Roof and exterior
Pressure washing cost
Soft-washing a two-storey 2,000 sq ft house and pressure-washing a 600 sq ft driveway is about $746 — the house $626, the driveway $120 on the same visit. It is priced by the square foot, and the rates are close; what differs is the method each surface should get: siding and shingle roofs soft-washed with a cleaning solution at low pressure, concrete pressure-washed through a surface cleaner, decks and fences at low pressure. A driveway on its own is $200 because it pays most of a visit minimum. This prices every surface with its method, and the rental if you do it yourself.
Written and edited by Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Last reviewed 2026-09-24 · Nothing you type leaves your browser
Pressure washing cost calculator
What gets washed, and how
Priced by the square foot, but each surface gets its own method: siding and roofs soft-washed, concrete pressure-washed, wood at low pressure.
Living area; the siding is worked out from it.
About 2,505 sq ft of siding.
Soft wash.
Not the roof.
Surface cleaner at full pressure.
Concrete or pavers.
Low pressure and brightener.
Both sides, by the running foot.
Pre-treated.
While it is clean.
A washing company.
Used only to pick a regional labour rate. It stays in your browser.
House + driveway washed
$746
house siding $626 · driveway and walks $120
The surface picks the method
house siding: soft wash; driveway and walks: pressure wash. The price per square foot is the easy part; the harm, when there is any, is concrete-level pressure on siding, shingles or wood.
Not up under the siding
Siding is soft-washed, never blasted.
A cleaning solution at low pressure does the work on siding and on shingle roofs: it kills the mildew and algae and a gentle rinse takes them off. A pressure washer aimed up at lapped siding drives water into the wall; aimed at shingles it strips the granules. Full pressure is for concrete.
Price and method by surface
Per square foot, fence per running foot; the surfaces in this job solid.
What the company charges for
- House siding, 2,505 sq ft
Soft wash. Soft-washed: a cleaning solution at low pressure that kills the mildew and algae, then a gentle rinse. Priced by the square foot of wall.$626 - Driveway and walks, 600 sq ft
Pressure wash. High pressure through a spinning surface cleaner, so the concrete comes out even instead of striped.$120
What it costs
National average. house siding (2,505 sq ft), driveway and walks (600 sq ft). Not included: window cleaning, gutter cleaning, deck staining or house painting after.
Washing is the first step of a repaint — the house on the exterior painting page; a driveway past cleaning is on the concrete driveway page.
Worth knowing
- Each surface gets its own method: house siding — soft wash; driveway and walks — pressure wash. The price is per square foot; the damage, when there is any, comes from using the concrete method on the siding or the wood.
- A 2,000 sq ft house on 2 storeys is about 2,505 sq ft of siding. Soft-washed, the solution kills the mildew and algae and a gentle rinse takes them off; at full pressure, water is driven up behind the laps and into the wall.
- Clean concrete is the moment to seal it — about $0.5 a square foot — which keeps oil and water out for a few years.
- Wash water carrying detergent, oil and dirt should not run into a storm drain; many towns forbid it. Aim the run-off at the lawn or gravel, or have the company recover it.
On this page — 4 sections
The surface picks the method
The short version
- House and driveway: $746. The house alone $626.
- Siding and roofs are soft-washed, concrete pressure-washed, wood washed at low pressure.
- One visit, one minimum: about $200.
- Yourself: about $252 of rental and solution.
Pressure washing is sold by the square foot, and the rates are close from one surface to the next. What differs is how each surface should be cleaned. Concrete takes full pressure through a surface cleaner that holds the nozzles at an even height. Siding and shingle roofs take a soft wash: a cleaning solution at low pressure that kills the mildew and algae, and a gentle rinse. Wood takes low pressure and a brightener. Most damage from pressure washing is the concrete method used on something that is not concrete.
$0.25
Siding, soft wash
Per sq ft of wall
$0.2
Concrete, pressure
Per sq ft
$0.6
Deck, low pressure
Per sq ft
$200
Visit minimum
Shared by everything washed
MaterialsEstimator, Pressure washing and soft washing price survey · checked 2026-09-24
The house and the roof
A house is priced by its siding, which the calculator works out from the living area and the storeys — a two-storey, 2,000 square foot house is about 2,505 square feet of wall. It is soft-washed from the ground, and it is the step before any repaint. A shingle roof is soft-washed only: the streaks are algae, and pressure strips the granules that protect the shingles.
| Soft wash | Pressure wash | |
|---|---|---|
| Siding, 2,000 sq ft house | $626 | Water behind the laps |
| Shingle roof | $460 | Granules stripped; warranty at risk |
| How it cleans | A solution kills growth; a rinse removes it | Force removes the surface — and some of what is under it |
| Lasts | Longer: the growth is dead | Shorter on siding: the roots survive |
Vinyl Siding Institute, Caring for vinyl siding — cleaning and pressure washing · checked 2026-09-24
Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, Algae discoloration of roofs — cleaning asphalt shingles · checked 2026-09-24
Concrete, decks and fences
| Surface | Method | Per unit | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driveway and walks | pressure wash | $0.20/sq ft | $200 for 600 sq ft |
| Patio or pool deck | pressure wash | $0.25/sq ft | $200 for 300 sq ft |
| Wood or composite deck | low-pressure wash | $0.60/sq ft | $200 for 300 sq ft |
| Fence | low-pressure wash | $2.50/ft | $375 for 150 ft |
Each on its own visit, so small jobs carry the minimum. Everything together, house and roof included: $1,836.
Before the washer starts
- Windows shut, outdoor outlets covered, cars moved.
