Soft Washing vs. DIY: The Battle of Home Maintenance Madness - Around the House® Home Improvement: A Deep Dive into Your Home

Episode 2043

Soft Washing vs. DIY: The Battle of Home Maintenance Madness

Today, we're diving into the wild world of home maintenance, specifically why you might want to think twice before picking up that pressure washer from your local hardware store. Spoiler alert: you might just blow a hole in your siding or create a new water feature in your living room. I know, shocking, right? With the rising home improvement costs, folks are scrambling to maintain their homes instead of shelling out for a new roof or siding—who can afford that? So, we chat with Evan Greco from Rolling Suds about the surprisingly nuanced art of soft washing versus the good old-fashioned pressure wash—because trust me, not all washing is created equal. By the end of this episode, you'll be wondering why you ever thought DIY was a good idea—let the pros handle it, people! Home improvement isn't just about slapping paint on the walls and calling it a day. In this episode, Eric G. dives into the swirling vortex of home maintenance and the rising trend of soft washing, a gentler alternative to the high-pressure power washing that can wreak havoc on our beloved homes. With Evan Greco from Rolling Suds, Eric tackles the common misconceptions about DIY pressure washing—spoiler alert: it’s not as easy as it looks! They reveal the dark side of homeowners taking matters into their own hands and ending up with more damage than dirt to show for it. Plus, they explore the reasons why folks are now more inclined to invest in their current homes rather than jumping ship to chase cheaper interest rates elsewhere. This episode is packed with practical tips and eye-opening revelations about the hidden costs of neglecting proper home maintenance, all served with a side of sarcasm that keeps things light despite the serious subject matter. So, if you’re thinking about cleaning up your act—literally—this episode is a must-listen.

Have you ever looked at your house and thought, 'Gee, that could use a good scrub'? If so, you’re not alone. Eric and Evan discuss how soft washing is taking the home maintenance world by storm, especially in areas where traditional pressure washing is a disaster waiting to happen. They delve into the nitty-gritty of why soft washing is the way to go, especially for older homes that might crumble under the pressure of a standard power washer. They also touch on the rise of home values and how homeowners are forced to become more proactive about maintaining their properties. It's a wake-up call for anyone who thinks a quick DIY job will suffice. Spoiler alert: it won't! The guys also share stories about the shocking things they've found while cleaning homes—from moldy roofs to neglected sidings that could tell stories if only they could speak. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this episode if you care about your home (and your sanity).

Let’s face it, homeownership can be a bit of a nightmare. One minute you’re enjoying your cozy abode, and the next you’re knee-deep in cleaning supplies, trying to figure out what went wrong with your latest DIY attempt. In this episode, Eric G. and Evan Greco take a humorous look at the chaos that ensues when homeowners try to save a buck by going the DIY route with pressure washers. Spoiler alert: it usually ends in tears (and a lot of regret). They discuss the rising trend of soft washing and why it’s becoming a favorite among homeowners who want to maintain the beauty of their homes without the risk of turning their siding into Swiss cheese. You’ll hear wild tales about the things people have tried to clean with a pressure washer and the hilarious (and sometimes tragic) results. If you own a home and think you can handle everything with a rented power washer, you might want to tune in to this episode first. Eric and Evan’s witty banter makes this episode not just informative but also a total joy to listen to.

Takeaways:

  • Home improvement is all about maintaining your biggest asset, which is your house, so don't neglect it!
  • DIY pressure washing can turn into a disaster if you're not careful, so leave it to the pros, folks!
  • Soft washing is the new black in home maintenance, especially for older homes that need gentle care.
  • Insurance companies are getting serious about home maintenance; neglect may lead to denial of coverage!
  • People spend big bucks on their cars but forget to clean their homes, which is kinda ridiculous if you think about it.
  • If you're planning to sell, a clean home exterior is a must; it boosts curb appeal and sells faster!

Links referenced in this episode:

Companies mentioned in this episode:

  • Monument Grill
  • Rolling Suds
  • Aerobroom

To get your questions answered by Eric G give us a call in the studio at 833-239-4144 24/7 and Eric G will get back to you and answer your question and you might end up in a future episode of Around the House.

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Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.


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Transcript
Speaker A:

Foreign.

Speaker B:

Welcome to around the House with Eric G. Your trusted source for all things home improvement.

Speaker B:

Whether you're tackling a DIY project, hiring it out, or just trying to keep your home running smoothly, you're in the right place.

Speaker B:

With over 30 years of remodeling experience, certified kitchen designer Eric G. Takes you behind the scenes with expert advice, industry trends, and the latest innovations for your home.

Speaker B:

Home it's everything you need to know without the fluff.

Speaker B:

Now here's your host, Eric G. Welcome.

Speaker C:

To the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.

Speaker C:

I'm Eric G. Thanks for joining me today.

Speaker C:

This hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grill.

Speaker C:

If you're looking for that brand new barbecue, check them out@monumentgrills.com today we're going to keep it clean.

Speaker C:

We like to do on the radio, but we've got Evan Greco, brand president, franchise owner at Rolling Suds.

Speaker C:

Brother.

Speaker C:

Welcome to around the House.

Speaker A:

Good afternoon, Eric.

Speaker A:

I appreciate you letting me on the show.

Speaker C:

Thanks, man.

Speaker C:

You guys are so fast growing out there.

Speaker C:

And it seems that this segment is really growing across the country because I'm seeing people out there that are doing the pressure washing or at least, you know, the soft washing out there for the things that should be softwashed.

Speaker C:

It's great to see you guys are just crushing it out there.

Speaker A:

I appreciate that.

Speaker A:

Yeah, it's really interesting to see in this space.

