Pressure washing cost

Pressure washing a house costs $0.15 to $0.75 a square foot, typically around $0.35, which puts a 2,000 square foot house at $300 to $900. A driveway is $100 to $400 and a deck $150 to $500.

The important distinction on this page is between pressure washing and soft washing, because using the first where the second belongs is how people destroy siding, force water behind cladding and strip paint they wanted to keep.

What it costs

Half-day minimums are common, so combining the house, the drive and the deck into one visit costs much less than three separate ones.

Soft wash, not pressure wash

A pressure washer at 3,000 psi will strip paint, carve grooves in wood, force water behind vinyl siding, blast mortar out of joints and drive water under shingles.

Soft washing uses low pressure, typically under 500 psi, with a detergent and a sodium hypochlorite solution that kills the algae, mold and mildew rather than blasting it off. The color comes back because the organism is dead, not because it was scoured away, and it stays away for longer.

If a contractor proposes to pressure wash your stucco or your roof, get someone else.

What it is worth doing before

Before painting. Non-negotiable. Paint does not adhere to chalk, dirt or mildew, and a wash is part of every legitimate exterior paint quote. If a painting quote does not include surface preparation, that is what is missing.

Before selling. It is the cheapest possible improvement to how a house photographs, and for $400 it changes the first impression more than most $4,000 projects.

Before sealing a deck or a driveway. Sealant over dirt fails.

Annually in humid climates, on north-facing walls where algae grows. The green film on siding is Gloeocapsa magma and it holds moisture against the surface.

Doing it yourself

An electric pressure washer is $150 to $350, a petrol one $350 to $800. Renting is $40 to $100 a day.

What that gets you: a genuinely good result on a driveway, a patio and a fence. What it does not get you: the ability to soft wash safely, because the chemical side needs the right dilution and rinsing, and the ability to reach a second story without working from a ladder with a running hose in your hands, which is how people fall.

The realistic split is doing the flat horizontal surfaces yourself and paying someone for the house and anything above head height.

Frequently asked questions

Will it damage my siding?

Pressure washing can, particularly on vinyl, where water driven upward under the laps ends up behind the wall. Soft washing does not. Ask which one they are doing and what pressure they use.

How often should a house be washed?

Every one to three years in most climates, annually where humidity keeps north walls green. There is no benefit to doing it more often than the growth returns.

Does it remove oil stains from a driveway?

Not on its own. Oil needs a degreaser and dwell time, and old stains often never come out entirely. A contractor who promises complete removal of a five-year-old oil stain is overpromising.

Is the bleach solution safe for plants?

It is harmful to plants at working strength, which is why the process includes wetting the landscaping before, protecting what is close, and rinsing thoroughly after. A crew that does not do that is cutting the step that costs them time.

Can I pressure wash my roof?

No. It strips granules off asphalt shingles and takes years off the roof, and it drives water under the shingles. Roofs are soft washed only, and even that should follow the shingle manufacturer's guidance.