Pressure washing price per square foot
A price per square foot is handy for quoting driveways, patios and decks fast. The trap is that it isn't one number: small jobs cost more per foot because setup and driving don't shrink with the job. Here's how to work out your own.
Pricing for pressure washing ·
Short answer: price per sq ft = (cleaning hours + setup and drive hours) × your hourly rate + chemicals + mileage, all divided by the square feet. With the example numbers below ($75 an hour, 800 sq ft an hour on flat concrete, an hour of setup and driving), a 1,200 sq ft driveway comes to $214, about 18¢ a sq ft, while a 400 sq ft patio on its own comes to $131, about 33¢ a sq ft. The rate and speeds are examples, so put in your own.
How do you work out a price per square foot?
- Measure the surface. Length × width for each area; add them up. A 20 × 60 ft driveway is 1,200 sq ft.
- Cleaning time. Square feet ÷ how many square feet you clean an hour, including pre-treating and rinsing. Flat concrete with a surface cleaner is the fastest; decks, fences and siding are much slower.
- Fixed time. Unloading, hooking up water, setting up, packing away, and the drive there and back. This is about the same for a patio as for a driveway.
- Hours × your hourly rate. A rate that pays for the truck, trailer, machine, hoses, surface cleaner, insurance and the hours you spend quoting.
- Add chemicals and mileage. Then divide the total by the square feet.
A worked example, from patio to big driveway
Example inputs: $75 an hour, 800 sq ft an hour on flat concrete, 1 hour of setup and driving, chemicals at 1¢ a sq ft, and a 20-mile round trip at 72.5¢ a mile ($14.50, the IRS 2026 business mileage rate). The rate, speed, fixed time and chemical cost are starting guesses.
| Job size | Hours | Price | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 sq ft patio | 1.5 | $131.00 | 33¢ |
| 800 sq ft | 2.0 | $172.50 | 22¢ |
| 1,200 sq ft driveway | 2.5 | $214.00 | 18¢ |
| 2,000 sq ft | 3.5 | $297.00 | 15¢ |
The 1,200 sq ft line, by hand: 1,200 ÷ 800 = 1.5 cleaning hours, plus 1 hour fixed, is 2.5 hours. 2.5 × $75 = $187.50. Chemicals 1,200 × 1¢ = $12.00. Mileage $14.50. Total $214.00, and $214.00 ÷ 1,200 = 17.8¢ a sq ft.
The lesson is in the last column: one flat "cents per foot" either overcharges big jobs or loses money on small ones. That's why most owners also set a minimum charge that covers the fixed hour and a bit of cleaning.
Why do houses, decks and fences cost more per square foot?
They are slower. Siding is usually soft-washed with a mix and low pressure, then rinsed, working around windows, lights and plants. Decks and fences are cleaned board by board and often need a brightener. Use a separate, slower speed for each surface, and time a few of your own jobs to find it. Priced at the driveway speed, a house wash would lose money.
Where can the wash water go?
Not down the storm drain. Many cities and counties ban washing water into storm drains, because storm drains run straight to creeks and lakes with no treatment. Brookhaven, Georgia's guidance, for example, says discharge of pressure-washing wash water to the storm drain system is prohibited, asks for washing in dry weather, and says to collect the water when it can't go onto grass or soil, with fines up to $1,000 a day per violation. Rules differ by town, so check yours, and price the time and gear (berms, drain covers, a vacuum) for jobs where you have to collect water.
What do pressure washing owners forget to charge for?
- Oil and rust stains. Spot treatment takes extra product and dwell time. Quote it as an add-on.
- Water supply. Low pressure at the spigot slows the whole job; bringing water in a tank is time and fuel.
- Sealing. Sealing a driveway or deck after cleaning is a second job with its own material and drying time.
- Wear on the machine. Pumps, hoses, tips and the surface cleaner wear out. That cost belongs in your hourly rate.
Questions pressure washing owners ask
What hourly rate should I use?
One that pays you a real wage plus your equipment, truck, insurance and the hours you can't bill. Our hourly rate calculator works for any trade: ignore the plumber wages and put in your own pay, costs and billable hours. $75 is only an example.
Should I quote per square foot or a flat price?
Give the customer a flat price for the job. Use your own per-square-foot numbers, by job size and surface, to get there fast and to check each quote.
What should my minimum charge be?
At least the fixed hour (setup, packing up and the drive) at your rate, plus mileage and a small area of cleaning. With the example numbers that's $75 + $14.50 plus the cleaning.
Do I charge less when I do two jobs on the same street?
You can, because the drive and some setup are shared. That's the best kind of discount: it comes out of time you save, not out of your pay.
Sources
- Mileage: IRS, IRS sets 2026 business standard mileage rate at 72.5 cents per mile.
- Wash water: City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Pressure Washing Guidance (one city's rules; check your own).
- The $75 rate, cleaning speeds, fixed time and chemical cost are examples for showing the math, marked as starting guesses. Replace them with your own.