Speaker A:

I think with home values the way they are, people are really trying to find a way to stay in the current residence they're in because you have a lot of people out there who don't want to surrender those low interest rates.

Speaker A:

And so I think they're spending more on home improvement than they ever have because they don't have the flexibility to just up and move somewhere else.

Speaker C:

And we know those home improvement projects are just so expensive out there when it comes to replacing roofs and siding and fences, it just, it keeps getting more and more expensive.

Speaker C:

And it looks like that maintenance is really starting to get into people's minds because they don't want to go spend $30,000 in a brand new roof.

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker A:

That is a, that's a crucial part of the business.

Speaker A:

But I think you're also seeing a lot of new homeowners who really don't have the experience to do these kind of things on their own.

Speaker A:

And so just another thing that, you know is really increasing the preventative maintenance side of home ownership and getting professionals to come in and complete it for them.

Speaker C:

I tell you what, I have seen people Go crazy on their wood deck, their cedar siding, their cedar fence, their pine fence, whatever they got, they get out there with the pressure washer that they rented from the home improvement store and should have probably just left it alone because they did more damage than the lack of maintenance ever did.

Speaker A:

Yes, that is something we see quite a bit.

Speaker A:

It's very unfortunate.

Speaker A:

But I will tell you that you can do quite a bit of damage with even a store bought power washer if you choose to do it on your own.

Speaker A:

There's quite a bit of trial and error that goes along with it.

Speaker A:

And when you're working on something that's as large of an asset as your home, it's not something I'd be willing to gamble with on there just to save a couple of bucks.

Speaker C:

Then on top of it, when you see people like going out and messing with their siding, for instance, if you're not getting the angle right, if you're not doing the right thing on there, you're pushing water up under the siding.

Speaker C:

And if it's an older home, you're probably doing a significant amount of damage on the inside of the house just because you're shoving water where I was never supposed to be.

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker A:

And we're.

Speaker A:

We're in 34 states right now.

Speaker A:

We have 80 franchisees live and we have people.

Speaker A:

I think of Philadelphia, I think of New Orleans.

Speaker A:

The franchisee that I co own, I think of a couple of the spot like San Augusta and Florida.

Speaker A:

And I mean these are very old neighborhoods where you can have buildings that are 2 and then bordering 300 years old.

Speaker A:

And I think that's one of the things that's so interesting about our approach which is really geared towards soft washing instead of just relying purely on the pressure of the water.

Speaker A:

Soft washing is a tactic where you're really leaning on the solution that you're using to do the bulk of the cleaning.

Speaker A:

And it's perfect for these markets where you're dealing with older or historical structures in particular.

Speaker C:

No kidding.

Speaker C:

Because yeah, you've got old wood, it's brittle.

Speaker C:

You get out there with a pressure washer and you're grinding into stuff.

Speaker C:

You can cut through cedar siding with a pressure washer if you're not careful.

Speaker C:

It's a fast way to cut it like a water jet.

Speaker C:

And you got to be careful with that.

Speaker A:

Oh yeah.

Speaker A:

And I'm sure you've seen it, Eric.

Speaker A:

People will make TikTok videos of them like carving out pumpkins with power washing.

Speaker A:

And although that's very entertaining, I hate seeing stuff like that because it just to the, to the untrained eye, they're like, I don't want to do any of that to my house.

Speaker A:

I'm not trying to use that level of pressure to clean something.

Speaker A:

And it's completely not indicative of the power washing experience.

Speaker C:

It only is if you turn it up on high and try to make it a DIY project.

Speaker C:

Then of course, if you've got that point, man, I got the one with the hot water burner on it and it's a commercial one.

Speaker C:

It's great for cleaning out concrete buildings and doing that kind of stuff and you go hit it on your soft wood siding, you've got a whole other problem.

Speaker C:

And that's why the professionals.

Speaker C:

This is an easy way to go and it's an affordable maintenance option for people out there.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker A:

I'm glad you touched upon the affordability piece.

Speaker A:

One of the things that I really find so fascinating, I never put a ton of thought into it before I was in power washing, but now that I am.

Speaker A:

When you look at your average consumer who has a vehicle, average purchase price of a vehicle right now is $48,000.

Speaker A:

If you buy something brand new, people clean them all the time.

Speaker A:

They get memberships to car wash places, they get them detailed.

Speaker A:

And then I look at the homeownership side of the house in which your, let's say your average transaction for a home right now is 460 to 540,000 and people never get them cleaned.

Speaker A:

And it's shocking to me, you know, you have this assets that, that's 10x what you'd have on an automobile.

Speaker A:

And in some cases it's equally as dirty to, to a vehicle depending on how many miles you're putting there.

Speaker A:

And no one seems to have an interest in cleaning them.

Speaker A:

Even I'll be perusing Zillow and you have your home up for sale that a lot of people are hoping to have this very quick trans.

Speaker A:

Very quick and profitable transaction.

Speaker A:

And the house does not look good from a curb appeal standpoint.

Speaker A:

From a.

Speaker A:

When looking through the filter of power washing.

Speaker A:

And I just find it so interesting that people, I don't know if it's for lack of consumer education, knowing that this is a service that's out there, but it would like really aid customers in buying a home and selling a home, maintaining that crisp look that you're looking for.

Speaker C:

Oh yeah.

Speaker C:

And if you want to find out how dirty your house gets.

Speaker C:

My house when I bought it was this nice light gray.

Speaker C:

During my remodel here, I painted it jet black.

Speaker C:

And if you want to see what shows up on a black house, paint it black.

Speaker C:

Everything shows up.

Speaker C:

Dust, mold, mildew.

Speaker C:

I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so we get a little bit of everything out there, Even the water splash, splashing off the concrete by the front door.

