Power Washing: what to ask, what it costs, and one number to call
Updated June 2026 · By the Mobile Phonebook editorial team · How we research pricing
Power washing and pressure washing are the same thing in practice, and the work covers house siding, driveways, sidewalks, decks, fences, patios, and roofs: anywhere algae, mildew, dirt, and grime build up outdoors. You need it when the north side of the house has gone green, the driveway has tire stains and gray film, the deck is slick, or you're prepping surfaces for painting, staining, or a home sale.
Calling gets you a quote and a schedule, but this is a trade where the method matters as much as the price. The wrong pressure on the wrong surface strips paint, etches wood, blasts mortar out of joints, and voids roof warranties. The cheapest guy with the rented machine is the most likely to do all four. A few minutes of knowing what to ask separates a wash from a damage claim.
What should you have ready before you call?
- What surfaces you want done: house, driveway, walkways, deck, fence, roof, patio. Be specific, including the backs and sides
- House size (square footage and stories) and siding type: vinyl, fiber cement, brick, stucco, painted wood
- Roughly how big the driveway and any decks or patios are
- What the buildup is: green algae, black streaks on the roof, oil stains, rust, regular dirt. Different problems get different treatments
- Whether there's an outdoor spigot they can use, and decent access around the house
- Landscaping near the work, like beds, gardens, and delicate plants they'll need to protect
- Whether this is prep for painting or staining, which changes the process and the timing
What should you ask before hiring? The 9-question script
This is your script. Nobody expects you to be an expert. Sound like someone who asks the right questions, and anyone good will answer all of these without flinching.
The most important question on the list. Siding, roofs, and painted surfaces should be soft washed with low pressure plus cleaning solution. 'We pressure wash everything' from a guy with one machine and one tip means damage.
Lowball quotes get cheap by quietly excluding the back of the house or the gutter faces. Get the included surfaces listed, in writing, before anyone shows up.
'Heavy growth surcharges' discovered on arrival are the classic upsell. A good company prices from your photos or a look at the property and stands by the number.
Real answers involve pre-wetting and rinsing plants, covering delicate beds, and controlling overspray. A sodium hypochlorite mix is industry standard; the question is whether they manage it carefully.
Water forced behind siding, a chemical-burned lawn, or a broken window are exactly what insurance exists for. Asking how claims would be handled is reasonable for any exterior work.
Surface cleaners give even results on driveways; wand-only work leaves visible stripes. The answer instantly sorts pros from a homeowner-grade rig.
Asphalt shingles should only ever be soft washed, since high pressure strips granules and shortens roof life. Shingle manufacturers endorse low-pressure chemical cleaning. Anyone proposing pressure on a roof should be shown the driveway.
Wood is easy to scar with too much pressure (fuzzy, etched boards). Good deck work is lower pressure, with the grain, often with a cleaner and a brightener, especially if staining comes next.
Most companies hook to your spigot, which is fine and normal, just good to know. A full house-and-driveway job can use a few hundred gallons, which costs you a couple of dollars, not a surprise.
How much does power washing cost in 2026?
Power washing prices per job for houses and roofs, per square foot for flatwork and wood. These are broad 2026 national ranges. Stories, buildup severity, and access move every number.
| Typical job | National range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| House wash (single story) | $250 – $450 | Soft wash; size and growth severity drive it |
| House wash (two story) | $350 – $700 | Height adds time and equipment |
| Driveway | $0.15 – $0.50 per sq ft | Typical two-car driveway lands around $100 – $300 |
| Sidewalks / patio (concrete) | $0.15 – $0.50 per sq ft | Often discounted when bundled with a house wash |
| Deck cleaning | $0.50 – $1.50 per sq ft | Wood is slow, careful work; brightening/neutralizing may be extra |
| Fence cleaning | $0.50 – $1.50 per sq ft (per side) | Both sides doubles the area, so confirm how they count it |
| Roof soft wash | $400 – $1,500+ | Pitch, height, and severity of black streaking/moss |
| Gutter exterior brightening | $1 – $2 per linear foot | Removes the black 'tiger stripes'; usually an add-on to a house wash |
These are typical 2026 U.S. ranges for planning purposes; your market, season and job specifics can land outside them. Always get the price for your job confirmed on the call and in writing. Ranges compiled June 2026 from national cost data and industry sources (methodology).
