Two Pressure Washing Companies Can Clean the Same House. One Makes Three Times the Profit.
You already run a real pressure washing company. The trailer is loaded, the surface cleaner has a few thousand driveways on it, and you can spot a soft wash job from the street.
So why do some weeks feel busy and still leave less money than they should?
Almost always, it is the price. Not the work, not the equipment. The number you wrote on the quote.
Pressure washing has no list price. Every owner sets his own, and a lot of owners set it by looking at what the cheapest guy in town charges. That is how you end up washing a two-story house for the same price as a single story and wondering where the day went.
This guide is written for the owner who already has the rig and the customers and wants every job to pay what it should. Owner to owner, with 2026 numbers.
We will cover the three ways to price, what the market is paying for each surface, how to find your real cost per job, minimums and trip charges, how to quote without driving out, the add-ons that raise your average ticket, and how recurring service turns one wash into a yearly customer.
The Three Ways to Price a Wash, and When Each One Works
Every pressure washing price comes from one of three methods. Good owners use all three, each where it fits.
Price per square foot
Best for flatwork and house washing where you can measure. Driveways, patios, pool decks, siding. It is easy to explain and it scales with the size of the job.
Flat price per job
Best for common, repeatable jobs. "A standard two-car driveway is $175." "A single-story house wash under 2,000 square feet is $350." Customers love a clear number, and your crew knows exactly what was sold.
Price per hour
Best for odd jobs you cannot measure well, like heavy equipment, graffiti, or commercial work with unknown conditions. Most residential customers do not like hourly pricing because they cannot see the finish line, so use it sparingly.
Most profitable companies build a flat-price menu for their common jobs, using per-square-foot math behind the scenes to set those flat prices. The customer sees a simple number. You know exactly what it is made of.
What the Market Pays Per Surface in 2026
Here are the national ranges published by industry cost guides this year. Your market may be higher or lower. Use these as a sanity check against your own cost math, not as your price list.
| Surface | Typical pricing | Typical job range |
|---|---|---|
| House wash, single story | About $0.15 to $0.35 per sq ft | $250 to $500 |
| House wash, two story | Higher per sq ft for height and ladders | $400 to $800 |
| Roof soft wash, asphalt shingle | About $0.30 to $0.65 per sq ft | $500 to $1,200 |
| Driveway and flatwork | About $0.08 to $0.30 per sq ft | $100 to $300 |
| Deck | Varies by wood and condition | $150 to $500 |
| Fence | Varies by length and material | $150 to $400 |
Those ranges come from published guides such as Housecall Pro's pressure washing pricing guide and Taskrabbit's pressure washing cost guide.
Notice the spread. A roof can be worth four times a driveway even though both take a morning. That is why owners who wash only flatwork work harder for less, and owners who sell house and roof soft washing make more per day.
Find Your Real Cost Per Job
Before you set prices, add up what one typical job actually costs you. Most owners know their chemical cost and guess the rest.
1. Chemicals and water
Sodium hypochlorite, surfactant, degreaser, rust remover. Track what you mix per house and per driveway for a month. If you bring your own water, count the water and the fuel to haul it.
2. Labor
Every hour on site plus drive time, times what each person really costs you with payroll taxes and insurance. A two-person crew on a three-hour house wash with a 40-minute drive each way is almost eight paid hours, not six.
3. Equipment wear and fuel
Pumps, engines, hoses, surface cleaners, ladders and the truck all wear out. Take what you spent on repairs and replacement last year, divide by the jobs you did, and you have a real per-job number. Add the fuel for the engine and the truck.
4. Overhead
Insurance, phone, software, your website, marketing and your own pay. Divide the monthly total by how many jobs you do in a month.
5. Profit
What you want left after everything above. Decide it on purpose.
A worked example. Say a single-story house wash costs you $35 in chemicals, $120 in labor, $30 in equipment wear and fuel and $70 in overhead. That is $255 before profit. To keep 35 percent of the price, divide by 0.65. Your price lands near $390.
If your competitor charges $250 for the same house, he is either doing it alone, skipping insurance, or losing money. Do not chase him down.
Adjust for Condition, Height and Access
Two houses with the same square footage can be very different jobs. Build a few clear adjustments into your price so the hard jobs pay for themselves.
- Condition. Light dust is a quick rinse. Heavy mildew, algae on the north side, or rust and oil stains on concrete take more chemical, more dwell time and sometimes a second pass. Add a set percentage for heavy buildup, such as 15 to 25 percent, and tell the customer why.
- Height. Second and third stories mean ladders, extension wands or a longer setup. Price them higher per square foot instead of eating the extra time.
- Access. Steep driveways, long hose runs from the trailer, fenced backyards and lots of landscaping to protect all slow the crew down.
- Water source. If there is no outside spigot or the water pressure is weak, you may have to bring water. Charge for it.
Write these adjustments down once so every quote from every crew member comes out the same. Customers trust a price that has a reason behind it.
Set a Minimum Charge That Covers Showing Up
Unloading the trailer, setting up hoses, mixing chemicals and packing up takes the same time for a small patio as for a whole house.
That is why most established companies set a minimum, often in the $150 to $200 range. Below that, you are paying to set up.