Speaker C:

It splashes up on there, and it shows that dirt just like a black car would.

Speaker C:

So if you want to see how dirty the house is, I didn't notice it before, but really you're right, which is you get this matte, dull finish.

Speaker C:

The color you painted isn't really bright anymore, and it's just that contaminants from everything outside that you see in your car is just ended up on your house.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And, Eric, so just like you said, you didn't really notice it yourself until, you know, you took a closer look.

Speaker A:

We see that all the time.

Speaker A:

Whether it is commercial or whether it's residential, it happens at such a slow rate that, like, it just falls into the background.

Speaker A:

You know, how busy you are.

Speaker A:

You're coming in and out.

Speaker A:

And then before you know it, if you were to see it before and after, you'd be seriously surprised at the amount of buildup they have over, especially if you're in a coastal area like yourself.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And it can get away from you very quickly.

Speaker A:

And I think where we.

Speaker A:

I think one things we enjoy the most is when we get done cleaning a customer's house, seeing the juxtaposition between their sidewalk and their home compared to their neighbors.

Speaker A:

The sidewalk is, like, the clearest most night and day, because it happens so slowly.

Speaker A:

A lot of people don't even know the sidewalk isn't supposed to be that color.

Speaker A:

It is.

Speaker A:

And then you come in, you clean it, and it is just.

Speaker A:

It's.

Speaker A:

There's such a point of difference, differentiation between where they just got power wash and then the neighbors.

Speaker A:

And obviously, it's a great thing to aid in adding on sales while you're out and about, but I think it really helps the homeowners know, look what's happening.

Speaker A:

I didn't even realize it wasn't supposed to be this color.

Speaker A:

And now they see how clean it is, it just gives them a completely new, new lease.

Speaker A:

On what the.

Speaker A:

On how they viewed their property.

Speaker C:

Yeah, I live on the.

Speaker C:

On the wet side of the state here in Oregon.

Speaker C:

And our sidewalks here, in about two to three years, end up being a speckled black.

Speaker C:

And if about 10 years, they're mostly charcoal gray just because of the lichen, the mildew, the things that grow on it.

Speaker C:

And Boy, when you get that back down to fresh concrete again, looks like a million bucks.

Speaker A:

It does.

Speaker A:

And I'm glad you mentioned the two to three year time frame because that's what we typically see.

Speaker A:

And I think one of another part of consumer education that we were talking about is if you just go to a store, buy a power washer and then power wash your home, you're, you're really not solving the problem.

Speaker A:

You're just removing.

Speaker A:

So let's say we're talking about mold in particular.

Speaker A:

You are removing mold from the exterior, but you are not killing those spores that are in there.

Speaker A:

So if you do an excellent power washing job on the side of your home and, and all you were doing was just removing it through pressure in three to six months, you were going to see that come back pretty quickly.

Speaker B:

To find out more about us, head to aroundthe house online.com make sure to subscribe to our social media channels.

Speaker B:

Keep your tools sharp and your excuses sharper.

Speaker B:

We'll be right back.

Speaker B:

Welcome back to the around the House show.

Speaker B:

This hour is sponsored by Monument Grills for the best barbecues in their class.

Speaker B:

Check them out@monument grills.com now let's jump back into the conversation Eric G. Is having with Evan Greco from Rolling Suds.

Speaker A:

But you are not killing those spores that are in there.

Speaker A:

So if you do an excellent power washing job on the side of your home and, and all you were doing was just removing it through pressure in three to six months, you are going to see that come back pretty quickly.

Speaker A:

However, if you are soft washing your house and you're doing it with typically sodium hypochlorite is the go to, you can get a good two years out of that.

Speaker A:

And then if you're in an area that's not coastal, you're talking two to three years that will last you over there.

Speaker A:

And it's an issue of actually resolving the problem versus just masking it.

Speaker C:

Great point.

Speaker C:

Because yeah, that stuff, all you've done is taken the top of that off and the spores are still there.

Speaker C:

And by the way, you just fed it with water so now it's going to come back even harder.

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker C:

It's just like dealing with mold inside your house.

Speaker C:

You got to treat it and get it taken care of.

Speaker C:

That makes a lot of sense.

Speaker C:

Hadn't even thought about that.

Speaker A:

Oh yeah.

Speaker C:

It's like cleaning your shower system inside.

Speaker C:

If you don't get it cleaned up, it's just coming right back.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And it's, it's interesting because when you look at because we're in such a.

Speaker A:

So many different states, there's a lot of different philosophies around it.

Speaker A:

And so these coastal towns, mold is of the utmost importance to them.

Speaker A:

But let's say you get somewhere out to Phoenix or you get to Las Vegas and there it's more esthetics because they have so much of the, like dust and sand build up and they don't really have to deal with mold because of that climate.

Speaker A:

But you'll see you have consumer bases, like I would say the Northeast in Florida are very aware of what soft washing is.

Speaker A:

It's totally in there, like, lexicon of things that they search for.

Speaker A:

They know it's something that has to be done.

Speaker A:

Homeowner organizations typically require it on an annual basis in some parts.

Speaker A:

And then you get to other places like I think the rest of the south outside of Florida, and no one's really heard of it.

Speaker A:

Like, it's not everyone's heard of power washing, but soft washing is not something that's on their radar.

Speaker A:

They haven't heard of it.

Speaker A:

They don't understand what makes it different.

Speaker A:

And that's why I love being able to talk on shows like this and just be able to educate consumers well.

Speaker C:

Especially the people out there that wanted to go maintenance free and they put up vinyl fencing, right?

Speaker C:

That white vinyl fencing in my area here, boy, six months to a year, and it's got gray streaks all over it.

