Pricing
How to price pressure washing jobs
Quick answer
Work out what one working hour costs you (labor, equipment, overhead), estimate the job's time including setup and travel, add chemicals, then divide by one minus your margin. An 800 sq ft driveway in the worked example comes to about $195.
Picture a driveway that looks like a quick job from the street. When you get closer, there are oil stains by the garage, moss along the edges and a gutter downspout that has painted a black streak across the concrete. The square footage has not changed, but the job just doubled.
That is why pressure washing prices are easy to get wrong. The size of the surface is only half the story; the other half is what is on it and how hard it is to reach. This guide shows how to price by the square foot, per job or by the hour, always starting from your own costs.
Three ways to charge, one set of costs
| Method | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Per square foot | Driveways, patios, decks, flat surfaces | Stains, heavy growth and edges that take longer per foot |
| Flat price per job | House washes and common packages you know well | Surprises in condition or access |
| Hourly | Unusual jobs, heavy restoration, commercial one-offs | Customers watching the clock |
Whatever you show the customer, the number underneath is the same: time multiplied by what an hour costs you, plus chemicals, plus your margin.
Step 1: know what an hour costs you
An hour of pressure washing costs more than the wage of whoever holds the wand. It has to cover:
- Labor: your pay or your worker's wage plus payroll costs. The complete pricing guide shows how to go from wage to real cost.
- Equipment: the washer, surface cleaner, hoses, pump and trailer, spread over the hours they last, plus fuel and wear parts.
- Overhead: insurance, vehicle, phone, software, advertising.
Let's use example numbers for a one-person operation: $28 an hour of real labor cost, equipment worth $6,000 expected to last 1,500 working hours ($4 an hour) plus $3 an hour for fuel and wear parts, and $1,500 of monthly overhead over 130 billable hours ($11.54 an hour). Each working hour costs:
$28 + $4 + $3 + $11.54 = $46.54
Replace these with your own figures. The method stays the same.
Step 2: time the job, not just the surface
Measure the surface, then estimate time with your own production rate for that kind of surface. A plain concrete driveway with a surface cleaner goes much faster than a stained wooden deck or a vinyl house wash with a soft-wash mix.
Always add the time the customer does not see: loading, setup, pre-treating stains, rinsing down walls and plants, packing up and the drive.
Step 3: a worked driveway
Say the driveway is 20 by 40 feet, or 800 square feet. Your production rate on clean-ish concrete is 400 square feet an hour, so the washing takes 2 hours. Setup, pre-treat, cleanup and the drive add another hour.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 2 h washing + 1 h setup, cleanup and drive | 3 h |
| Hourly cost | 3 h × $46.54 | $139.62 |
| Chemicals | Degreaser and surface treatment | $15.00 |
| Total cost | $154.62 | |
| Price at 20 % margin | $154.62 ÷ 0.80 | $193.28 |
Round it to $195. That works out to about $0.24 per square foot for this driveway. The per-square-foot figure is a result of your costs, not a starting point, and it will be different on a stained driveway or a job an hour away. Dividing by 0.80 keeps 20 percent of the price as profit, as explained in markup vs margin.
Step 4: set a minimum charge
Small jobs still need the trailer hitched, the equipment set up and the drive both ways. Using the same hourly cost, a job that takes one hour on site plus one hour of setup and travel costs 2 × $46.54 = $93.08. At a 20 percent margin that is $116.35, so a minimum of about $120 protects you on small patios and single-surface jobs.
Where the water goes matters
Wash water can carry detergent, oil, grease and paint flakes. The EPA explains that polluted stormwater runoff is commonly transported through municipal storm sewer systems and often discharged, untreated, into local water bodies. Those storm sewer systems are regulated: according to the EPA, about 855 larger municipal systems and 6,695 smaller ones operate under stormwater permits, each with a program to minimize the pollutants they discharge. That is why local rules on wash water exist and why they differ from one city to the next.
Ask your city or county stormwater office before you start, and price in any recovery equipment or extra time the rules require. It is much cheaper than a fine.
Chemicals and safety
If you have employees, OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard requires employers with hazardous chemicals in the workplace to have labels and safety data sheets for exposed workers and to train them to handle the chemicals properly. Cleaning products, degreasers and sodium hypochlorite mixes count.
Ladder and roof work also change the job. If a house wash needs work at height, price in the extra setup time and the safety equipment, or offer ground-level soft washing only.
What to include in a pressure washing quote
- Surfaces included, with approximate sizes.
- Method for each surface (pressure washing or soft washing).
- Stains that may not come out completely, stated before you start.
- Water source and who supplies it.
- Price, deposit if any, and payment terms.
What to do next
Work out your cost per working hour with your own numbers, time your next three jobs and compare them with what you charged. The job price calculator makes the check quick. If you are just getting started, the guide to starting a pressure washing business covers equipment, insurance and local rules.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge pressure washing by the square foot?
It works well for flat surfaces like driveways and patios, as long as the rate comes from your own costs and you adjust for stains, growth and access.
What minimum should I charge for pressure washing?
At least enough to cover setup, the drive both ways and a short job at your margin. In the worked example that is about $120.
Can I let wash water go into the storm drain?
Check with your city or county first. The EPA explains that storm sewer systems often discharge untreated into local water bodies, and thousands of municipal systems operate under stormwater permits with their own local rules.