When a small job comes in, offer to add something to reach the minimum. "The patio alone is our $175 minimum. For another $75 we can do the front walk and the steps while we're set up." Most customers take the add-on because it feels like a better deal.
Quote Without Driving to Every House
Driving out to measure every job burns hours you could spend washing. Most residential jobs can be priced from home.
- Satellite and street view. Measure driveways, roofs and footprints from satellite maps. Street view shows how many stories the house has, the siding type and how bad the staining looks.
- Customer photos. Ask for a few phone photos of the dirtiest areas. You will see mildew, rust and oil stains before you price them.
- A range, then a firm price. Text the customer a firm price for the clear jobs and a short range for the ones with unknowns, like "between $425 and $475 depending on the back patio."
The website matters here more than most owners think. A quote form that asks for the address, the surfaces and a photo lets you price a job from the truck between washes. The customer who has to call during work hours and leave a voicemail often books whoever texted back first.
That is why the websites we build for washing companies lead with before-and-after photos and a short quote form that takes a photo. See what that looks like on our pressure washing websites page.
Raise the Average Ticket With Smart Add-Ons
The fastest way to make more per day is not more jobs. It is more on each job, because you are already set up in the driveway.
- House wash plus driveway. The most natural bundle there is. Price it a little below the two jobs separately so it feels like a deal.
- Gutter brightening. Cleaning the black streaks off the outside of the gutters is quick and customers notice it right away.
- Roof soft wash. Often the highest-value add-on. Point it out when you see black streaks on the shingles.
- Fence and deck. Easy to add while the equipment is running.
- Sealing. Pavers, concrete and decks often need sealing after the wash, and it is a second visit you can book on the spot.
Train the crew to walk the property and point out one more thing. "While we're here, want us to take the streaks off the gutters?" A few of those a day adds up to a real raise.
Turn One Wash Into a Yearly Customer
One-time jobs mean you have to find a new customer every time. Recurring service means the customer comes back without you paying to find them again.
Offer an annual or twice-a-year maintenance wash at a small discount, booked before you leave the first job. "We can put you on the schedule for the same time next spring at 10 percent off. Want me to lock it in?"
Keep a list of every past customer with the date of their last wash, and text them when it has been a year. Many will book without shopping around because you already did a good job at their house.
Commercial accounts work the same way. Storefronts, drive-throughs, dumpster pads and HOA common areas often need washing monthly or quarterly. A handful of those smooths out your slow months.
The Pricing Mistakes That Keep Washing Companies Broke
- Pricing every house the same. A two-story with heavy mildew and a single story with light dust are different jobs. Price them differently.
- Racing the cheapest guy to the bottom. There is always someone with a rented machine who will charge less. Let him have those customers.
- No minimum. Small jobs without a minimum lose money once you count setup and drive time.
- Forgetting equipment wear. Your pump and surface cleaner are wearing out on every job. If you do not price for it, the replacement comes out of your pocket.
- Never raising prices. Chemicals, fuel and insurance go up every year. Review your prices at least once a year.
- Not asking for reviews. Your before-and-after photos and Google reviews are what let you charge more than the cheap guy. Ask every customer.
You Can Only Charge Full Price When the Phone Keeps Ringing
Here is the part pricing guides skip. Owners hold their price when they do not need every job. Owners cut price when the schedule has holes in it.
A full schedule comes from three things you control:
- A website that books jobs. Fast on a phone, before-and-after photos up front, a quote form that takes a photo, and your Google reviews where people can see them.
- Google reviews that keep coming. A text after every job asking for a review. The owner who asks every time ends up with the most reviews in town.
- Your own calls. When customers find you on Google and your own website, they already chose you. When you buy shared leads, three other washers get the same call and the cheapest one wins.
Home Service Direct builds that system for pressure washing companies. A website made for phones with your before-and-after photos and a photo quote form, review texts after every job, and pages for every town you serve. If you want more of your own calls, see our pressure washing leads page or how we market washing companies.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pricing Pressure Washing Jobs
How much should I charge to pressure wash a house?
Published national ranges run about $0.15 to $0.35 per square foot for a single-story house wash in 2026, with two-story homes higher for the height and ladder work. Most single-story jobs land between $250 and $500. Start from your own cost per job, add your profit margin, and check the result against your market.
Should I charge by the square foot or by the job?
Use square-foot math to set your prices, then quote common jobs as a flat price. Customers like a single clear number, and your crew knows exactly what was sold. Keep hourly pricing for unusual jobs you cannot measure.
What is a good minimum charge for pressure washing?
Many established companies set a minimum in the $150 to $200 range. It covers unloading, setup, drive time and pack-up, which cost the same on a small job as a big one.
How do I price a job without seeing it?
Measure from satellite maps, check street view for the number of stories and siding type, and ask the customer for a few photos of the worst areas. Give a firm price on clear jobs and a short range on jobs with unknowns.
How do I raise my average ticket?
Bundle the house wash with the driveway, add gutter brightening and roof soft washing, and offer sealing as a second visit. Train your crew to point out one more thing on every job.
How do I get repeat pressure washing customers?
Offer a yearly or twice-a-year maintenance wash at a small discount, book it before you leave the first job, and text past customers when it has been a year. Commercial accounts that need monthly or quarterly washing fill the slow months.