Speaker C:

It's looking pretty rough.

Speaker C:

And you got to be careful with that stuff and that.

Speaker C:

You really got to slow that down because otherwise, again, couple months, it's right back again.

Speaker A:

You're right.

Speaker A:

And I know we've been talking about a lot of the appearance of a home, but if you let this mold build up, you can actually have quite a bit of damage to parts of your house in particular.

Speaker A:

So I think about roofs, if you just allow mold to continue to build up underneath those, underneath those tiles on your roof, it can absolutely damage it.

Speaker A:

And I'm not sure if you've heard this from your listeners, but now it's getting to the point where insurance companies, when they have to do their adjustments, they're just flying drones over homes.

Speaker A:

And if they see that you have a substantial amount of buildup, they will just report to you with photos, okay, in the mail.

Speaker A:

Hey, we're not going to be able to renew you unless you resolve this issue on there.

Speaker A:

And there's no guidance of where to go or what to do for that.

Speaker A:

It's, hey, this is your problem to resolve over here.

Speaker A:

And so when you look at a technique like soft washing, which we do roofs all the time, that's something that can easily solve that.

Speaker A:

But then you don't have to worry about that permanent damage taking place to your roof because of that mold buildup.

Speaker C:

Yeah, it could be anything from the, the debris from palm trees to pine needles, depending on what you get.

Speaker C:

If those get up there and they're contrasting color, whether it's a satellite or a drone, I've definitely had emails of like, how did they do this?

Speaker C:

Was either a satellite or a drone, one of the two.

Speaker C:

And you can tell the difference.

Speaker C:

And it, it's.

Speaker C:

Insurance companies are really now trying to reduce their risk and that's how they're strong arming people going, hey, you gotta maintain that.

Speaker C:

You got to keep this clean.

Speaker C:

And wow, you got stack stuff stacked up next to the house.

Speaker C:

Clean it up.

Speaker C:

And it's been eye opening, I think for homeowners over the last four or five years to.

Speaker C:

And I think it's even going to get more militant on that, that, that maintenance, if you're not taking care of it, don't expect them to cover you.

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker A:

And so it's not only when we.

Speaker A:

You were talking about siding as well.

Speaker A:

So a roof to an extent, I get it.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

If you're not hanging Christmas lights, depending on what the arc your roof is, you may never look at that.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

Or like what elevation your home is at.

Speaker A:

But we look at siding and this is something I find so interesting is we'll be on site and we'll do a walk with the customer's house, just making sure we understand the scope, do some expectation management and we will come around to the side of someone's house and let's say on the side of this house, there's no AC unit, there's no trash or anything.

Speaker A:

And it's possible that person hasn't seen that side of their house in years.

Speaker A:

Like if there's never anything drawing them over there.

Speaker A:

And so we can come around and show them where there's buildup and they're like, yikes, I had no idea it had gotten like this.

Speaker A:

And so I'm telling you, even if you think that you are like all over it from a homeowner ownership standpoint, there are these spots that always get overlooked.

Speaker A:

And this is where when you employ a tactic like this of soft washing where you can immediately resolve those, you look at the solution we're using with liquid chlorine or sodium hypochlorite, another synonymous.

Speaker A:

But it works instantaneously within 30 seconds, whether or not that application is done.

Speaker A:

And so I think it's one of the most satisfying pieces about this line of work is you just get that instant gratification when you're on these job sites in your clinic.

Speaker A:

It's so satisfying to see.

Speaker C:

That is cool.

Speaker C:

And I can imagine the stuff that your teams out there across the country see, from wasps and hornets nests to all the crazy stuff that ends up on a roof and sighting and the eaves.

Speaker C:

I'm sure there's everything from bird's nests to anything mother Nature can throw at it.

Speaker A:

Yeah, you name it and they have come across it.

Speaker A:

And then we're on the commercial side of the house as well as with the residential side.

Speaker A:

So commercial to your point, it gets even crazier because you're dealing with all these very unique structures and especially a lot of stuff with bird abatement and like buildup of various organic materials.

Speaker A:

So, yeah, we have seen just about everything as you can imagine, especially operating in all these different regions of the country.

Speaker C:

Oh yeah, no question, no question.

Speaker C:

And then, you know what?

Speaker C:

I think it's awesome about you guys too.

Speaker C:

Is your licensed, bonded, insured people out there.

Speaker C:

So what's cool with that?

Speaker C:

Is it if they're getting up on the roof doing stuff, it's not like you got some handyman off a next door that falls off your house and isn't any of those things.

Speaker C:

And now you're.

Speaker C:

He's your employee and you're liable in many cases.

Speaker C:

So you got to be really careful out there having the wrong people come over because you think, oh, it's just washing.

Speaker C:

Yeah, they can do way more damage and get themselves hurt, which could put you in a very unfortunate financial situation.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

Eric, you are spot on.

Speaker A:

And that is one of the things we really want to stand out, especially being in both the residential and commercial space, is the professionalism that you're getting with an established organization like this.

Speaker A:

So, yeah, not only the experience of, of 35 years of power washing, but also exactly what you talked about.

Speaker A:

The importance of items like the insurance that comes along with it.

Speaker A:

We look a lot at, I think a lot of people don't like to do roof related things because they don't want to do it themselves and for obvious reasons.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

We see all these stories every year, especially around the holidays of people trying to hang Christmas lights and they fall off the roofs and get injured or worse.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And so they.

Speaker A:

And so they end up getting someone else to do it.

Speaker A:

But to your point, if you just get someone else who's not insured to do it.

Speaker A:

You are absolutely opening yourself up from a liability standpoint point if anything happens to that individual.

