July 11, 2026

Power Washing Intake Forms: What to Capture Before You Pull the Trigger

Power washing looks simple from the outside. You show up with a machine, spray water at high pressure, and surfaces get clean. But anyone who has actually run a power washing business knows the reality is far more complicated. The wrong pressure on the wrong surface destroys it. A cedar deck hit with 3,000 PSI will be shredded. Vinyl siding blasted from the wrong angle pushes water behind the cladding and causes mold. Old mortar between bricks gets blown out if you use a zero-degree nozzle instead of soft washing. And none of these mistakes can be undone. They are expensive callbacks at best, insurance claims at worst.

A proper power washing intake form is the difference between showing up prepared and showing up guessing. It documents every surface, every stain type, every access issue, and every fragile material on the property — before your crew loads the trailer.

Surface types: every material needs a different approach

Power washing is not one service. It is a collection of different techniques applied to different materials, each with its own pressure range, nozzle selection, detergent requirement, and risk profile. Your intake form should list the major surface categories and let the customer check every surface they want cleaned:

• Concrete — driveways, sidewalks, patios, garage floors, pool decks. Concrete is the most forgiving surface and can handle high pressure (3,000 to 4,000 PSI) with a surface cleaner attachment. But even concrete has limits — stamped concrete can lose its texture if hit too aggressively, and sealed concrete needs to be evaluated before blasting because you may strip the sealer along with the dirt.
• Wood — decks, fences, pergolas, outdoor furniture, docks. Wood requires significantly lower pressure (500 to 1,200 PSI depending on species and condition) and often needs a detergent pre-soak followed by a gentle rinse rather than raw high-pressure cleaning. Your intake should ask the wood type (pressure-treated pine, cedar, redwood, composite, tropical hardwood) because each responds differently.
• Siding — vinyl, aluminum, fiber cement (Hardie board), wood clapboard, stucco, brick, or stone. Vinyl and aluminum siding are typically soft-washed (low pressure plus cleaning solution) rather than power-washed, because high pressure forces water behind the siding and can crack or dislodge panels. Your form should note the siding type and the number of stories, since multi-story work requires different equipment and takes longer.
• Roof — asphalt shingles, tile, metal, or slate. Roof cleaning is almost always soft wash only. High-pressure washing on an asphalt shingle roof voids the manufacturer's warranty and strips granules that protect the shingle from UV damage. If a customer asks for their roof to be "power washed," your intake process should flag that this will be a soft-wash treatment and explain why.
• Brick and stone — patios, walkways, retaining walls, building facades, chimneys. Older brick with lime-based mortar is particularly vulnerable to pressure damage. Your intake should ask the approximate age of the brick or masonry, because anything pre-1920s often requires soft washing to avoid joint damage.
• Fencing — wood, vinyl, aluminum, chain-link, wrought iron. Wood fences are the most common power washing target, but vinyl fences respond well to low-pressure detergent cleaning and do not need high PSI.

Square footage and scope: get dimensions before you price

Most power washing jobs are priced by square footage, by surface type, or by a flat rate per area (per driveway, per deck, etc.). Whichever method you use, you need measurements before you can quote. Your intake form should capture approximate dimensions for each surface the customer wants cleaned.

For driveways, ask for length and width. For decks, ask for total square footage including stairs and railings if those are included. For house washing (siding), ask for the number of stories and the approximate linear footage around the perimeter. These do not need to be exact — you will verify on site — but they give you enough to produce a ballpark estimate that is close enough to be useful and honest enough to set correct expectations.

If the customer wants multiple surfaces cleaned in a single visit, list each one separately on the intake. A job that includes a 600-square-foot driveway, a 300-square-foot patio, a 400-square-foot deck, and a two-story house wash is really four different service items with four different pricing components, and lumping them into one line item invites confusion about what is and is not included.

Stain identification: what are you actually cleaning off?

Not all stains respond to pressure and water alone. Your intake form should ask