Pricing is the single biggest reason new pressure washing operators fail. Charge too low and you grind for $200 days. Charge too high without confidence and customers ghost. Here's the framework operators actually use in 2026.
The three ways to price (and when to use each)
- Square foot — best for driveways, sidewalks, house washing. Predictable, scales with the work, easy to quote over the phone with a Google Earth measurement.
- Hourly — best for commercial, complex multi-surface, fleet, or anything you can't measure remotely. $75–$150/hr in most markets.
- Flat rate / package — best for residential when you've done 50+ similar jobs and know the time. Easier for customers to say yes to. "$425 for a typical 2,000 sq ft house wash" beats "$0.25/sq ft."
The pros use a hybrid: square-foot pricing in the head, packaged into a flat number when they quote.
Per-surface pricing ranges
National 2026 ranges (adjust ±25% for your market):
- Concrete driveway (standard 2-car): $150–$300. Per-sq-ft: $0.20–$0.40.
- Sidewalks/walkways: $50–$150 added to a driveway, $100–$250 standalone.
- House siding (1,500–2,500 sq ft footprint): $300–$600. Vinyl, brick, stucco — different chemicals, similar price. Soft wash for siding always — never blast it.
- Wood deck: $0.50–$1.50/sq ft. A 400 sq ft deck = $200–$600. Higher because of the cleaning + careful pressure.
- Composite deck: $0.40–$1.00/sq ft. Slightly less because you don't have to worry about wood damage.
- Roof soft wash (asphalt shingle): $400–$1,200 typical. $0.30–$0.60/sq ft.
- Fence: $0.50–$1.50/linear foot for a 6-ft privacy fence.
- Gutter cleaning add-on: $100–$250 if added to another job; $200–$400 standalone.
- Paver patio with sand re-application: $0.75–$2.00/sq ft.
What changes the number (the multipliers)
Beyond surface area:
- Stain severity: light algae = base price. Heavy oil/rust on concrete = +50–100%. Be honest with customers — don't promise miracles on bad stains.
- Access: easy spigot + flat ground = base. Pump-from-truck-tank, second-floor siding, no water on site = +25–50%.
- Surface prep needed: moving patio furniture, masking electrical, covering plants = baked into the price; don't quote without seeing it (or seeing a photo).
- Repeat customer / annual contract: 10–20% discount for booked recurrence. Annual recurring is your highest-LTV customer — protect it.
- Travel: within your service zone = base. Beyond it = $1–$2/mile or a flat trip charge.
The honest minimum
Most operators set a $150–$200 minimum job regardless of surface. The truck shows up, the rig is set up, the chemicals are measured — under $150 you're losing money. Don't do small jobs at small prices; bundle them ("driveway + walkway + a quick rinse on the front siding for $325").
How to quote without flinching
The quote conversation is where new operators leak the most money. The script:
- Get the data. Photos or address. With the address you can pull Google Maps satellite + measure the driveway in 30 seconds.
- Quote a single number, with confidence. "For your driveway, walkway, and garage apron — $325. We can be there Saturday morning." Not "It would probably be around 300, maybe 350, depends on..." Confidence sells.
- Itemize only if asked. Most customers don't want a line-item invoice. They want a number.
- Do NOT discount on the spot. If a customer pushes back, hold or offer to add value (rinse the patio while you're there) instead of cutting price. Cutting price trains them.
Red flags in your own pricing
- Closing 95%+ of quotes — too cheap, raise prices.
- Closing <30% of quotes — either too expensive OR your quoting confidence is broken (more often the latter).
- Days that net under $400 in revenue — your minimums are too low or you're over-driving.
- Customers asking "is that all?" — too cheap, raise prices.
The bottom line
Charge by square foot in your head, quote a flat number to the customer, hold a $150–$200 minimum, raise prices when you're booking out 2 weeks. Operators who follow this framework hit $100K+ revenue in year two solo.
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