Speaker A:

And so whether it's us being insured as we are standardly for residential use, or us going all the way to having to get $5 million in coverage to do a job like the Superdome, it's one of the great things that comes along with actually having a professional organization.

Speaker A:

So you have that peace of mind when you have people working on your home or your business.

Speaker B:

To find out more about us, head to aroundthehouseonline.com make sure to subscribe to our social media channels around the House because duct tape fixes almost everything except bad decisions.

Speaker B:

We will be right back.

Speaker B:

Welcome back to the around the House Show.

Speaker B:

This hour is sponsored by Monument Grills for the best barbecues in their class.

Speaker B:

Check them out@monumentgrills.com before we continue chatting with Evan Greco, let's head to our weekly segment, the around the House Nugget.

Speaker C:

Time for an around the House nugget brought to you by Aerobroom.

Speaker C:

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Speaker C:

Grab yours@arrowbroom.com that's aerobroom.com it's my go to for dog hair messes.

Speaker C:

Now here's your quick tip.

Speaker C:

Hey guys, it's Eric G. From around the House.

Speaker C:

Late summer's here and your AC is working harder than a cat trying to avoid a bath.

Speaker C:

Want to save on your power bill?

Speaker C:

First, close those blinds on sunny windows.

Speaker C:

Think of them as sunglasses for your house.

Speaker C:

Second, run your ceiling fan so you can nudge the thermostat up a couple degrees without sweating like you're in a sauna.

Speaker C:

And lastly, check that H vac filter.

Speaker C:

A dirty filter makes your system work harder and your wallet cry louder.

Speaker C:

A few simple steps and you'll stay cool without giving your power company a vacation bonus.

Speaker C:

Make sure you tune in to our back catalog of around the House podcasts, your go to for smarter home improvement.

Speaker B:

Now let's continue the conversation with Evan Greco from Rolling Suds.

Speaker C:

Great example.

Speaker C:

My little brother lives over on the eastern side of Washington and he had a painting company come over there and historical house.

Speaker C:

He didn't want to get in the third story up there and do the trim.

Speaker C:

He's yeah, I'm not doing that.

Speaker C:

So he hired somebody to come do it.

Speaker C:

They didn't mask off down below.

Speaker C:

And he had a green architectural roof up there.

Speaker C:

And they got white paint all over, everywhere on this green roof.

Speaker C:

And then they came back over to clean it, and they got out the pressure washer and pressure washed it off and took all the green off of that area.

Speaker C:

And so Murphy's law says, yeah, of course, that green was discontinued.

Speaker C:

So that roofer ended up putting a new roof on his house.

Speaker C:

That painter did.

Speaker C:

And again, that's where getting the licensed, bonded, and insured people.

Speaker C:

If something goes wrong, you've got people there that can stand behind the work instead of that guy's phone's disconnected that I just called.

Speaker A:

Totally dark.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

And you're out of luck.

Speaker C:

And now you're paying for something new.

Speaker C:

So I think it's just really smart in these seriously expensive places to hire professionals that if something was to go bad, that there's a whole system there to take care of it and not having somebody that's just ghosting you.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker A:

I couldn't agree more with that sentiment.

Speaker A:

And I think it's what really separates you from, let's say, a.

Speaker A:

A house that we're gonna do a standard house.

Speaker A:

3,000 square feet.

Speaker A:

Let's say siding is 299 to 399.

Speaker A:

And then someone swoops in, and it happens all the time.

Speaker A:

And let's say it's a hobbyist who's like, power washing on their own.

Speaker A:

They can come in like, I can do it for you for 150 bucks.

Speaker A:

And.

Speaker A:

Sure.

Speaker A:

Can they.

Speaker A:

Can they show up and do some kind of project for 150 bucks?

Speaker A:

Sure.

Speaker A:

But to your point, there is.

Speaker A:

That can go wrong.

Speaker A:

We see it all the time with plants in particular.

Speaker A:

If you have vinyl siding.

Speaker A:

Absolutely.

Speaker A:

You can tear up vinyl siding.

Speaker A:

Oh, yeah, Absolutely.

Speaker A:

If you're applying too much pressure to that.

Speaker A:

But plants is where we see it all the time.

Speaker A:

So if you're working on flat work, just like digging up that area around plants.

Speaker A:

But if you have people who are soft washing and they're not experienced with it, especially in the hotter months, you can absolutely destroy plants when you're applying the chemical to them.

Speaker A:

It's too hot outside.

Speaker A:

Very delicate flowers.

Speaker A:

We see it all the time.

Speaker A:

It's like the main point of frustration for homeowners if they're getting something softwashed, is the damage that can be done to plants and foliage.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

In our area here, we've got a lot of older homes that have that Exposed aggregate driveway, you know the little pebbles.

Speaker C:

And you really every few years need to go in and seal that to have it look its best.

Speaker C:

But you've got to go out and do it.

Speaker C:

And I've seen so many times I've gone over to people's homes and yeah, I just pressure washed the driveway last weekend and I sealed it up and it looks great.

Speaker C:

And I'm like, you can see the stripes, you can see the parts they missed and you could tell that they're out there just doing the printer method of just left, left with a little spray.

Speaker C:

Didn't have the right tools to do the job, didn't have the rotary head or whatever they needed to do it and they just used water and it looks like garbage.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

And now it's going to be stuck that way for a couple years.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And Eric, I will tell you, there's so one real quick story that's very similar to that.

Speaker A:

So when we just went live in New Orleans, our calendar wasn't jam packed by any means.

Speaker A:

So as soon as we had a what we finished a home and we didn't have anything for the next couple hours, I would just go out and door knock.

Speaker A:

And I would go out, I'd knock on customers doors.