When you don't need to call anyone
We get paid when you call, so take this section as seriously as we do. Sometimes the honest answer is that you can handle it yourself or fix it cheaper first:
- A patio, walkway, or grimy fence is a rent-a-machine weekend ($40–100 a day). Satisfying, low-skill, low-risk.
- Green film on shaded siding often doesn't need pressure at all. A pump sprayer with house-wash solution and a garden-hose rinse handles it.
- Siding can be DIY with care and low pressure. But high pressure destroys soft wood, window seals, and mortar, so if you're unsure about your surface, that's the case for hiring.
- Roofs are the exception in both directions: never walk a wet roof yourself, and never let anyone blast shingles with high pressure. Roof cleaning is gentle soft-wash work, or skip it entirely if it's only cosmetic.
How the power washing business works
The big technical divide is soft washing versus pressure washing, and good companies use both. Pressure washing uses high PSI water to physically blast grime off hard surfaces: concrete, brick, stone. Soft washing uses low pressure (think garden-hose force) with cleaning solutions, usually a diluted sodium hypochlorite mix with surfactants, that kill and dissolve the algae and mildew before rinsing off. House siding, roofs, and painted surfaces should almost always be soft washed, because the chemistry does the work there, not the pressure. A crew that points a high-pressure tip at vinyl siding or asphalt shingles is doing damage, full stop. They're forcing water behind siding, stripping shingle granules, and shredding window screens.
Pricing runs per square foot or per job. House washes are commonly quoted by home size: $250 to $600 for a typical one- or two-story house. Flatwork like driveways runs $0.15 to $0.50 per square foot. Decks and fences price per square foot of surface at a higher rate because wood is slow, careful work. Roofs are the premium service, $400 to $1,500+, because of safety, time, and chemical handling. What moves any quote: stories and access, how bad the growth is, water source (most use yours), and whether post-treatment like deck brightening is included.
The hustle to watch for in this trade is lowball-then-upsell. A '$99 house wash' gets someone in your driveway, and then it turns out the quote didn't include the back of the house, or the gutters' exterior ('gutter brightening' is a real service, but it should be quoted up front), or the concrete, or 'heavy growth' that doubles the price on arrival. The pattern is the same as every coupon trade: the advertised number gets the truck there, and the real number gets negotiated on your lawn. A legitimate company asks your square footage and stories, looks at the property on a map or photos, and gives you a number that survives their arrival.
Two more things insiders know. Results on concrete depend on technique: a surface cleaner attachment (the round spinning deck thing) gives even results, while wand-only washing leaves zebra striping, so ask which they use on flatwork. And the chemicals are real chemicals. Sodium hypochlorite kills plants, spots cars, and stains some metals, so plant rinsing, covering, and overspray control are part of a professional job. Ask how they protect landscaping; the answer tells you if they've been doing this longer than a season.
Red flags & good signs
Red flags
- A '$99 whole house' ad. The real price appears in your driveway as exclusions and 'heavy growth' surcharges
- High pressure proposed for vinyl siding, painted surfaces, or any shingle roof
- No mention of protecting plants and landscaping from chemical overspray
- Can't or won't say what's in their cleaning solution
- No insurance answer, cash-only, and a rig that looks rented that morning
- Quotes that exclude sides of the house or gutter faces without saying so until the crew arrives
- Promising to remove every stain. Some (deep rust, long-set oil, irrigation staining) only fade, and honest companies say so up front
Good signs
- They distinguish soft wash from pressure wash without prompting, and match the method to each surface
- A written quote listing every included surface, priced from your photos or a look at the property, and it doesn't change on arrival
- Clear plant-protection routine: pre-wet, cover, rinse after
- Surface cleaner equipment for flatwork and honest expectations about which stains won't fully disappear
- Insurance confirmed in writing without any squirming
Frequently asked questions
How much does pressure washing a house cost?
What's the difference between soft washing and pressure washing?
Can pressure washing damage my siding or roof?
How often should I have my house washed?
Will pressure washing remove oil stains from my driveway?
Should I power wash my deck before staining?
Do pressure washers use my water?
What are the black streaks on my roof?
Related services
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