Disney World, University of Florida Football & Baseball stadiums, Bridges over the St. Johns River, ZOOs, Hospitals, Government Buildings, Schools, Hotels and more without incident for over 20 years.
That's just 10 reasons to use a SoftWash Systems Authorized Company off the top of my head. Hope this helps.

AC

I think this response just sold me on the module. Great response AC. If a customer says no to this, they don't care if monkeys clean their roof, they just want it done.

I think everyone has to remember, most of us come to these boards because we originally were on a tight budget. When money is tight, there isn't much you can do. I can honestly say that I lost a $1900 job, because at the time of the estimate my company wasn't carrying bleach wash and green wash.

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Apex Roof Cleaning Wilkes-Barre PA wrote:
AC Lockyer wrote:
michael derose wrote:
Heres my problem. Say customer gets 3-4 bids. lets say 2000 sq ft house. 3 bids come in at a range from 325-375. I come in at 500.00. The customers says why are you 100-175 dollars more expensive then everybody else. i usually say well first off we give you a free gutter clean, a 5 yr warranty and we treat the whole roof. They say ok so. Then i say well we use low voltage pumps which are safer for the enviroment therefore we are not using pressure washers to clean the roof. We are giving you a full roof clean which is a complete job not a partial job.We are also fully insured along with workmans comp and we always have two men on the job that are fully certified to clean roofs. Customer- ok but at the end of day no matter who i hire the roofs going to be clean, also these other guys said they have full insurance, two men and they dont pressure wash either.

That is where i have a hard time seperating myself becuase i have run out of rebutals why we are better. I also state to the customer that we price the job to do it and not have to cut any corners. Customer- I just want my roof cleaned and i just think you out of your mind charging what you charge. Stumped and insulted at the same time whenever i hear this.
1. Our products have been tested in a major shingle manufacturers lab.
2. Our products have cleaned in excess of 50,000 roofs since 1991.
3. Our products are 100% biodegradable.
4. Our products do not give off cancer causing agents like chloromines and halothormes.
5. Our products give a 5 Year Spot-Free warranty because they have been in use for more than 5 years.
6. We GUARANTEE your roofing manufacturers warranty no being voided or we become the warranty holder.
7. We GUARANTEE our products and / or system will not damage your roof or we will repair or replace the roof.
8. We are SoftWash Systems Authorized and have been vetted for licensing, Insurance, Workers Comp and Background Checks by AskTheSeal.com
9. Each and EVERY one of our employees have perticipated in a 10 hour, 180 question certification process.
10. Our products have been used at Disney World, University of Florida Football & Baseball stadiums, Bridges over the St. Johns River, ZOOs, Hospitals, Government Buildings, Schools, Hotels and more without incident for over 20 years.
That's just 10 reasons to use a SoftWash Systems Authorized Company off the top of my head. Hope this helps.

AC
I think this response just sold me on the module. Great response AC. If a customer says no to this, they don't care if monkeys clean their roof, they just want it done.
I think everyone has to remember, most of us come to these boards because we originally were on a tight budget. When money is tight, there isn't much you can do. I can honestly say that I lost a $1900 job, because at the time of the estimate my company wasn't carrying bleach wash and green wash.

When a customer says no to this your fishing in the wrong pond. Glad it helped.

AC

Doug Rucker · UAMCC Officer

michael derose wrote:
Heres my problem. Say customer gets 3-4 bids. lets say 2000 sq ft house. 3 bids come in at a range from 325-375. I come in at 500.00. The customers says why are you 100-175 dollars more expensive then everybody else. i usually say well first off we give you a free gutter clean, a 5 yr warranty and we treat the whole roof. They say ok so. Then i say well we use low voltage pumps which are safer for the enviroment therefore we are not using pressure washers to clean the roof. We are giving you a full roof clean which is a complete job not a partial job.We are also fully insured along with workmans comp and we always have two men on the job that are fully certified to clean roofs. Customer- ok but at the end of day no matter who i hire the roofs going to be clean, also these other guys said they have full insurance, two men and they dont pressure wash either.

That is where i have a hard time seperating myself becuase i have run out of rebutals why we are better. I also state to the customer that we price the job to do it and not have to cut any corners. Customer- I just want my roof cleaned and i just think you out of your mind charging what you charge. Stumped and insulted at the same time whenever i hear this.

Here is what I say Michael-"That is our standard price based on the scope of work you have requested based on our 20 years of experience and commitment to excellence. Our pricing structure is one that allows us to maintain our integrity while not compromising our value of service and quality of workmanship. While it is our goal to be your only company for years to come, we also understand that may not always be feasible and would certainly understand if you needed to continue your relationship with your previous company (there usually out of business) or need to make your desicion based on price alone."

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

II like that Doug thanks alot. I usually have no problem talking to customers and winning them over with my good looks and charm but since august I have been having trouble closing deals. We only are getting around 10-12 calls a week so I try and make them count.

Michael Derose · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

AAlso Doug you tried both green wash and fresh wash right? What is the difference? Do one work better than the other?

Doug Rucker · UAMCC Officer

michael derose wrote:
AAlso Doug you tried both green wash and fresh wash right? What is the difference? Do one work better than the other?

Both about the same, but IMO the Fresh Wash covered the scent better. I use Roof Snot only now for roofs and houses.

John Smith · Lead Tech Certified

Is the 5 year warrenty for all surfaces or just asphalt shingles?

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Just roofs, shingle, tile, slate, metal. But not wood shake or flat roofs that hold water.

AC

Edward Yackenovich · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

AC just watch the you tube video good stuff.but got say one thing..OFF SUBLECT i noticed the down spout behind you on THE house on the front porch..that would have never passed with my company....that is a sh'' job...i guess that is what makes our company different....ED

AC Lockyer · Administrator

Edward Yackenovich wrote:
AC just watch the you tubetaping on.
eo good stuff.but got say one thing..OFF SUBLECT i noticed the down spout behind you on THE house on the front porch..that would have never passed with my company....that is a sh'' job...i guess that is what makes our company different....ED

that was just a pretty house on the street we were taping on.

AC

Vic Irish · SoftWash Systems Certified Applicator

AC Lockyer wrote:
6. By January 2013, 40 module certification / education program for all positions, assistant tech, lead tech, salesperson, manager and master business.
I am not sure if anyone else offers this level of support and training leading to certification.

AC

40 modules? Really?? How long do our licenses to use the modules last, anyway? One year, right?

If I bought my license in January of 2013 and it ran out by January of 2014, I might be upset I didn't have a shot at all 40 modules.