Speaker A:

As I'm walking up to the house I'd be looking at typically the driveway, front patio, stairs or front sidewalk, whatever was the most reasonable thing to cover.

Speaker A:

And I'd knock on the door, let them know who I was, that we had just moved into the area and that we would love to do one of these things.

Speaker A:

Hey, can I do your front driveway for a five star review on Google just to look at our name out there.

Speaker A:

And I remember there was one house I was walking up to in particular had a pretty large staircase as I walked up there and I was like, oh this looks terrible, this is perfect.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

So I went up there and knock on the door.

Speaker A:

I gave the gentleman my spiel and I was like hey sir, would you be okay if we cleaned your front stairs for you and for a five star review?

Speaker A:

And I will never forget this, he went, what are you talking about?

Speaker A:

I just did them myself.

Speaker A:

And like it was Eric.

Speaker A:

It was hard for me not to be like just wild Eric, they look so bad.

Speaker A:

But if you don't know if the rest of the property has a lot of buildup to him it probably did look good inside.

Speaker C:

So I was like it looks so much better but it was only 30% there.

Speaker A:

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker A:

And so I was like sir, totally get it.

Speaker A:

What if we just touched them up for you.

Speaker A:

Okay, there we go.

Speaker A:

And he was like, okay.

Speaker A:

Like you can tell this guy had zero interest in me, but he was like, fine, sure.

Speaker A:

So I had my two techs cleaned it up.

Speaker A:

And it was incredibly fast too, because to your point, we have the designated equipment for it.

Speaker A:

So not only are we expediting the process because we're using a chemical instead of pure pressure, we also have equipment that's designed for that exact, for that exact scenario.

Speaker A:

And so the gentleman came back out and he was legitimately surprised.

Speaker A:

And it was so great because he tipped like we were doing the job pro bono to get our name out there.

Speaker A:

But he tipped each one of the techs 20 bucks.

Speaker A:

And I was just so pleased because I could tell he was genuinely surprised.

Speaker A:

Like he legitimately thought that he crushed this on his own.

Speaker A:

And so to your point, when you have professionals who are doing it, not only do they have the equipment, do they have the experience to do it, but also there's a massive time savings.

Speaker A:

So I'm sure you've seen our surface cleaner.

Speaker A:

We have surface cleaners.

Speaker A:

A big one that we use routinely is 36 inches and you can knock out someone's driveway and less than 10 minutes, where this would be like an all day affair if they were just doing it on their own with a small, like a small store bought tip.

Speaker C:

Oh, you get that 2 inch wide spray, you know you're doing that and then what happens?

Speaker C:

All of it ends up on you.

Speaker C:

From your knees down, it looks horrible.

Speaker C:

And then you walk into the house and then you're in trouble because now you're tracking and all this stuff too.

Speaker C:

So yeah, it can be brutal.

Speaker C:

It can be brutal.

Speaker C:

And I'm sure you guys walk into places and it's.

Speaker C:

I think there's concrete down there maybe.

Speaker A:

Yeah, there.

Speaker A:

We've had to do quite a bit of touch up work.

Speaker A:

So someone will come through, someone will like over promise what they can deliver and then we'll come back out, we'll touch that out.

Speaker A:

We actually get quite a bit of work because people just backed out at the last minute.

Speaker A:

So say, yeah, I'll power one.

Speaker A:

Oh yeah, you got this pool deck.

Speaker A:

Yeah, I'll be there at 10 o'.

Speaker A:

Clock.

Speaker A:

And then just no one ever showed up.

Speaker A:

And so they'll call us.

Speaker A:

You have a call us in a bind and be like, hey, I have this, this pool party tomorrow.

Speaker A:

And so we're always able to get out there.

Speaker A:

But it's unfortunate when you see either that, which I know with Your position.

Speaker A:

You see this all the, and all these different fields, but the poor quality of work, the poor communication, and then the poor customer service experience like those are critical elements to you.

Speaker A:

That even if you are skilled at your job.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

If you're not reliable, it's like that is a, it's a serious hindrance on you being able to grow your business.

Speaker C:

No kidding.

Speaker C:

I got to ask Kevin, how did you get started in this?

Speaker C:

You're the brand president now, but did you start out as a franchisee or how did this go?

Speaker C:

Because you've got a.

Speaker C:

You got an interesting history.

Speaker A:

I do.

Speaker A:

So great question.

Speaker A:

So, yeah, both current franchisee in the system and the brand president.

Speaker A:

So how that happened is I had started my career off in the US army and then from there I had joined a big brick and retail travel center industry.

Speaker A:

I was there for eight years.

Speaker A:

It was a great career.

Speaker A:

Learned a ton about business and the food space, the truck care space, convenience store.

Speaker A:

And from there I was really ready to go off and do my own thing.

Speaker A:

It was always something I was very interested in and one day owning my own business, as I'm sure many people are in this space.

Speaker A:

But what was so interesting is I'm with the US army and I was there that we had a million soldiers at that point in time.

Speaker A:

Then my next company, we had 42,000 people.

Speaker A:

And I was starting to realize that although I always wanted to own my own business, I didn't.

Speaker A:

I had so many blind spots because I was part of such big organizations.

Speaker B:

All of this show won't fit in the radio show, so make sure you become an around the house insider to hear the entire conversation.

Speaker B:

Commercial free around the house.

Speaker B:

We'll be right back.

Speaker B:

Welcome back to the around the house show.

Speaker B:

This hour is sponsored by Monument Grills for the best barbecues in their class.

Speaker B:

Check them out at Monument Grills.

Speaker B:

Now let's jump back into the conversation Eric G. Is having with Evan Greco from Rolling Suds.

Speaker B:

Let's keep it clean out there.

Speaker A:

And they had made.

