The bands, by surface
Exterior cleaning is priced per square foot, and the spread between surfaces is not arbitrary — it is the method. Concrete is a fast machine job. Siding is a slow chemistry job. A roof is the same chemistry plus a ladder and a dwell you cannot rush.
| Surface | $/sq ft | 1,000 sq ft costs |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete flatwork | 0.20–0.40 | $200–$400 |
| Vinyl or fibre-cement siding | 0.20–0.45 | $200–$450 |
| Brick and masonry | 0.30–0.50 | $300–$500 |
| Wood deck or fence | 0.35–0.60 | $350–$600 |
| Composite decking | 0.50–1.00 | $500–$1,000 |
| Asphalt shingle roof | 0.40–0.75 | $400–$750 |
| Paver cleaning only | 0.30–0.55 | $300–$550 |
| Paver sealing | 0.90–1.90 | $900–$1,900 |
Gutters break the pattern: they are priced by the linear foot, roughly $1.00–$2.50 for a clear-out and $1.00–$2.00 for exterior brightening, and the two are separate services sold under one name.
Where the numbers come from
Every band above is GrimeKit’s own working figure, and it is honest about its starting point. The one third-party anchor this site quotes is Homewyse’s per-square-foot cost for basic pressure washing — $0.42 to $0.52 per square foot, on a page that states its costs were updated January 2026, read on 4 September 2026. That is a homeowner-facing all-in figure for straightforward work.
From there the bands split by method: flatwork comes down because a surface cleaner is fast, roofs go up because the dwell and the ladder cost time, sealing goes up a long way because it is a materials job across three visits. What you will not find here is a “national average” presented as a survey result. Nobody surveys this trade well, and the numbers that circulate as averages are mostly each other.
Your market is the real number
What moves a quote
Four things move a price materially. Everything else is noise.
- Soiling. An annual maintenance wash and a decade of neglect are different jobs on the same slab. Heavy soiling adds around a quarter; genuine restoration work can add half again.
- Access. Two storeys, no spigot, a locked side gate, a hedge between the truck and the work. Each one is time before any water moves.
- Water. No source on site means a buffer tank and a haul. That is a line item, not a multiplier — show it.
- Containment. Commercial sites often require wash-water recovery. It changes the equipment on the truck and belongs on the quote as its own line.
Why small jobs cost more per foot
Drive time, unloading, the walkthrough, setup, teardown and loading do not shrink when the job does. A 300 square foot patio might be twelve minutes of machine work inside two hours of everything else. Priced per square foot it looks like a $75 job; priced against the day it is a $175 job at best.
That is what a call-out floor is for. This site works to a $175 minimum, which is the two-hour minimum labour charge the anchor source describes, expressed as a number. Publish yours, quote it without apology, and offer to add the walk and the steps while you are there — the marginal square feet are nearly free and the customer feels better about the number.
PSI & nozzle quick reference
- 0 degRed
- Spot jet. Etches most surfaces.4000 PSI
- 15 degYellow
- Stripping bare concrete.4000 PSI
- 25 degGreen
- General concrete and walkways.3500 PSI
- 40 degWhite
- Siding, wood, vehicles.1500 PSI
- ~65 degBlack
- Detergent draw, low pressure.500 PSI
Quoting without regret
The quotes that go wrong are the ones given over the phone from a customer’s description. People underestimate area, forget the apron, and describe ten years of algae as “a bit dirty”. Give a band on the phone if you must, and a number only after you have seen it.
- Measure with a wheel. Every time. The wheel pays for itself the first month.
- Photograph before you quote, not just before you start.
- Write the exclusions down: rust, paint, battery acid, pre-existing cracks.
- Give the number as a total, not a rate. Customers argue with rates and accept totals.
Never quote a roof without seeing the pitch