10/17/2025
It’s All in the (Soft)Wash
Memorial Day 2025 – Michael and Nick Guentzel are cleaning veteran headstones at Calvary Cemetery. Over 100 headstones…and for free.
As the owners of Midwest SoftWash in Mankato, the two young entrepreneurs had established a practice of cleaning veteran-related monuments and headstones at no charge.
For Memorial Day 2025, Nick and Michael had picked Calvary Cemetery as their beneficiary site. The year before it had been Glenwood Cemetery.
That morning, Michael was busy cleaning a veteran headstone when a lady pulled up, stopped her car and got out. She was looking for her father’s headstone. She asked Michael what he was doing. He explained.
“She thought that was very awesome and asked if I had found her father’s headstone,” said Michael. “It turned out to be the one I was cleaning.”
The woman broke down in tears. Then, she gave him a big hug.
“What are the odds of that?” asked Michael. “Out of 100, that was the one I was cleaning. I never had something like that happen.”
Calvary Caretaker Terry Miller was also very thankful. Nick, Michael and their father did such a great job that Terry engaged them to clean the cemetery’s limestone entry sign and the chapel memorial.
“In today’s world, they are diamonds in the rough. Seeing someone so young, doing what they do, is so encouraging,” Terry said, commenting on their volunteer work on behalf of veteran families.
He added that their passion for doing the job well also impressed him.
Nick and Michael are not veterans – but they have family members, deceased and alive, who were.
“We have an immense pride in America,” said Michael. “We clean anything veteran-related for free.”
Also, in the course of their work, if they have a client with a worn American flag, they retire the flag properly and replace it for free with a premium flag.
Nick and Michael started their business, Midwest Softwash, in March of 2021. They had done a lot of pressure washing and came across the “softwash” process.
According to Michael, softwashing originated in Florida and the Carolinas because of the humid climates in those areas. Instead of high pressure, the process involves a low pressure wash, a solution application and then, five to 10 minutes later, a rinse.
The solution lifts dirt and debris and kills organic growth like lichen and algae.
By its nature, high pressure washing can be damaging to some surfaces. Knowing Minnesota summers are also humid, the brothers saw an opportunity to do better a better job in many situations with the softwash process.
“You can’t use high pressure washes on asphalt shingles. It voids your warranty,” said Michael. “Headstones, especially the older ones, can chip easily. Also, there is a lot of limestone in the Mankato area. We specialize in limestone cleaning.”
He explained that high pressure can force organic growth into limestone. Also, some people use bleach. Once the bleach soaks into the stone, it eventually evaporates leaving salt crystals behind. When forming, these crystals expand and mechanically break apart the stone.
Mankato natives Michael and Nick credit their parents with their strong work ethic and with their approach to growing their business.
“If you do good things for people and work hard for them, your business will prosper,” Michael said.
Working just from referrals, the brothers now have a busy calendar. They operate anytime the temperature is above 36 degrees. In the cold months, they run a business installing and managing residential and commercial Christmas lighting. That business has also grown almost entirely through referrals.
(Photos show before and after cleaning of a veteran's headstone and Michael Guentzel cleaning the Calvary Cemetery entrance sign.)