Speaker A:

I was living in Nashville at the time and they had made the decision that they were going to open up the new headquarters based here in Nashville.

Speaker A:

And they asked me if I would like to come on board and launch that for.

Speaker A:

And so I went all in.

Speaker A:

I really just planned on working 10 to 15 hours a week with my business partner who lives in New Orleans and ended up putting all my eggs in the Rolling Suds basket.

Speaker A:

Launched this Nashville headquarters that you see behind you.

Speaker A:

Did that for the next six months and then I was able to move into the brand president role and that's where I've been the last year.

Speaker A:

And I have seriously loved it, Eric.

Speaker A:

I love the home service space, I love the franchise and component to it and I really love power washing.

Speaker C:

That is great, man.

Speaker C:

Thank you for your service, by the way.

Speaker C:

That's awesome.

Speaker C:

That's awesome.

Speaker C:

And man, that's a great story.

Speaker C:

And this is such a emerging, like you said, budget blinds, great company, every market out there.

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker C:

This really gets people into a opportunity that can get in there without having to have a PhD in something to get out there and create their own franchise and have a system that they can do.

Speaker C:

So they basically are ready to go through that onboarding process and still have some that they have ultimate control of.

Speaker A:

Yeah, that's really it, Eric.

Speaker A:

Like that.

Speaker A:

You hit the nail on the head there.

Speaker A:

And when you look at our training that we do, so we have this 10, 10 week ramp up to it.

Speaker A:

A lot of it is commercial estimating assisting the franchisees and finding what their commercial space is going to be, practicing virtual sales calls.

Speaker A:

But when it comes to the on site training component of it, it is five days.

Speaker A:

And honestly at the time you leave that, you have a very good understanding.

Speaker A:

Now look, are there nuances to some surfaces and chemicals?

Speaker A:

Absolutely.

Speaker A:

But honestly, it's a very easy business from an operational standpoint.

Speaker A:

And what helps even more with that is when it comes to staffing.

Speaker A:

So whether you have to add additional team members through the growth of your business or you have to replace a team member, it's very easy to get someone new on the team.

Speaker A:

And typically within two to three days of on the job training, they are a relatively good technician.

Speaker C:

Man, that is great.

Speaker C:

And you guys cover so many different things besides just roof sighting and maybe driveways and fences.

Speaker C:

You guys get into the decks and sport courts and all the things that you see outside, basically it's outside and it could be cleaned.

Speaker C:

It looks like you guys knock it out.

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker A:

That's.

Speaker A:

You name it.

Speaker A:

I know the target audience for the show is all residential, but honestly, Eric, anything that's out there.

Speaker A:

So I look at some of the, some of the contracts that we've done over the last year.

Speaker A:

And so we have franchisees who have a massive contract to clean 17 miles of interstate in Florida.

Speaker A:

We have a franchisee who has another substantial contract to clean garbage trucks in Kansas City.

Speaker A:

Yeah, another franchise.

Speaker C:

I want the smell of vision on that one, by the way.

Speaker C:

No, thanks.

Speaker A:

Yep.

Speaker A:

But then we have franchise.

Speaker A:

I'll tell you that that heavy equipment.

Speaker A:

So heavy equipment, school buses, trucks, you name it.

Speaker A:

That is all stuff that needs to be cleaned.

Speaker A:

Routine.

Speaker A:

But that you can't just run through a car wash.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

Even though you have companies out there like Blue Beacon where you could put a truck through a car, there's still a cost associated with driving a semi that's under load to one of those locations where you could just have someone roll out in a mobile truck and then clean your fleet right there on site.

Speaker A:

You don't have to worry about any like, any freight management or anything like that.

Speaker A:

So really any kind of exterior surface we can clean.

Speaker A:

And then when you get to a height element, we have some larger homes and apartment complexes we've done it for.

Speaker A:

We use drones.

Speaker A:

I don't know if you've seen any of that.

Speaker A:

We're affiliated with Alpha drones and exclude their exclusive provider.

Speaker A:

And they can mobilize anywhere where we're at in the country.

Speaker A:

And we've used them three times now in New Orleans personally.

Speaker A:

For jobs.

Speaker A:

Yeah, for jobs where it's just more.

Speaker A:

It makes more sense than having to get 80, 100 foot lift on site in order to power wash that high.

Speaker C:

That is crazy cool because.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

Nobody wants to get up that high.

Speaker C:

And plus you've got a hose that long.

Speaker C:

Everything else, that's a lot to deal with.

Speaker C:

And that's kind of trick using that technology.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And I will tell you another aspect of it is not only does it help out, let's say it's a enormous home that you're using or apartment complex or just something in the city, let's say a city hall, for instance.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

When you have the drones on site, not only is it cleaning, it's very efficient, but it draws a crowd.

Speaker A:

If you as a consumer are really trying to drive the point home of how, how much you're reinvesting in your infrastructure.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

And how important cleanliness is to you.

Speaker A:

There is no way to get like better PR than having a drone up four to six stories.

Speaker A:

That's power washing.

Speaker A:

Any passersby always stop by, they're taking photos.

Speaker A:

You've had news crews pull up on site.

Speaker A:

It's.

Speaker A:

It's really entertaining.

Speaker C:

So basically what you need to do is you need to hire those guys and then hire another drone company to run around and basically hang your signs out there.

Speaker C:

Rock and roll.

Speaker A:

Yep.

Speaker A:

Like the drone light shows and stuff.

Speaker C:

Exactly.

Speaker C:

Just be like the old planes running around the neighborhood.

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker C:

With the banners.

Speaker C:

That would be awesome.

Speaker C:

So you guys are just jamming on it out there.

Speaker C:

What's the best way for people to.

Speaker C:

To work with you guys?

