Scheduling Summer Work

by Diane M. Calabrese | Published July 2026

 

 

Placid summer days inspire many, such as poets, lyricists, and painters. Moreover, with the many hours of daylight, almost everyone can enjoy a tranquil interval each day. Everyone, that is, except perhaps a busy contractor.

Summer work for power washing contractors is often complicated by the intensity of both weather and the number of customer requests for service. Consequently, scheduling work often requires extra effort–or perhaps not. It may just require an adjustment to thinking.

For instance, there might seem to be a compression of requests for service because of fine weather. Such a pileup could add complexity to an operation, but one expert with deep experience in the field tells us that’s only if the contractor lets it.

“The only difficulties are the ones you fabricate in your mind,” says Jeff Kirby, owner of Superior SoftWash in Linthicum, MD. “There is always a demand for exterior cleaning services all year round.”

Contractors must simply understand which customer needs are most prevalent, explains Kirby. “You just need to know when your clients spend their money.”

It’s possible, says Kirby, to get to know clients well enough to bring into balance when they have funds in their budget, when they can post charges, and when a contractor wants to do the work. The balance affirms the importance of establishing relationships with clients and encouraging them to set up a regular cleaning schedule.

With more work in warmer months, more employees may be needed. Is it more difficult to find and retain workers in summer?

“No,” says Kirby. “We have a proven method of recruiting, onboarding, and developing our team. We never stop recruiting.”

The stability of a company’s team is important to work in summer when there may be much more to be done. But it matters year around, and no owner should despair at finding employees even when other companies are competing for new hires.

“There are always talented people looking for a better place to build a career,” says Kirby. “Effective recruiting is all about your culture and your methods.”

Think about what prospective hires want to see in an employer. “Talented, ambitious people don’t want to work for less-than-competent bosses,” explains Kirby

Also, consider getting some expert help with recruitment. “We stopped the trial-and-error method and sought advice from effective business leaders—how to recruit, train, develop, promote, and retain our team members,” says Kirby.

With stability in number of employees, a company has few if any concerns about meeting the peaks of service requests that may come in summer. Even so, a contractor should not just start the season in a new year without appraising the results in the same season last year.

And what if the contractor has not done the evaluation? Do what’s possible. Begin by asking another question, says Kirby. “Now that it is summer, what can I do to recover from my failure to plan for the summer?”

Recover by doing the analysis now in July. It’s always better to be late than never.

“Increase your marketing effort and spend some money,” says Kirby. “You should be spending more money on marketing when it is slower.”

Whether it’s summer or any season, the bottom line remains the same. “You cannot make a profit until all the bills are paid,” says Kirby. “If you do not generate enough revenue to pay the bills, there is no hope for a profit.”

Moreover, profit must be the goal in every season. “You must make a profit 12 months of the year,” says Kirby. “Rehash lost opportunities from the spring and last year.”

And be careful about losing opportunities in the same way this year. “You lose just as many jobs to indecision as you do to having possible customers hire someone else,” says Kirby.

 

Off Season?

Summer scheduling challenges will differ across the nation. Indeed, we get a reminder about that from Missy Tanguay, the business development manager at Deco Products in Denver, CO, as well as the owner of Hoover Pressure Cleaning in North Point, FL.

“Is summer part of your on-season or offseason?” stands as a question that must be asked, says Tanguay. “In Florida, summer is actually our offseason.”

That means a different pulse in the Sunshine State. “Many of our seasonal residents head north to cooler weather, which naturally slows demand,” explains Tanguay.

Still, the slower days of summer are put to good use. “During this time we focus on planning work that helps keep our team members schedules steady so they can continue supporting their families,” explains Tanguay.

With the pace a bit slower during summer—not just because of heat but because of rain—some creative outreach to customers can be done. (It’s a reversal of sorts of approaches that get contractors in northern tier states through winter.)

“We often coordinate with HOA [homeowners’ association] projects and offer special community discounts for our full-time residents,” says Tanguay. “It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of service availability—even during the rainy season—while also helping our crew maintain consistent hours.”

As always, offseason is what a contractor makes of it. And creative approaches can push summer toward a highly viable season, more on than off.

To be sure, the rain that Tanguay mentions confounds contractors in summer in many parts of the country. The consternation in planning and carrying through on a job site when weather is a definite challenge occurs in any season, and in spring 2026 (as we write), parts of the country confront drought as other parts experience severe storms.

The WaterSense website from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) includes information (graphics) about the severity of drought in the Southeast and West in May 2026 (as we write).

The vagaries of weather must be built into planning. (That’s yet another reason to not have to be worried about a stable roster of employees.)

The most difficult part of scheduling summer work when serving the region around Houston, Texas? “Definitely for us it would be the storms and heat,” says Doug Rucker, owner of the DougRuckerStore.com in Porter, TX.

“Here in Houston we can have two to three weeks with zero rain, and then all of a sudden have a week where it rains all day every day or parts of every day,” explains Rucker. “This can play havoc on scheduling due to getting behind.”

Rucker’s strategy is to do as much as possible in a day that can be done safely. “During the hot summer days, we have to be careful.”

It’s about ensuring as much is accomplished one day as can be, but being certain the team is “always fresh and ready for the next day,” explains Rucker. “Hydration throughout the day is important, but I’m also a big believer in hydrating from the moment you wake up.”

For his part Rucker has not had much difficulty with staffing in summer. “I have never found any part of the year to be easier or harder, but summer is actually easier than other times of year for us.”

 

Weather Wisdom

Experienced contractors know they must respect the weather. They want to keep their employees safe, absolutely. As a subtext, they know that OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] monitors companies to verify safe practices.

As it happens, OSHA does not just monitor; it also offers some good suggestions for keeping employees safe. In fact, it has a specific website area that focuses on heat, with valuable reminders for employers.

One of the most important OSHA tips as summer begins is that the most risk to workers from heat comes during the first week of work for new employees or for longtime employees experiencing the first days of hot summer weather. According to OSHA, three out of four heat-related fatalities occur during that week.

At the onset of a period of intense heat, employees should be given time to acclimate, working fewer hours the first day and then longer each day. Drinking water must be available, and employees must be encouraged to drink and take rest breaks in shade or shelter throughout the day.

Employees should be instructed in how to recognize illness related to heat. And employees should be dressed for the heat (e.g. loose, light-colored clothing) to the extent that such dress does not interfere with PPE [personal protective equipment] or pose a danger around machines.

As much work as possible should be scheduled to keep employees out of the direct sun in the warmest part of the day. When washing exteriors, try to clean north and east-facing exposures when the sun is most intense. (Check local conditions for peak hours of sun, a two-hour interval falling between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and avoid this time if possible.)

Scheduling work outside peak hours for sun exposure improves safety. It also improves outcomes. Such scheduling keeps any chemical used out of direct sun exposure and it reduces (a bit) evaporation of water from surfaces.

Do take exacting care in summer work scheduling to protect employees, get good outcomes, and conserve water.