Pressure washing · pricing guide
Pressure washing pricing: how to quote a job that actually pays
"A dollar a square foot" is a starting point, not a pricing model — surface type, dirt level, and chemical cost swing the real cost per job far more than square footage alone. Here's the cost structure, the formula, and where quotes go wrong.
Last updated September 17, 2026
What a pressure washing job actually costs
Pressure washing pricing is the process of turning a job's real costs — crew labor, chemicals, water and fuel, and business overhead — into a quote that survives a slow month, not just a number that matches a competitor's flyer. A one- to two-person crew typically costs $35–$60 per hour; chemicals and surfactants run $15–$60 per job depending on soil level; water and fuel add $10–$35 per job on tank or trailer rigs; and overhead — insurance, equipment wear, software — should be budgeted as 10–15% of revenue on every job. Chemical cost is the line most flat-rate quotes ignore, because a heavily oxidized driveway or a greasy commercial kitchen exterior can run two to three times the surfactant cost of a routine house wash.
Square footage sets the time estimate. These four costs set the actual price:
| Cost component | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Crew labor (per hour, 1-2 person crew) | $35–$60 |
| Chemicals & surfactants (per job) | $15–$60 |
| Water & fuel (per job, tank/trailer rigs) | $10–$35 |
| Overhead allocation (insurance, equipment wear, software) | 10–15% of revenue |
Chemical cost is the line most flat-rate quotes ignore. A heavily oxidized driveway or a commercial kitchen exterior can run two to three times the surfactant cost of a routine house wash — price by soil level, not just by square footage.
The pricing formula
Cost-plus pricing works backward from the margin you need:
Price = Total cost ÷ (1 − target margin)
Total cost: $90 labor + $35 chemicals + $20 water/fuel = $145
Target margin: 35%
Price = $145 ÷ (1 − 0.35) = $223
A flat "$1/sq ft" quote on a 2,000 sq ft driveway ($200) undercuts this by more than 10% before overhead is even counted.
Common pricing mistakes
Concrete, wood, and roofing all take different pressure, chemicals, and time. A single per-square-foot rate across all three either overcharges the easy surfaces or loses money on the hard ones.
No on-site water access means hauling — that's added fuel, time, and equipment wear that a same-price quote for an on-site job doesn't cover.
Matching a competitor's "$99 house wash" flyer only works if your cost structure matches theirs. If their crew, chemicals, or overhead differ from yours, the match is a guess, not a comparison.
See this math on your own numbers in 10 seconds.
Free profit calculatorBeyond one job: pricing every job the same way
The formula above works job by job. Running it automatically — with chemical costs, commercial accounts, and large-project estimating built in — is what the paid tools below are built for.
Price for a living, not just this job
Three tools for three stages of the business
Pick the one that matches where you're stuck right now.
- Advanced Quote & Pricing Calculator — cost-based quotes, margin checks, and chemical costs, $24.99
- Large Project Estimator — multi-surface and commercial work with labor, travel, and contingency, $29.99
- Business Command Center — the full operating dashboard: leads, jobs, invoices, expenses, profit, $49.99
FAQ
- Do I need a pressure washing business template, or just a pricing calculator?
- Start with the calculator if pricing is the immediate pain point. Reach for a full business template — like the Business Command Center — once you also need leads, job tracking, invoicing, and expenses in one place.
- What should a pressure washing quote template include?
- At minimum: surface type and square footage, chemical cost by soil level, a water-source line for hauling jobs, and your target margin built into the formula rather than eyeballed.
- Do I need a separate pressure washing invoice template from my quote template?
- They can be the same document for one-off residential jobs. Commercial and recurring accounts usually need a separate invoice format that references a signed quote or contract — see the Commercial Accounts Tracker if you're taking on recurring work.
- How do I price a large commercial pressure washing project differently from a house wash?
- Commercial bids add travel, crew size, contingency for unknowns, and often multi-day scheduling — the Large Project Estimator is built specifically for that math instead of stretching a residential quote template.