Speaker C:

What's the process if they go, man, I got some cleanup I need.

Speaker A:

Sure.

Speaker A:

So we have quite a few ways and that's one that we really want to make this easy for the consumer to get us out there.

Speaker A:

That was like very important to us.

Speaker A:

So if you go on your.

Speaker A:

You look at power washing near me, typically we're ranked very high in those when our SEO and Google.

Speaker A:

But if you just go right to rolling suds.com it will direct you to your local Rolling Suds.

Speaker A:

And then you can schedule right through us.

Speaker A:

We have a call center too that will schedule everything with your local franchisees.

Speaker A:

And then what's nice as far as ease of use goes, we can really do this.

Speaker A:

We can set up an appointment and get you an estimate it any way that's beneficial for the consumer.

Speaker A:

So if you're a consumer who wants us to be there on site and do the walk of the property with you, we absolutely can.

Speaker A:

Or if you're an incredibly busy person, you're not at your house a whole lot, or let's say this is a vacation home and you want us to do the entire thing virtually, we can do that as well too.

Speaker A:

Like we really leave it open so that we can tailor our approach to whatever it is the consumer's demands are.

Speaker C:

Yeah, I just pulled up your map and man, you've got one up the street for me.

Speaker C:

But basically you've got shoreline to Miami.

Speaker C:

It looks like you're coast to coast.

Speaker A:

Exactly, yeah.

Speaker A:

Coast to coast right now.

Speaker A:

Yeah, we were able to.

Speaker A:

We were able to officially be coast to coast, I think right at the end of 23, if I remember correctly.

Speaker A:

And yeah, it's been, it has been quite the ride this last two years.

Speaker A:

It really has.

Speaker C:

That is great.

Speaker C:

And what do you recommend for people?

Speaker C:

I'm sure it's per market.

Speaker C:

I mean, it's got to be different in Miami, Las Vegas to Seattle to Boston.

Speaker C:

But when should people be doing this?

Speaker C:

Is this every couple years?

Speaker C:

Many times for roofs or what do you recommend for that?

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker A:

So if we are talking about deciding on a home, I would say one to two years.

Speaker A:

You're good.

Speaker A:

Now, if we're talking about the roofs, because we're actually killing that.

Speaker A:

The organic materials which you have to worry about the most.

Speaker A:

For the roof, I would say once every three years.

Speaker A:

You are in good shape for that.

Speaker A:

Now, like you said, it matters about where you're at.

Speaker A:

So I would say you could easily double that timeline if we were talking about someone who was in Nevada compared to someone who is in, in Miami.

Speaker A:

But if you want a buttoned up appearance on your home and you're in a coastal area, I think once a year would be the perfect, perfect cadence to get this done.

Speaker C:

Man, that is great.

Speaker C:

Evan, is there anything else we missed today in our and our great discussion talk about cleaning things up and getting things taken care of and all without keeping that homeowner on the roof or up on the ladder or anything else?

Speaker C:

I like the safety aspect of it too because I tell you what, my significant other does not like it when I'm up on the ladder and, and makes people nervous, let's put it that way.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker A:

Now, Eric, I've really enjoyed my time.

Speaker A:

I would say the last thing I want to leave you with is, I know it seems enticing to just go pick up your own power washer or whatever it is that you met.

Speaker A:

Let's say it's related to lawn care, you get that.

Speaker A:

But there is such a, there's such a confidence inspiring aspect to this.

Speaker A:

When you hire a professional and you know that they can complete whatever it is that you want to get completed it, that they will do it to the standard that you're looking for and you don't have to use your own time to do it.

Speaker A:

And your time is very valuable.

Speaker A:

It's.

Speaker A:

You're probably going to have to spend 3x the amount of time that it would take to have a professional power washer come out for honestly, what probably wouldn't be as comprehensive as a product.

Speaker A:

And so I just, I would encourage anyone who's considering it.

Speaker A:

I have my own power washer.

Speaker A:

I never use it.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

I felt like right into that trap, there was one on Amazon Prime Day, so I picked it up.

Speaker A:

I hardly ever use it myself.

Speaker A:

I would really encourage people to do your due diligence and have a professional come out and do the work for you.

Speaker A:

And I think you will be very pleased.

Speaker C:

And if you're putting your house on the market like I am next month going to be moving on to the next one.

Speaker C:

Everybody should get that thing cleaned up, polished up and looking good.

Speaker C:

I think I'm gonna have to call your Beaverton location, get them out to take a look.

Speaker C:

Yeah, this black house could need some help because I tell you what, dirt shows up and it shows up well.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker A:

And Eric, I'm telling you, it's such a small, when you're looking at selling a home, it is such a small investment to have a power washer come out and clean your exterior right before you get your photos taken.

Speaker A:

It just makes total sense.

Speaker C:

Absolutely.

Speaker C:

You want to polish the car up before you trade it in.

Speaker C:

Make sure you got it looking good and get the most for it.

Speaker A:

Exactly.

Speaker C:

Evan, thanks for coming on today, man.

Speaker C:

I really appreciate it.

Speaker C:

What's the website for people to find?

Speaker C:

The national one that.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

So it is.

Speaker A:

Rolling Suds powerwashing dot com.

Speaker C:

All right, brother.

Speaker C:

Thanks for coming on today.

Speaker C:

Thanks for your service.

Speaker C:

I'm Eric G. Thanks for tuning in to around the House.

Speaker B:

If you missed part of the show, join the around the House Insider on our website, aroundthehouse online.com and hear the entire conversation.

Speaker B:

Commercial free.

Speaker B:

Remember, measure twice, then realize you bought the wrong thing.

Speaker B:

Anyway, see you next time.

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