How Much Does Pressure Washing Cost?
Straight ranges, what drives them, and how to tell why one quote is half the price of another. Prices here are typical industry ranges rather than a quote for your property.
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The short answer, and why it is a range
Most residential exterior cleaning is priced per square foot, and across the industry the usual band is roughly 15 to 45 cents a square foot, with concrete flatwork at the lower end and delicate or high-access surfaces at the upper end. In practice that puts a typical single job somewhere between $200 and $600, and a whole-house-plus-driveway package between $400 and $900.
Those are ranges, not quotes. Anyone who gives you a firm price for your house without knowing its size, its storeys and its condition is quoting a different house.
What actually moves the number
| Factor | Effect on price |
|---|---|
| Square footage | The base of almost every quote. Get yours in numbers, not adjectives |
| One storey or two | Second storey means ladders or extension gear and more time. Expect a real jump |
| Surface type | Concrete is quick. Stucco, painted wood and roof shingles need soft washing, which takes longer |
| What is on it | Ordinary algae is routine. Rust, oil, paint overspray and flood silt each need a specific product and extra dwell time |
| Access | Gates too narrow for a rig, no outside tap, long runs of hose — all add labour |
| Landscaping | Beds that need wetting down and rinsing afterwards take time, and the alternative is dead plants |
Why two quotes for the same house can differ by half
Almost always scope rather than price: one quote is the driveway, the other is the driveway, apron, walkway and porch, and both said "driveway". How to get quotes that are genuinely comparable is covered on the quote page.
What to have ready when you call
You will get a far more accurate number in one call if you have these to hand.
- Rough square footage of the driveway and the house footprint. Your county appraisal record has the house square footage on it.
- How many storeys, and whether there is anything unusual to reach.
- What the staining actually is — green and slick is algae, orange fanning out from a sprinkler is rust, dark and greasy is oil.
- Any deadline, such as an HOA letter or a listing date.
Where the money is usually well spent
Driveway and walkway cleaning is the cheapest visible improvement available to most houses. A house wash costs more and lasts longer. Roof cleaning costs the most per square foot because of the care and the access, and it is the one where doing it badly shortens the life of something expensive.
If the budget is limited, most people get the most visible return from the flatwork at the front of the house, then the wall that faces north.