- Plants near the house wetted before and rinsed after the soft-wash solution.
- The method named per surface on the quote.
- Stains pointed out: oil and rust are pre-treated.
- Where the run-off goes — lawn, not the storm drain.
- A deck or fence left two dry days before stain.
What goes wrong
01Pressure on siding
Water driven behind the laps soaks the wall; vinyl cracks and paint strips.
Instead — A soft wash.
02Pressure on a shingle roof
It strips the granules and shortens the roof's life.
Instead — A low-pressure algae treatment.
03A narrow tip on wood
It carves the soft grain and leaves furry, gouged boards.
Instead — Low pressure, a wide fan and a brightener.
04A wand on a big driveway
Stripes and swirls that show for months.
Instead — A surface cleaner.
05One surface per visit
Each visit pays the $200 minimum.
Instead — Everything on one trip.
06Washing from a ladder
The wand's kickback and a wet ladder are how people fall.
Instead — Soft-wash from the ground with an extension wand.
- 01List the surfacesHouse, roof, driveway and walks, patio, deck, fence.
- 02Size each oneConcrete and decks by the square foot; fences by the running foot; the house's siding from its living area and storeys.
- 03Match the methodSoft wash for siding and roofs, pressure for concrete, low pressure for wood.
- 04Add the extrasOil and rust stains pre-treated; concrete sealed while it is clean.
- 05Do it on one visitThe company's minimum is about $200; the more surfaces share it, the less it matters.
- 06Or rentA gas pressure washer for a day, a surface cleaner, and a soft-wash solution for the siding.
A wash is the first line of every exterior repaint. The painting page prices the prep, the primer and the coats.
If the house is being painted- Pressure washing
- Cleaning with water at high pressure — 2,500 to 4,000 psi. Right for concrete; wrong for siding, shingles and soft wood.
- Power washing
- The same thing, usually with heated water. The words are used interchangeably in quotes.
- Soft washing
- A cleaning solution applied at low pressure that kills mildew and algae, then a gentle rinse. How siding and roofs are cleaned.
- Surface cleaner
- A spinning disc attachment that holds the nozzles a fixed distance off concrete, so the result is even rather than striped.
- Brightener
- An oxalic-acid solution that restores the colour of washed wood and neutralises the cleaner before staining.
- Mildew and algae
- The green and black growth on north-facing siding and the streaks on roofs. Killed by the solution, not blasted off.
- Granules
- The mineral coating on asphalt shingles that shields them from the sun. Pressure washing strips them.
- Efflorescence
- White mineral deposits on concrete and masonry. A mild acid wash removes them; pressure alone spreads them.
- Penetrating sealer
- A clear sealer that soaks into clean concrete and keeps oil and water out for a few years.
- Wash-water recovery
- Collecting the dirty run-off instead of letting it reach a storm drain, which many towns require.
Common questions
- How much does pressure washing cost?
- About $746 for a typical job — a two-storey, 2,000 sq ft house soft-washed ($626) and a 600 sq ft driveway pressure-washed ($120). Siding runs about $0.25 a square foot, concrete $0.2, decks $0.6, with a visit minimum of about $200.
- How much does it cost to pressure wash a house?
- About $626 for a two-storey, 2,000 sq ft house — roughly 2,505 sq ft of siding at $0.25 — and $383 for a 1,500 sq ft ranch. It is soft-washed: a cleaning solution at low pressure kills the mildew and algae, and a gentle rinse removes them.
- How much does it cost to pressure wash a driveway?
- About $200 for 600 sq ft on its own — the work is $120 and the rest is the visit minimum — and $520 with oil stains treated and the concrete sealed. On the same visit as the house, the driveway is only its $0.2 a square foot.
- How much does roof cleaning cost?
- About $460 to soft-wash a 1,150 sq ft shingle roof — about $0.4 a square foot. The black streaks are algae; a low-pressure solution kills them. A pressure washer strips the granules and can void a shingle warranty.
- How much does it cost to pressure wash a deck?
- About $200 for a 300 sq ft deck at $0.6 a square foot — low pressure and a cleaner or brightener, because high pressure raises the grain and gouges the boards. It needs a couple of dry days before a stain or sealer goes on.
- Pressure washing or soft washing?
- Pressure for concrete, pavers and masonry; soft washing for siding, stucco and shingle roofs; low pressure for wood and fences. The price per square foot is similar; the difference is whether the surface survives it.
- Can pressure washing damage siding?
- Yes, aimed upward at lapped siding it drives water behind the laps into the wall, and at close range it can crack vinyl, strip paint and etch wood. The siding makers' advice is a soft brush or low pressure aimed straight on at eye level — which is what a soft wash does.
- Is it cheaper to pressure wash myself?
- About $252 for the house and driveway: a gas pressure washer for the day (about $80), a surface cleaner ($40), and a soft-wash solution — and about 10.6 hours. Two-storey siding from a ladder with a pressure wand is where people get hurt; a soft-wash solution applied from the ground is safer.
- How often should a house be washed?
- Once a year or two in humid climates where mildew grows on the north side, less often elsewhere. Concrete when it looks it; decks every year or two before resealing; roofs when the streaks appear, every few years.
- Where does the wash water go?
- Not into the storm drain, ideally: many towns forbid wash water with detergent, oil and dirt from reaching it. Aim run-off at the lawn or gravel, or ask the company whether they recover it.
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About the author
Pablo Ruiz Quintero — Editor
Editor of MaterialsEstimator. Decides which documents count as a source, what every default value is, and where the line sits between what the reader parses and what the engines compute.
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